Categories and Subject Descriptors: D.1.2 [Programming Techniques]: Automatic Programming; D.1.4 [Programming Techniques]: Sequential Programming; D.2.2 [Software Engineering]: Tools and Techniques -- decisions tables, flow charts; D.3.3 [Programming Languages]: Language Constructs and Features -- control structures; F.2.2 [Analysis of Algorithms and Problem Complexity]: Nonnumerical Algorithms and Problems -- computations on discrete structures; F.3.3 [Logics and Meanings of Programs]: Studies of Program Constructs -- control primitivies; G.2.2 [Discrete Mathematics]: Graph Theory -- trees; H.3.m [Information Storage and Retrieval]: Miscellaneous; I.1.1 [Algebraic Manipulation]: Expressions and Their Representation -- simplification of expressions; I.1.2 [Algebraic Manipulation]: Algorithms -- algebraic algorithms, analysis of algorithms; I.2.2 [Artificial Intelligence]: Automatic Programming -- program transformation; I.5.2 [Pattern Recognition]: Design Methodology -- classifier design and evaluation
General Terms: Algorithms, Design, Performance, Theory
Additional Key Words and Phrases: Control decisions, discrete decision theory, essential decisions, expected testing cost, irreducible decision trees, reasonable cost criteria, redundant decisions, robust optimization of decision trees, stable optimization of decisions trees, syntactic optimization