UML Action Semantics for Model Tranformations

2004

The Action Semantics for UML provides a standard and platform independent way to describe the behavior of methods and executable actions in object-oriented system design prior to implementation allowing the development of highly automated and optimized code generators for UML CASE tools. Model transformation systems provide visual but formal background to specify arbitrary transformations in the Model Driven Architecture (the leading trend in software engineering). In the current paper, we describe a general encoding of model transformation systems as executable Action Semantics expressions to provide a standard way for automatically generating the implementation of formal (and provenly correct) transformations by off-the-shelf MDA tools. In addition, we point out a weakness in the Action Semantics standard that must be improved to achieve a stand-alone and functionally complete action specification language.

Software and System Modeling, 2003

This paper introduces a UML-based approach for specifying model transformations. The technique is based on graph transformations, where UML class diagrams are used to represent the graph grammars of the input and the output of the transformations, and the transformations are represented as explicitly sequenced elementary rewriting operations. The paper discusses the visual language designed for the representation of transformation programs and the graph transformation execution engine which implements the semantics of the language.

Information Systems, 2002

Software & Systems Modeling, 2006

Model-driven development of software systems envisions transformations applied in various stages of the development process. Similarly, the use of domain-specific languages also necessitates transformations that map domain-specific constructs into the constructs of an underlying programming language. Thus, in these cases, the writing of transformation tools becomes a first-class activity of the software engineer. This paper introduces a language that was designed to support implementing highly efficient transformation programs that perform model-tomodel or model-to-code translations. The language uses the concepts of graph transformations and metamodeling, and is supported by a suite of tools that allow the rapid prototyping and realization of transformation tools.

Model-driven Software …, 2005

Model transformations are one of the core technologies needed to apply OMG's model driven engineering concept for the construction of real world systems. Several formalisms are currently proposed for the specification of these model transformations. A suitable formalism is based on graph transformation systems and graph transformation rules. The chapter provides an overview about the needed concepts to apply graph transformations in the context of model driven engineering and we show the technical feasibility based on several tools and applications.

2009

Model-Driven Engineering intensively uses models and model transformations. Transformation tools ensure that the target model conforms to the target metamodel, so that it is syntactically correct. However, there is few assistance, or none at all, to guarantee that the semantics is preserved during the transformation. This is mainly due to the absence of an explicit semantics within the models. Models bring the syntax while the related (application-specific) analysis tools bring their own semantics. We propose here a model-driven approach to describe a formal and explicit semantics as a separate model. This formal semantics can then be attached to different UML /DSL models and a UML /DSL model can be executed with different semantics.

IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 2002

One of the most important features of modeling tools is generation of output. The output may be documentation, source code, net list, or any other presentation of the system being constructed. The process of output generation may be considered as automatic creation of a target model from a model in the source modeling domain. This translation does not need to be accomplished in a single step. Instead, a tool may generate multiple intermediate models as other views to the system. These models may be used either as better descriptions of the system, or as a descent down the abstraction levels of the user-defined model, gradually leading to the desired implementation. If the modeling domains have their metamodels defined in terms of object-oriented concepts, the models consist of instances of the abstractions from the metamodels and links between them. A new technique for specifying the mapping between different modeling domains is proposed in the paper. It uses UML object diagrams that show the instances and links of the target model that should be created during automatic translations. The diagrams are extended with the proposed concepts of conditional, repetitive, parameterized, and polymorphic model creation, implemented by the standard UML extensibility mechanisms. Several examples from different engineering domains are provided, illustrating the applicability and benefits of the approach. The first experimental results show that the specifications may lead to better reuse and shorter production time when developing customized output generators.

Proceedings of the 4th …, 2005

Model transformation methods are vital in several applications such as OMG's Model-Driven Architecture and Visual Model Processors. This paper contributes a metamodel-based rewriting rule representation similar to the UML class diagram and the supporting algorithms to determine valid instances of the patterns. The proposed algorithms are illustrated by specific examples throughout the paper. The results turn out to be useful not only for UML class diagram-based rewriting rule formulation patterns, but it provides a method for checking valid instantiation of UML class diagrams in modeling environments.

Model Driven Architecture: …

The model-driven architecture approach (MDA) promotes software development as driven by a thorough modeling phase where application code is automatically generated from a platform specific UML model (PSM). The idea is that the PSM is itself derived from a platform independent UML model (PIM). Such code generation and model derivation are examples of model-to-model transformations. This paper presents the Visual Model Transformation (VMT) approach, which includes a transformation language and a tool to support UML model transformations. The transformation language is a visual declarative language that supports the specification, composition and reuse of model transformation rules. These rules make use of the OCL language and a visual notation to indicate the selection, creation, modification and removal of model elements. An abstract denotational semantics based on graph transformation is sketched for the VMT language. We also present the MEDAL tool, which is a prototype build on top of IBM/Rational XDE development environment, and is a first step towards tool support for the VMT approach.

2004