Binary Decision Diagrams

An Introduction and Some Applications

Manas Thakur

PACE Lab, IIT Madras

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 Motivating Example

Binary decision tree for a truth table

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 Motivating Example

Binary decision tree for a truth table

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 Motivating Example

Collapse redundant nodes

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 Motivating Example

Collapse redundant nodes

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 Motivating Example

Collapse redundant nodes

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 Motivating Example

Collapse redundant nodes

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 Motivating Example

Eliminate unnecessary nodes

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 Motivating Example

We got an ROBDD!!

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 Introduction

Overview

1 Motivating Example

2 Introduction

3 Constructing ROBDDs

4 Applications

5 Conclusion

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 Introduction

Binary Decision Diagrams

Definition
A Binary Decision Diagram is a rooted DAG with
One or two terminal nodes of out-degree zero labeled 0 or 1
A set of variable nodes of out-degree two

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 Introduction

Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (OBDDs)

A BDD is ordered if on all paths through the graph, the variables

respect a given linear order.
b1 < b2 < ... < bn

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 Introduction

Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (OBDDs)

A BDD is ordered if on all paths through the graph, the variables

respect a given linear order.
b1 < b2 < ... < bn
An unordered BDD

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 Introduction

Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (OBDDs)

The size of a BDD depends on the variable ordering

The problem of finding the best variable ordering in OBDDs is

NP-Complete

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 Introduction

Reduced Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (ROBDDs)

Definition
An OBDD is reduced if it satisfies the following properties:
Uniqueness
low (u) = low (v ) and high(u) = high(v ) implies u = v
Non-redundant tests
low (u) 6= high(u)

We already saw an example of ROBDDs!! See it again

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 Introduction

Properties of ROBDDs

Size is correlated to amount of redundancy, NOT size of relation

Insight: As the relation gets larger, the number of dont-care bits
increases, leading to fewer necessary nodes (usually)

Canonicity: For every Boolean function, there is exactly one ROBDD

representing it
Hence, satisfiability, tautology-check, and equivalence can be tested in
deterministic time
For Boolean expressions, this problem is NP-Complete

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Normal forms for Boolean expressions

Disjunctive Normal Form (DNF)

(a1 a2 ... an ) ... (a1 a2 ... an )
Satisfiability: easy; Tautology check: hard

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Normal forms for Boolean expressions

Disjunctive Normal Form (DNF)

(a1 a2 ... an ) ... (a1 a2 ... an )
Satisfiability: easy; Tautology check: hard

Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF)

(a1 a2 ... an ) ... (a1 a2 ... an )
Tautology check: easy; Satisfiability: hard

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Normal forms for Boolean expressions

Disjunctive Normal Form (DNF)

(a1 a2 ... an ) ... (a1 a2 ... an )
Satisfiability: easy; Tautology check: hard

Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF)

(a1 a2 ... an ) ... (a1 a2 ... an )
Tautology check: easy; Satisfiability: hard

Reduction?

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Normal forms for Boolean expressions

Disjunctive Normal Form (DNF)

(a1 a2 ... an ) ... (a1 a2 ... an )
Satisfiability: easy; Tautology check: hard

Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF)

(a1 a2 ... an ) ... (a1 a2 ... an )
Tautology check: easy; Satisfiability: hard

Reduction?
No hopes since conversion between CNF and DNF is exponential

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 Constructing ROBDDs

If-then-else Normal Form (INF)

An If-then-else Normal Form (INF) is a Boolean expression built from

the if-then-else operator and the constants 0 and 1, such that all tests
are performed only on variables.
x y0 , y1 = (x y0 ) (x y1 )

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 Constructing ROBDDs

If-then-else Normal Form (INF)

An If-then-else Normal Form (INF) is a Boolean expression built from

the if-then-else operator and the constants 0 and 1, such that all tests
are performed only on variables.
x y0 , y1 = (x y0 ) (x y1 )
More examples
x = x (1, 0)

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 Constructing ROBDDs

If-then-else Normal Form (INF)

An If-then-else Normal Form (INF) is a Boolean expression built from

the if-then-else operator and the constants 0 and 1, such that all tests
are performed only on variables.
x y0 , y1 = (x y0 ) (x y1 )
More examples
x = x (1, 0)
x = (x 0, 1)

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 Constructing ROBDDs

If-then-else Normal Form (INF)

An If-then-else Normal Form (INF) is a Boolean expression built from

the if-then-else operator and the constants 0 and 1, such that all tests
are performed only on variables.
x y0 , y1 = (x y0 ) (x y1 )
More examples
x = x (1, 0)
x = (x 0, 1)
x y = (x 1, y )

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 Constructing ROBDDs

If-then-else Normal Form (INF)

An If-then-else Normal Form (INF) is a Boolean expression built from

the if-then-else operator and the constants 0 and 1, such that all tests
are performed only on variables.
x y0 , y1 = (x y0 ) (x y1 )
More examples
x = x (1, 0)
x = (x 0, 1)
x y = (x 1, y )
x y = (x y , 1)

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 Constructing ROBDDs

If-then-else Normal Form (INF)

An If-then-else Normal Form (INF) is a Boolean expression built from

the if-then-else operator and the constants 0 and 1, such that all tests
are performed only on variables.
x y0 , y1 = (x y0 ) (x y1 )
More examples
x = x (1, 0)
x = (x 0, 1)
x y = (x 1, y )
x y = (x y , 1)
x y = x (y 1, 0), (y 0, 1)

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t1 = y1 t11 , 0

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t1 = y1 t11 , 0
t00 = x2 t001 , t000

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t1 = y1 t11 , 0
t00 = x2 t001 , t000
t11 = x2 t111 , t110

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t1 = y1 t11 , 0
t00 = x2 t001 , t000
t11 = x2 t111 , t110
t000 = y2 0, 1

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t1 = y1 t11 , 0
t00 = x2 t001 , t000
t11 = x2 t111 , t110
t000 = y2 0, 1
t001 = y2 1, 0

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t1 = y1 t11 , 0
t00 = x2 t001 , t000
t11 = x2 t111 , t110
t000 = y2 0, 1
t001 = y2 1, 0
t110 = y2 0, 1

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t1 = y1 t11 , 0
t00 = x2 t001 , t000
t11 = x2 t111 , t110
t000 = y2 0, 1
t001 = y2 1, 0
t110 = y2 0, 1
t111 = y2 1, 0

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t1 = y1 t11 , 0
t00 = x2 t001 , t000
t11 = x2 t111 , t110
t000 = y2 0, 1
t001 = y2 1, 0
t110 = y2 0, 1
t111 = y2 1, 0

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t1 = y1 t11 , 0
t00 = x2 t001 , t000
t11 = x2 t111 , t110
t000 = y2 0, 1
t001 = y2 1, 0
t110 = y2 0, 1
t111 = y2 1, 0

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 Constructing ROBDDs

Example: t = (x1 y1 ) (x2 y2 )

t = x1 t1 , t0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t = x1 t1 , t0
t1 = y1 t11 , 0
t0 = y1 0, t00
t00 = x2 t001 , t000
t1 = y1 t00 , 0
t11 = x2 t111 , t110
t00 = x2 t001 , t000
t000 = y2 0, 1
t000 = y2 0, 1
t001 = y2 1, 0
t001 = y2 1, 0
t110 = y2 0, 1
t111 = y2 1, 0

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 Applications

Lets move ahead

1 Motivating Example

2 Introduction

3 Constructing ROBDDs

4 Applications

5 Conclusion

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 Applications

Applications of BDDs

Correctness of Combinational Circuits

Equivalence of Combinational Circuits

Model Checking

And yes, Program Analysis!

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 Applications

BDDs for representing Points-to relation

Points-to analysis using BDDs. Berndl et al. PLDI03.

Let a,b,c be reference variables and A,B,C be object references.
The points-to relation (a,A),(a,B),(b,A),(b,B),(c,A),(c,B),(c,C) is
represented as:

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 Applications

BDDs for representing Points-to relation

Points-to analysis using BDDs. Berndl et al. PLDI03.

Let a,b,c be reference variables and A,B,C be object references.
The points-to relation (a,A),(a,B),(b,A),(b,B),(c,A),(c,B),(c,C) is
represented as:
On the board.

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 Applications

bddbddb

Cloning-Based Context-Sensitive Pointer Alias Analysis Using Binary

Decision Diagrams. John Whaley and Monica S. Lam. PLDI04.

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 Applications

bddbddb

Cloning-Based Context-Sensitive Pointer Alias Analysis Using Binary

Decision Diagrams. John Whaley and Monica S. Lam. PLDI04.

On the Board
1 Represent program information using relations
Express relations as BDDs

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 Applications

bddbddb

Cloning-Based Context-Sensitive Pointer Alias Analysis Using Binary

Decision Diagrams. John Whaley and Monica S. Lam. PLDI04.

On the Board
1 Represent program information using relations
Express relations as BDDs
2 Write program analyses as Datalog queries
Express queries as BDD operations

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 Applications

bddbddb

Cloning-Based Context-Sensitive Pointer Alias Analysis Using Binary

Decision Diagrams. John Whaley and Monica S. Lam. PLDI04.

On the Board
1 Represent program information using relations
Express relations as BDDs
2 Write program analyses as Datalog queries
Express queries as BDD operations
3 Get solutions!
Perform operations on BDDs

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 Applications

Pointers for the enthusiast

An Introduction to Binary Decision Diagrams. Tutorial by Henrik Reif

Andersen.

Program Analysis using Binary Decision Diagrams. Ondrej Lhotaks

PhD Thesis (2006).

Context-Sensitive Pointer Analysis using Binary Decision Diagrams.

John Whaleys PhD Thesis (2007).

Fun with Binary Decision Diagrams. Video lecture by Donald Knuth.

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 Conclusion

Conclusion

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 Conclusion

Conclusion

BDDs are very interesting and

useful!

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