The knowledgeSession is used to setup your new session for processing. When you issue the command, fireAllRule() on the knowledgeSession (or session.execute), then the knowledgeRuntime is created, and the rules are in a running state. The knowledgeRuntime is an instance of a live (running or idle) session. This is why the first parameter in the function if RuleContext, because a rule is calling the static function, and passing the information about the fired rule to the function, so that the function to derive information about the fired rule, and from that, the current runtime session that is running the rule. Or, to put it another way, the knowledgeSession is pre-execution, or post-executeion information about the session that will or has been executed. The knowledgeRuntime is the actual execution session, or runtime. -----Original Message----- From: rules-users-bounces(a)lists.jboss.org [mailto:rules-users-bounces@lists.jboss.org] On Behalf Of bardelman Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 2:02 AM To: rules-users(a)lists.jboss.org Subject: [rules-users] setting global variables in session : the Command interface VS the RuleContext. What is the difference ? hi , i m new in drools, i m reading the Drools-JBoss-Rules-5.0-Developers-Guide book in which i found a validation rule example on its chapter 3. In this exemple, global variables were set into the session with two methods shown in this code : ... session = knowledgeBase.newStatelessKnowledgeSession(); session.setGlobal("reportFactory", reportFactory); session.setGlobal("inquiryService", inquiryService); ... and these variables qualified as immutables, were called from the RuleContext public static void error(RuleContext drools, Object... context) { KnowledgeRuntime knowledgeRuntime = drools .getKnowledgeRuntime(); ValidationReport validationReport = (ValidationReport) knowledgeRuntime.getGlobal("validationReport"); ReportFactory reportFactory = (ReportFactory) knowledgeRuntime.getGlobal("reportFactory"); ... and for other variables(or facts ) the Command interface was used instead : List<Command> commands = new ArrayList<Command>(); commands.add(CommandFactory.newSetGlobal( "validationReport", report)); commands.add(CommandFactory .newInsertElements(getFacts(customer))); session.execute(CommandFactory .newBatchExecution(commands)); i m looking for accuracy in understanding when and which to use each method. thanks for help -- View this message in context: http://drools.46999.n3.nabble.com/setting-global-variables-in-session-the... Sent from the Drools: User forum mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ rules-users mailing list rules-users(a)lists.jboss.org https://lists.jboss.org/mailman/listinfo/rules-users