From UML Activities to TAAL - Towards Behaviour-Preserving Model Transformations

Abstract

Model transformations support a model-driven design by providing an automatic translation of abstract models into more concrete ones, and eventually program code. Crucial to a successful application of model transformations is their correctness, in the sense that the meaning (semantics) of the models is preserved. This is especially important if the models not only describe the structure but also the intended behaviour of the systems. Reasoning about and showing correctness is, however, often impossible as the source and target models typically lack a precise definition of their semantics.In this paper, we take a first step towards provably correct behavioural model transformations. In particular, we develop transformations from UML Activities (which are visual models) to programs in TAAL, which is a textual Java-like programming language. Both languages come equipped with formal behavioural semantics, which, moreover, have the same semantic domain. This sets the stage for showing correctness, which in this case comes down to showing that the behaviour of every (well-formed) UML Activity coincides with that of the corresponding TAAL program, in a well-defined sense.

Graph-based software specification and verification

“…Another difference is that Corradini et al do not provide any tool support, and in that sense theirs is a more theoretic exercise. In contrast, our results have successfully been applied by Engels et al [79] for proving that their implementation of a model transformation from UML Activities to corresponding Taal programs is behaviour-preserving, as discussed in Section 4.8.…”

“…Engels et al [79] have implemented a model transformation from UML Activities to Taal programs. That is, from the graph encoding of a UML Activity the model transformation produces an fasg that represents the corresponding Taal program.…”

Behaviour modelling and transformations for context-aware mobile applications

“…The work in [82] aims at proving this correctness by defining a formal semantics of the transformation source and target models in terms of Transition Systems (TSs). As shown in Figure 43, informal properties in the source models can be formally expressed in terms of, for example, Computation Tree Logic (CTL) formulae, and compared to properties in the target model also expressed as CTL formulae.…”

“…The source and target models in [82] are represented, respectively, in UML activity diagrams and TAAL [83], which is a Java-like object oriented programming language. The transformation from UML activities to TAAL is defined as a graph transformation, which can be executed using the Groove tool [84].…”

“…The story-driven modelling technique uses UML diagrams and, therefore, the metamodelling criterion is fully supported, since UML metamodels are available. Moreover, excerpts of UML activity and TAAL metamodels used in this technique can be found in [82]. The reusability criterion is not explicitly addressed in the story-driven modelling technique.…”