Many new programs are starting to blur the lines between something that should be enforced through specific flow control in code and when it’s the right decision to allow some decisions to be made by the configuration of the software. Here, you’ll explore that line and how it impacts your development.

Code is Well Known

Most developers and architects default to creating solutions for their problems directly in code. They put an “if…then” statement in the code and call it business logic. For example, if there is a specific property available, then the application must show an additional link. If the property shows that the user is a member of a certain group, then an additional menu may need to be displayed.

Situations like these arise every day. Creating a simple “if…then” statement is the obvious solution to the problem. But is the obvious solution always the right one?

Configuration Is Quick

Configuration, rather than a quick “if…then”, maybe the answer. Configuration is focused on creating ways to simplify individual business logic into a set of values that can be stored as configuration rather than hard coded into the logic of the program. Configuration is converting hard-coded logic into data that the program can operate on.

http://www.developer.com/tech/article.php/3556616