# FEEL expressions

FEEL is the expression language DMN uses in table cells and expressions. It is deliberately readable, so a business analyst can write a range or a negation without learning a programming language.

It is what makes a DMN table more expressive than a spreadsheet.

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## When it matters

* Any table where a cell needs to mean a range rather than a value.
* Decisions with dates, durations or list membership.

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## The symbols

| **Symbol**  | **Means**                                                 |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Exact value | "UK" or 42                                                |
| Range       | \[18..65\] inclusive, (18..65) exclusive, \[18..65) mixed |
| Comparison  | \>= 1000                                                  |
| List        | "UK", "IE", "FR"                                          |
| Negation    | not("UK")                                                 |
| Any value   | \- (a dash means this input is irrelevant to this rule)   |
| Date        | date("2026-09-01")                                        |

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## A few things that catch people out

* A dash means the input does not matter for that rule. An empty cell is not the same thing.
* Strings need double quotes. A bare word is read as a name, not a value.
* Ranges are inclusive or exclusive depending on the bracket, exactly as in mathematics.

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## Related

[DMN decision table structureInputs, outputs, rules, and where each goes.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/dmn-decision-table-structure.html)

[DMN requirement elementsWhat feeds what, above the tables.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/dmn-requirement-elements.html)

[DMN notation referenceBack to the full DMN reference.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/dmn-notation-reference.html)

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_Pick the hit policy on purpose._