On Foundation for Certification of Model Driven Architecture (MDA) Tools: Defining a Specification

Abstract

A modern approach to software development includes a wide variety of processes, which are used to regulate and manage the entire development life cycle. One of the main aspects to be considered during the preparation stage of software development is the selection of the right tools. Nowadays when software systems become more and more complex, an inappropriate selection of the tools may cause project not to succeed at all. That is why the main challenge of the industry is still aimed on the simplification, optimization, and automation of software development process. One of the ways to deal with an increasing complexity, as well as not to dig into the details of the source code, is to use modeling. A model-driven approach, mainly represented by OMG's Model Driven Architecture as the most advanced and popular one, purports to be the next evolutional milestone for the whole software industry. In fact, most of the tools currently available on the market are claimed as "MDA complaint," though have never been checked or analyzed for that compliance. Therefore, there should be a certification program defined to figure out the main features of each tool in accordance with OMG standards. The original article proposes a foundation for certification of MDA tools. In particular, this includes the specification of the most common features and options defined to clarify the accordance level of each tool from various perspectives.

An Outline of Conceptual Framework for Certification of MDA Tools

“…The former type of certification is considered, as software development tools (i.e., software products) are involved in the research. This may also include the specification of the most common features and options defined to clarify the accordance level of each tool from various perspectives (discussed in [10]).…”

“…In fact, this framework should be used to verify the output produced by MDA tools. Whereas a wide variety of the tools intended for specific purposes (e.g., mapping definition) may be used [10], an additional specification-based assessment of these tools is considered (discussed in [10]).…”

“…In short, the following four layers are used to describe the MDA-oriented software development life cycle [1], [10], [12], [13]:…”