Automating Co-evolution in Model-Driven Engineering

Abstract. Model Driven Engineering (MDE) advocates the use of models and transformations to support all the tasks of software development, from analysis to testing and maintenance. Modern MDE methodologies employ multiple models, to represent the different perspectives of the system at a progressive level of abstraction. In these situations, MDE frameworks need to work on a set of interdependent models and tranformations, which may evolve over time. This paper presents a model transformation framework capable of aligning two streams of transformations: the forward engineering stream that goes from the Computation Independent Model to the running code, and the testing stream that goes from the Computation Independent Test specification to an executable test script. The "vertical" transformations composing the two streams are kept aligned, by means of "horizontal" mappings that can be applied after a change in the modeling framework (e.g., an update in the PIM-to-code transformation due to a change in the target deployment technology). The proposed framework has been implemented and is under evaluation in a real-world MDE tool.

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 98%

Multi-level Tests for Model Driven Web Applications

Fraternali

Tisi

2010

“…Finally, our meta-model refactorings and subsequent propagation to the model fragments can be seen as a simplified scenario of meta-model/model evolution [5].…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the resolution of an open issue by means of a refactoring may break the conformance. According to [5], changes in meta-models can be classified into non-breaking, breaking and resolvable, and breaking and unresolvable. Our refactorings automatically update the fragments if a change is non-breaking or resolvable.…”

Section: Interactivity and Exploration By Supervising Decisionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bottom-Up Meta-Modelling: An Interactive Approach

Cuadrado

Lara

Guerra

2012

Esta es la versión de autor de la comunicación de congreso publicada en: This is an author produced version of a paper published in: Abstract. The intensive use of models in Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) raises the need to develop meta-models with different aims, like the construction of textual and visual modelling languages and the specification of source and target ends of model-to-model transformations. While domain experts have the knowledge about the concepts of the domain, they usually lack the skills to build meta-models. These should be tailored according to their future usage and specific implementation platform, which demands knowledge available only to engineers with great expertise in MDE platforms. These issues hinder a wider adoption of MDE both by domain experts and software engineers. In order to alleviate this situation we propose an interactive, iterative approach to meta-model construction enabling the specification of model fragments by domain experts, with the possibility of using informal drawing tools like Dia. These fragments can be annotated with hints about the intention or needs for certain elements. A meta-model is automatically induced, which can be refactored in an interactive way, and then compiled into an implementation meta-model using profiles and patterns for different platforms and purposes.

“…These approaches then reuse the logs of applied transactions to derive adaptation transformations. Cicchetti et al [16] use difference models provided by external tools.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The works described in [14][15] [16][17] [18] assume traces of changes are available, and derive adaptation transformations from them. In particular, [14], [18], and [17] apply stepwise automatic transactions on MM1 to obtain MM2.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Model Adaptation by Precise Detection of Metamodel Changes

Garcés

Jouault

Cointe

et al. 2009

Abstract. Technological and business changes influence the evolution of software systems. When this happens, the software artifacts may need to be adapted to the changes. This need is rapidly increasing in systems built using the Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) paradigm. An MDE system basically consists of metamodels, terminal models, and transformations. The evolution of a metamodel may render its related terminal models and transformations invalid. This paper proposes a three-step solution that automatically adapts terminal models to their evolving metamodels. The first step computes the equivalences and (simple and complex) changes between a given metamodel, and a former version of the same metamodel. The second step translates the equivalences and differences into an adaptation transformation. This transformation can then be executed in a third step to adapt to the new version any terminal model conforming to the former version. We validate our ideas by implementing a prototype based on the AtlanMod Model Management Architecture (AMMA) platform. We present the accuracy and performance that the prototype delivers on two concrete examples: a Petri Net metamodel from the research literature, and the Netbeans Java metamodel.