A rule stored in a tangible computer-readable memory is adapted to be programmatically applied by a computer to automatically detect occurrences of a particular problem in a deployment of a software application. The rule comprises a plurality of atomic gates and a plurality of operator gates. The atomic gates have predicates for detecting occurrences of a plurality of conditions in the software application deployment. The operator gates are configured to detect predefined logical combinations of outputs of the atomic gates to generate a rule output that indicates whether the problem is currently detected in the deployment. The rule contains a plurality of free logical variables which can be assigned values. The free logical variables are configured for use in input pattern matching and output binding substitutions to supply information to a remedy for the problem. Each substitution comprises an assignment of a value to a variable.