Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

This paper presents a design method for user interfaces based on some ideas from conversation analysis. The method uses and it is conceived to design the overall flow of conversation between the user and the computer system in an abstract way, as an architectural prolegomenon to the designer’s choice of the actual interface elements that will be used.

Frequently, the structure and description of the data in a database bears little resemblance to the structure and description of data as it appears in the tool that captured it. This makes it difficult for users to write queries because they receive little information from the database schema regarding the precise meaning of the data. We assert that the semantics of data can be more reliably understood by viewing the data in the context of the user interface (UI) of the software tool used to enter the data rather than the bare framework of a database. GUAVA (GUi As View) presents a conceptual model that captures information about user interface components. In this paper, we describe how to model a forms-based UI using a GUAVA-tree (g-tree), which can be used to generate a natural schema against which querying is simple. We then introduce and formalize the notion of a channel of database transformation operators from the natural schema to the underlying physical schema.

Traditionally, the Conceptual Modelling (CM) community has been interested in defining methods to model Information Systems by specifying their data and behaviour, disregarding user interaction. On the other hand, the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) community has defined techniques oriented to the modelling of the interaction between the user and the system, proposing a user-centred software construction, but leaving out details on system data and behaviour. This paper aspires to reconcile both visions by integrating task modelling techniques using a sound, conceptual model-based software development process in a HCI context. The system is considered on its three axis (data, functionality and interaction), as a whole. The use of CTT (Concurrent Task Trees) embedded in a model-based approach makes it possible to establish mapping rules between task structure patterns that describe interaction and the elements of the abstract interface model. By defining such structural patterns, the CTT notation is much more manageable and productive; therefore, this HCI technique can be easily integrated in a well-established conceptual modelling approach. This proposal is underpinned by the MDA-based technology OlivaNova Method Execution, which allows real automatic software generation, while still taking user interface into account at an early requirements elicitation stage.

The goal of this paper is twofold. First we present a multi-perspective framework supporting the description of organizational patterns, supporting the design of business conversations among organizations within a virtual enterprise. The framework exploits three different concurrent views: an , a and a . Each view addresses a specific set of concerns of interest to different stakeholders in the system and, as a consequence, it has its own particular notation, rationale and constraints. The paper then introduces three patterns that are particularly well-suited for designing business conversations. One of these is studied in detail and validated through a non-trivial case study from an Italian industrial district.

We outline a procedure called communicative and material functions analysis that can be used to derive business modeling concepts. It is rooted in the language-action perspective on organizations and has its point of departure in Business Action Theory, an empirically grounded framework for modeling business processes from an action perspective. We apply this procedure to enhance an existing method, the Situation-adaptable work and Information systems Modeling Method. This extended method is then used to analyze a business situation in order to follow up the commitments that are made in the course of a business process with the ultimate aim of detecting flaws in that process.

Ontologies are viewed as increasingly important tools for structuring domains of interests. In this paper we propose a reference ontology of business models using concepts from three established business model ontologies; the REA, BMO, and e3-value. The basic concepts in the reference ontology concern actors, resources, and the transfer of resources between actors. Most of the concepts in the reference ontology are taken from one of the original ontologies, but we have also introduced a number of additional concepts, primarily related to resource transfers between business actors. The purpose of the proposed ontology is to increase the understanding of the original ontologies as well as the relationships between them, and also to seek opportunities to complement and improve on them.

We propose a new approach to check whether a given UML class diagram with its OCL integrity constraints satisfies a set of desirable properties such as schema satisfiability, class liveliness, redundancy of integrity constraints or reachability of partially specified states. Our approach is based on translating both the class diagram and the OCL constraints into a logic representation. Then, we use the CQC Method to verify whether these properties hold for the given diagram and constraints.

Association redefinition is a new concept in UML 2.0 that makes it possible to impose additional constraints on some instances of associations. In this paper, we describe how to use association redefinition to declare additional referential integrity and cardinality constraints for associations. We also analyze the interactions between taxonomic constraints and association redefinitions and their impact on the satisfaction of taxonomic constraints. Finally, we establish several conditions that are necessary to guarantee well-formed association redefinitions.

Conceptual design is one step on the way from requirements analysis to implementation. During conceptual design of a database application we work with conceptual database schemas, which are based on a formal model. Because of this formal model it is possible to investigate equivalence of schemas and consequently to examine schema transformations. In an earlier work we presented a cost model that allows us to estimate time costs for machine programs of an abstract database machine. In this paper we show how this cost model can be employed to evaluate cost effects of schema transformations. This enables us to steer schema transformations to meet given time requirements of critical database queries and updates. In particular, we analyse the schema transformation pivoting. As a result of such an analysis we can characterise high-level queries and updates and tell how the time required for their execution is affected by the schema transformation.

This panel considers a number of contentious issues in the conduct of experimental research on conceptual modeling. The panelists will present a range of perspectives on the issues to encourage audience input and discussion.