Constraint Processing

The text:

• Examines the basic practical aspects of each topic and then tackles more advanced issues, including current research challenges
• Builds the reader's understanding with definitions, examples, theory, algorithms and complexity analysis.
• Synthesizes three decades of researchers work on constraint processing in AI, databases and programming languages, operations research, management science, and applied mathematics

This book provides a comprehensive and much needed introduction to the field by one of its foremost experts. It is beautifully written and presents a unifying framework capturing a wide range of techniques for processing symbolic, numerical, and probabilistic information.
--Bart Selman, Cornell University

I've been waiting a long time for a good theoretical introduction to constraint programming. Rina Dechter's book is just this. If you want to understand why this technology works, and how to make it work for you, then I recommend you read this book.
--Toby Walsh, Cork Constraint Computation Centre

The book is rigorous but it is not difficult to read. An abundance of examples illustrate concepts and algorithms. The reader is well guided through technical issues, so intuition is never hidden by technicalities.
--Pedro Meseguer, Institut d'Investigació en Intel.lingència Artificial (IIIA-CSIC)

An indispensable resource for researchers and practitioners in AI and optimization.
--Henry Kautz, University of Washington

School of Information and Computer Science University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3425	Dr. Rina Dechter dechter at ics.uci.edu