METHOD AND SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES EFFICIENT INDEX-BASED RETRIEVAL OF RULES

The current application is directed to methods, and to systems employing the methods, that allow built-in indexing methods for facts, to additionally be applied to rules within a logic-programming system. The methods and systems to which the current application is directed convert an original set of rules into an equivalent set of fact/rule pairs. In addition, a new set of rules may be directly encoded as a new set of fact/rule pairs by these methods and systems. The equivalent set of fact/rule pairs implement the original set of rules, preserving the meaning of the original rules, but the equivalent set of fact/rule pairs are indexed by built-in indexing methods for facts. The new fact/rule pairs are also indexed by built-in indexing methods for facts.