The Synthetic Approach to Decision Table Conversion Previous approaches to the problem of automatically converting decision tables to computer programs have been based on decomposition. At any stage, one condition is selected for testing, and two smaller problems (decision tables with one less condition) are created. An optimal program (with respect to average execution time or storage space, for example) is located only through implicit enumeration of all possible decision trees using a technique such as branch-and-bound. The new approach described in this paper uses dynamic programming to synthesize an optimal decision tree from which a program can be created. Using this approach, the efficiency of creating an optimal program is increased substantially, permitting generation of optimal programs for decision tables with as many as ten to twelve conditions. CACM June, 1976 Schumacher, H. Sevcik, K. C. decision tables, decision trees, dynamic programming, optimal programs 3.50 4.12 5.30 8.3 CA760606 JB January 4, 1978 1:50 PM 1354 4 2856 1354 4 2856 1488 4 2856 1684 4 2856 2053 4 2856 2053 4 2856 2053 4 2856 2220 4 2856 2220 4 2856 2220 4 2856 2221 4 2856 2273 4 2856 2273 4 2856 2273 4 2856 2273 4 2856 2273 4 2856 2453 4 2856 2453 4 2856 2453 4 2856 2453 4 2856 2517 4 2856 2598 4 2856 2598 4 2856 2598 4 2856 2726 4 2856 2726 4 2856 2726 4 2856 2726 4 2856 2845 4 2856 2856 4 2856 2856 4 2856 2856 4 2856 2856 4 2856 2856 4 2856 2856 4 2856 2856 4 2856 3034 4 2856 3113 4 2856 3113 4 2856 1172 5 2856 1327 5 2856 1354 5 2856 2053 5 2856 2220 5 2856 2453 5 2856 2598 5 2856 2856 5 2856 2856 5 2856 2856 5 2856 3033 5 2856 3113 5 2856 1354 6 2856 2263 6 2856 2598 6 2856 2691 6 2856 2856 6 2856 2856 6 2856