Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

Telecommunications companies undergo massive transformations which reflect onto exacting requirements for controlling the costs of new Operation Support Systems (OSS) development and integration. This calls for the adoption of new approaches, which improve agility and reusability. Model Drive Development (MDD), as specified by OMG, can drastically tackle these issues and has, therefore, attracted the interest of the telecommunications industry. Equally important is the Open Source paradigm. For MDD to gain wide industrial adoption, tools should be available to facilitate the OSS development process. In this paper, we specify requirements MDD tools should meet for effective application of the approach. An extensive survey is then carried out to evaluate existing meta-modelling frameworks over the identified tools requirements. Eventually, we present the Integrated Eclipse Model driven Environment (IEME), which comprises a unified environment of bundled Eclipse-based MDD facilities that also supports the automatic generation of domain-specific tools.

UML class diagrams play a central role in the design and specification of software, databases and ontologies. The model driven architecture approach emphasizes the central role that models play, towards achieving reliable software. It is important that models are correct and that problems are detected as early as possible in the software design process. However, current case tools do not support reasoning tasks about class diagrams and enable the construction of erroneous models. There is an urgent need for methods for detecting analysis and design problems. In this paper, we present a linear programming based method for reasoning about finite satisfiability of UML class diagrams with constrained generalization sets. The method is simple and efficient and can be easily added to a case tool. It improves over existing methods that require exponential resources and extends them to new elements of class diagrams.

In object technology, reusability is achieved primarily through class inheritance. In model engineering, where reusability is also important, it should be possible to extend a modeling artifact in a similar manner to add new capabilities. This paper presents a conceptual and practical approach to model extensibility, in which new models are created as derivations from base models. There are several situations where such an extensibility mechanism is useful and essential (e.g., in the case of hierarchies of metamodels). In order to achieve the goal of model extension, a precise definition of the extension mechanism is needed, based on a strict model definition. After describing the context of model extension through a motivating example, the paper outlines a practical implementation with characterization of its main conceptual properties. The solution is being implemented as part of the AMMA model engineering platform under Eclipse.

Although there are a large number of academic and industrial model transformation frameworks available, allowing specification, implementation, maintenance and documentation of model transformations which provide a rich set of functionalities, such tools are inherently complex. In particular, for a newcomer to the field of model transformation and for researchers who are only interested in experimentation and creation of prototypes, the steep learning curve is a significant hurdle. There is thus a clear scope for the creation of model transformation frameworks that are both easy to use and able to conduct complex transformations. Simple Transformer (SiTra) is a model transformation framework, which was originally designed to be a “way in” for the experienced programmer, to start using the concepts of model transformation, and for academic researchers to experiment with the creation of prototypes of implementation of their transformations. The underlying idea of SiTra is to put less focus on the specification language, maintenance and documentation aspects of transformation, by focusing on the implementation of transformations. SiTra makes use of Java for the specification of transformations. This alleviates the need to learn a new specification language or get to grips with a new tool and development environment. SiTra is equipped with a strong transformation engine to execute the transformation behind the scenes. This paper reports on a case study involving transformations from Ontology Web Language-Service (OWL-S) to Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), demonstrating that SiTra can also be used to handle complex and large transformations.

Automotive system design demands frequent exchange of data between different parties and tools. In order to improve the interoperability, standardization bodies and partnerships have put high effort in defining XML based languages for system descriptions. However, the mere existence of a standardized XML based data exchange format doesn’t guarantee seamless interoperability. The validation possibilities given by XML DTD or Schema are not sufficient. Additionally, the maintenance of XML formats for the growing complexity of today’s systems is an increasing challenge. This paper describes the experiences with the model-driven approach taken by the automotive initiative AUTOSAR. It illustrates the limitations of designing data exchange formats in XML and shows how a higher level of abstraction increases the interoperability between tools. A powerful concept for mapping a metamodel to XML schema allows for integrating legacy XML formats. Furthermore, current activities on improving interoperability by automatically generating a tool framework for AUTOSAR and other automotive tools are explained.

In the field of Domain Languages Engineering, Semantic Variation Points are an important issue. This crucial information is often related to the dynamic semantics of systems. Identifying and understanding it is a requisite for all model-based activities (design, simulation, test, formal verification, etc.). Most of the time, semantic variation points are only informally identified in a documentation associated with a metamodel: they are not part of the metamodel itself, and there is currently no mechanism to capture them explicitly. We propose a template-based notation enabling semantic variation points to be clearly and explicitly identified within the metamodel, using template parameter definitions. Semantic variation points can then be intuitively fixed by parameter binding at both model and metamodel levels. We illustrate our proposal with a templated version of the UML 2 state machine metamodel. Finally, we describe a prototype implementation of our mechanisms in the context of the Eclipse Modeling Framework.

The creation of precise, complete, platform independent models, whose implementation code can be fully generated for different target platforms, is often considered a key factor in Model-Driven Architecture (MDA). The execution of UML models is already a reality, mainly due to the adoption of the Action Semantics. However, UML and its action language are object-oriented based and certain concerns, called crosscutting concerns (e.g., encryption), can not be adequately encapsulated in single design modules. Such concerns result in scattered and tangled representations, which hinder system development, maintenance and evolution as well as the reusability of individual design modules. Aspect-Oriented Software Development (AOSD) has proven in recent years to be a useful technology for alleviating these shortcomings of object-orientation. This paper presents an extension to current Executable UML practice for the construction and execution of Aspect-Oriented UML models.

Due to the increased complexity of software development projects more and more systems are described by models. The sheer size makes it impractical to describe these systems by a single model. Instead many models are developed that provide several complementary views on the system to be developed. This however leads to a need for compositional models. This paper describes a foundational theory of model composition in form of an algebra to explicitly clarify different variants and uses of composition, their interplay with the semantics of the involved models and their composition operators.

In the model driven world languages are usually specified by a (meta) model of their abstract syntax. For textual languages this is different from the traditional approach, where the language is specified by a (E)BNF grammar. Support for the designer of textual languages, e.g. a parser generator, is therefore normally based on grammars. This paper shows that similar support for language design based on metamodels is not only possible, but is even more powerful than the support based on grammars. In this paper we describe how an integrated development environment for a language can be generated from the language’s abstract syntax metamodel, thus providing the language designer with the possibility to quickly, and with little effort, create not only a new language but also the tooling necessary for using this language.

The growing number of UML profiles and the resulting extensive application of stereotypes, is turning the modeling process error-prone. In order to constrain their uses, OCL lacks mechanisms for effective evaluation of stereotypes and is sometimes cumbersome. This paper describes a set of mechanisms that allow more intuitive constraint specification. They exploit the meta-model architecture to constrain a model with a focus on use of stereotypes. Two examples are given to illustrate their applicability. A dedicated assessment tool is also described.