DataFab Utilities
Version: 1.0 Last Updated: May 2026
What Is a Utility
A Utility in DataFab is a packaged, domain-specific application built on top of the DataFab core framework. Where the core framework provides general-purpose primitives — Knowledge Fabric, Studio, Graph Operations, Graph RAG, AI/LLM Layer, Exchange — a Utility composes those primitives into an end-to-end solution for a particular operational use case.
Each Utility is a first-class platform tenant: it has its own domain, schemas, data sources, DDAs, dialog playbooks, DAG rule chains, and analyst surfaces. Utilities reuse the same security, audit, and operational-mode controls as the rest of the platform; they do not introduce parallel infrastructure.
Utility Anatomy
Every DataFab Utility is structured around the same set of building blocks. The presence and depth of each block vary by utility, but the surface is consistent.
| Block | Role in a Utility |
|---|---|
| Domain & Schemas | Defines the entities and relationships under analysis (see Schema Management) |
| Data Sources | MCP connectors, customer system connections, OSINT sources (see Knowledge Fabric) |
| Knowledge Graph | Tenant-scoped graph holding subject entities, counterparties, related parties (see Knowledge Fabric) |
| DAG Rule Chain | Self-organising rule graph that evaluates evidence and produces a decision (see Graph Operations › DAG Rules) |
| Text-to-Cypher Rules | Graph-querying rules used by the chain to gather entity-level evidence (see Graph RAG › Text-to-Cypher Rules) |
| DDAs | Schema-bound agents that surface, summarise, or act on chain outputs (see Studio) |
| Dialog Playbook | The analyst-facing conversational layer with intents, tools, guardrails (see Dialog › Playbook-Based Communication) |
| System Self-Awareness | Introspection tools so analysts can interrogate rules, traces, and configuration (see Dialog › System Self-Awareness) |
| Decision Outputs | Structured packs (e.g., escalation, request-for-information, decline, refer) consumed by downstream operational systems |
| Audit & Provenance | Per-rule, per-turn, per-decision audit trails persisted alongside the analysis record |
Core Framework Primitives Reused by Utilities
Utilities are deliberately thin: they configure the platform, they do not extend it. The primitives below are owned by the core framework and consumed by every utility.
| Primitive | Owned By | Consumed As |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Graph + Entity Resolution | 03-Knowledge-Fabric | Subject and counterparty entity store |
| Schema Registry | 09-Schema-Management | Domain schema for the utility |
| MCP Connectors | 03-Knowledge-Fabric | Source data ingestion |
| DAG Rule Engine | 08-Graph-Operations | Rule chain execution and trace |
| Text-to-Cypher | 13-Graph-RAG | Graph-querying inside rules and DDAs |
| Graph RAG | 13-Graph-RAG | Retrieval for analyst-facing summarisation |
| LLM Gateway | 05-AI-LLM | All LLM calls with provider isolation and provenance |
| Studio (DDAs / Widgets / Tools) | 04-Studio | Analyst-facing assets and tool catalog |
| Dialog Playbooks | 15-Dialog | Conversational layer |
| System Self-Awareness | 15-Dialog | Run, rule, and configuration introspection |
| Operational Modes (0–4) | 04-Studio | Automation level per utility |
| Human-in-the-Loop Controls | 04-Studio | Review gates on high-risk decisions |
| Tool Authorization | 04-Studio | Per-user, per-tenant tool access |
| Audit Logging | 03 / 04 / 05 / 08 / 13 | Per-component audit trails |
Utility Catalog
| Utility | Document | Status | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transaction Monitoring | Transaction Monitoring | Production | DAG-driven financial-crime alert triage (50+ rules, scoring, decision routing) with tenant BPMN workflow, multi-source OSINT and watchlist screening, explainability + HITL, SAR filing pipeline, outreach gap detection, straight-through processing, dashboards, and policy versioning with ground-truth testing |
| Car Finance (AutoFab) | Car Finance | Production | Motor finance remediation under the FCA Motor Finance Scheme (population, cohorting, scheme testing, redress, outreach, payment, closure) |
| Compliance | Compliance | Production | Compliance and conflict-of-interest utility — graph-based conflict detection, OSINT schema management, BPM-driven processes, risk rules + thresholds, adverse-media + watchlist screening (built-in and tenant-specific) |
Utility Lifecycle
| Stage | Description | Approvals |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Domain, schemas, data sources, rule taxonomy, decision contract are agreed | Domain owner |
| Configuration | DAG chain, playbook, DDAs, thresholds, scoring weights are configured per tenant | Compliance / risk owner |
| Validation | Test suites run against historical data; thresholds calibrated; analyst playbook tested | Independent review |
| Pilot | Limited rollout under Mode 1 (AI-Assisted Manual) with Human-in-the-Loop on every decision | Operations owner |
| Production | Full rollout under the chosen operational mode (1–4) with audit and escalation in place | Change control |
| Continuous Tuning | Rule changes, threshold updates, schema extensions go through versioning and approval | Rule Engine governance |
Utility Security and Compliance Posture
| Control | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Tenant Isolation | Every utility runs in its tenant scope; cross-tenant access is impossible by construction |
| Operational Mode Binding | Each utility declares the mode(s) it supports; out-of-mode invocations are rejected |
| Decision Auditability | Every utility decision is backed by a chain trace and a tool-call audit (08, 04) |
| Regulatory Mapping | Utilities map their decisions to the regulations they support (see Compliance Capabilities) |
| Model Provenance | LLM-driven steps log model ID, prompt hash, and version (see AI & LLM) |
| Data Residency | Utilities respect the tenant’s data residency configuration (see Architecture) |
| Human-in-the-Loop | High-risk decisions are gated by HITL until at least Mode 3 |
How to Read the Utility Documents
Each utility document follows a consistent structure:
| Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Component Overview | What the utility does, in one paragraph and one capability table |
| Architecture Overview | Block diagram showing reused core primitives and utility-specific configuration |
| Domain & Schemas | The schemas, entities, and relationships the utility analyses |
| Data Sources | MCP connectors, customer systems, OSINT sources used |
| DAG Rule Chain | Tier structure, rule catalog, scoring config, decision config, chain trace |
| Decision Outputs | Structured outputs and how they integrate with downstream systems |
| Dialog Playbook | Intents, tools, guardrails surfaced to analysts |
| Self-Awareness | What analysts can introspect within this utility |
| Operational Modes | Supported modes and HITL gates |
| Security Controls | Utility-specific controls layered on the core posture |
| Audit Logging | Utility-specific audit events and retention |
| Regulatory Mapping | Regulations the utility supports |
Cross-References
- Architecture — Platform architecture and deployment models
- Knowledge Fabric — Knowledge Graph, Entity Resolution, MCP
- Studio — DDAs, Widgets, Tools, Tool Authorization, Operational Modes
- Dialog — Playbooks, Context-Awareness, System Self-Awareness, Widget Rendering
- Graph Operations — DAG Rules, Rule Engine, Graph Workflows
- Schema Management — Schema Registry and Domain Discovery
- Compliance Capabilities — Regulatory framework
- Graph RAG — Text-to-Cypher and graph-enhanced retrieval