Modelling the Requirements of Rich Internet Applications in WebRe

In the last years, several Web methodological approaches were defined in order to support the systematic building of Web software. Together with the constant technological advances, these methods must be constantly improved to deal with a myriad of new feasible application features, such as those involving rich interaction features. Rich Internet Applications (RIA) are Web applications exhibiting interaction and interface features that are typical in desktop software. Some specific methodological resources are required to deal with these characteristics. This paper presents a solution for the treatment of Web Requirements in RIA development. For this aim we present WebRE+, a requirement metamodel that incorporates RIA features into the modelling repertoire. We illustrate our ideas with a meaningful example of a business intelligence application.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TIN2007-67843-C06-03Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TIN2010-20057-C03-0

SDK development for bridging heterogeneous data sources through connect bridge platform

Nesta dissertação apresentou-se um SDK para a criação de conectores a integrar com o CB Server, que pretende: acelerar o desenvolvimento, garantir melhores práticas e simplificar as diversas atividades e tarefas no processo de desenvolvimento. O SDK fornece uma API pública e simples, suportada por um conjunto de ferramentas, que facilitam o processo de desenvolvimento, explorando as facilidades disponibilizadas através da API. Para analisar a exatidão, viabilidade, integridade e acessibilidade da solução apresentam-se dois exemplos e casos de estudo. Através dos casos de estudo foi possível identificar uma lista de problemas, de pontos sensíveis e melhorias na solução proposta. Para avaliar a usabilidade da API, uma metodologia baseada em vários métodos de avaliação de usabilidade foi estabelecida. O múltiplo caso de estudo funciona como o principal método de avaliação, combinando vários métodos de pesquisa. O caso de estudo consiste em três fases de avaliação: um workshop, uma avaliação heurística e uma análise subjetiva. O caso de estudo envolveu três engenheiros de software (incluindo programadores e avaliadores). A metodologia aplicada gerou resultados com base num método de inspeção, testes de utilizador e entrevistas. Identificou-se não só pontos sensíveis e falhas no código-fonte, mas também problemas estruturais, de documentação e em tempo de execução, bem como problemas relacionados com a experiência do utilizador. O contexto do estudo é apresentado de modo a tirar conclusões acerca dos resultados obtidos. O trabalho futuro incluirá o desenvolvimento de novas funcionalidades. Adicionalmente, pretende-se resolver problemas encontrados na metodologia aplicada para avaliar a usabilidade da API, nomeadamente problemas e falhas no código fonte (por exemplo, validações) e problemas estruturais.In this dissertation, we present an SDK for the creation of connectors to integrate with CB Server which accelerates deployment, ensures best practices and simplifies the various activities and tasks in the development process. The SDK provides a public and simple API leveraged by a set of tools around the API developed which facilitate the development process by exploiting the API facilities. To analyse the correctness, feasibility, completeness, and accessibility of our solution, we presented two examples and case studies. From the case studies, we derived a list of issues found in our solution and a set of proposals for improvement. To evaluate the usability of the API, a methodology based on several usability evaluation methods has been established. Multiple case study works as the main evaluation method, combining several research methods. The case study consists of three evaluation phases – a hands-on workshop, a heuristic evaluation and subjective analysis. The case study involved three computer science engineers (including novice and expert developers and evaluators). The applied methodology generated insights based on an inspection method, a user test, and interviews. We identify not only problems and flaws in the source code, but also runtime, structural and documentation problems, as well as problems related to user experience. To help us draw conclusion from the results, we point out the context of the study. Future work will include the development of new functionalities. Additionally, we aim to solve problems found in the applied methodology to evaluate the usability of the API, namely problems and flaws in the source code (e.g. validations) and structural problems

Modelling Gherkin Scenarios Using UML

Gherkin scenarios are examples of the behavior of the system under development. They maybe part of the requirement specification, they may be part of the test suite and they are an excellenttool for gathering information among stakeholders, testers and developers. However,little work have been done formalizing Gherkin scenarios and modelling them as part of UMLdiagrams. This paper introduces an abstract syntax and concrete syntax for modeling Gherkinscenarios in UML Use Case diagrams. This paper also introduces a tool for running Gherkinscenarios from UML Use Case diagrams as test case

HybridMDSD: Multi-Domain Engineering with Model-Driven Software Development using Ontological Foundations

Software development is a complex task. Executable applications comprise a mutlitude of diverse components that are developed with various frameworks, libraries, or communication platforms. The technical complexity in development retains resources, hampers efficient problem solving, and thus increases the overall cost of software production. Another significant challenge in market-driven software engineering is the variety of customer needs. It necessitates a maximum of flexibility in software implementations to facilitate the deployment of different products that are based on one single core. To reduce technical complexity, the paradigm of Model-Driven Software Development (MDSD) facilitates the abstract specification of software based on modeling languages. Corresponding models are used to generate actual programming code without the need for creating manually written, error-prone assets. Modeling languages that are tailored towards a particular domain are called domain-specific languages (DSLs). Domain-specific modeling (DSM) approximates technical solutions with intentional problems and fosters the unfolding of specialized expertise. To cope with feature diversity in applications, the Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) community provides means for the management of variability in software products, such as feature models and appropriate tools for mapping features to implementation assets. Model-driven development, domain-specific modeling, and the dedicated management of variability in SPLE are vital for the success of software enterprises. Yet, these paradigms exist in isolation and need to be integrated in order to exhaust the advantages of every single approach. In this thesis, we propose a way to do so. We introduce the paradigm of Multi-Domain Engineering (MDE) which means model-driven development with multiple domain-specific languages in variability-intensive scenarios. MDE strongly emphasize the advantages of MDSD with multiple DSLs as a neccessity for efficiency in software development and treats the paradigm of SPLE as indispensable means to achieve a maximum degree of reuse and flexibility. We present HybridMDSD as our solution approach to implement the MDE paradigm. The core idea of HybidMDSD is to capture the semantics of particular DSLs based on properly defined semantics for software models contained in a central upper ontology. Then, the resulting semantic foundation can be used to establish references between arbitrary domain-specific models (DSMs) and sophisticated instance level reasoning ensures integrity and allows to handle partiucular change adaptation scenarios. Moreover, we present an approach to automatically generate composition code that integrates generated assets from separate DSLs. All necessary development tasks are arranged in a comprehensive development process. Finally, we validate the introduced approach with a profound prototypical implementation and an industrial-scale case study.Softwareentwicklung ist komplex: ausführbare Anwendungen beinhalten und vereinen eine Vielzahl an Komponenten, die mit unterschiedlichen Frameworks, Bibliotheken oder Kommunikationsplattformen entwickelt werden. Die technische Komplexität in der Entwicklung bindet Ressourcen, verhindert effiziente Problemlösung und führt zu insgesamt hohen Kosten bei der Produktion von Software. Zusätzliche Herausforderungen entstehen durch die Vielfalt und Unterschiedlichkeit an Kundenwünschen, die der Entwicklung ein hohes Maß an Flexibilität in Software-Implementierungen abverlangen und die Auslieferung verschiedener Produkte auf Grundlage einer Basis-Implementierung nötig machen. Zur Reduktion der technischen Komplexität bietet sich das Paradigma der modellgetriebenen Softwareentwicklung (MDSD) an. Software-Spezifikationen in Form abstrakter Modelle werden hier verwendet um Programmcode zu generieren, was die fehleranfällige, manuelle Programmierung ähnlicher Komponenten überflüssig macht. Modellierungssprachen, die auf eine bestimmte Problemdomäne zugeschnitten sind, nennt man domänenspezifische Sprachen (DSLs). Domänenspezifische Modellierung (DSM) vereint technische Lösungen mit intentionalen Problemen und ermöglicht die Entfaltung spezialisierter Expertise. Um der Funktionsvielfalt in Software Herr zu werden, bietet der Forschungszweig der Softwareproduktlinienentwicklung (SPLE) verschiedene Mittel zur Verwaltung von Variabilität in Software-Produkten an. Hierzu zählen Feature-Modelle sowie passende Werkzeuge, um Features auf Implementierungsbestandteile abzubilden. Modellgetriebene Entwicklung, domänenspezifische Modellierung und eine spezielle Handhabung von Variabilität in Softwareproduktlinien sind von entscheidender Bedeutung für den Erfolg von Softwarefirmen. Zur Zeit bestehen diese Paradigmen losgelöst voneinander und müssen integriert werden, damit die Vorteile jedes einzelnen für die Gesamtheit der Softwareentwicklung entfaltet werden können. In dieser Arbeit wird ein Ansatz vorgestellt, der dies ermöglicht. Es wird das Multi-Domain Engineering Paradigma (MDE) eingeführt, welches die modellgetriebene Softwareentwicklung mit mehreren domänenspezifischen Sprachen in variabilitätszentrierten Szenarien beschreibt. MDE stellt die Vorteile modellgetriebener Entwicklung mit mehreren DSLs als eine Notwendigkeit für Effizienz in der Entwicklung heraus und betrachtet das SPLE-Paradigma als unabdingbares Mittel um ein Maximum an Wiederverwendbarkeit und Flexibilität zu erzielen. In der Arbeit wird ein Ansatz zur Implementierung des MDE-Paradigmas, mit dem Namen HybridMDSD, vorgestellt

Verifying goal-oriented specifications used in model-driven development processes

[EN] Goal-oriented requirements engineering promotes the use of goals to elicit, elaborate, structure, specify, analyze, negotiate, document, and modify requirements. Thus, goal-oriented specifications are essential for capturing the objectives that the system to be developed should achieve. However, the application of goal oriented specifications into model-driven development (MDD) processes is still handcrafted, not aligned in the automated flow from models to code. In other words, the experience of analysts and designers is necessary to manually transform the input goal-oriented models into system models for code generation (models compilation). Some authors have proposed guidelines to facilitate and partially automate this translation, but there is a lack of techniques to assess the adequacy of goal-oriented models as starting point of MDD processes. In this paper, we present and evaluate a verification approach that guarantees the automatic, correct, and complete transformation of goal-oriented models into design models used by specific MDD solutions. In particular, this approach has been put into practice by adopting a well-known goal-oriented modeling approach, the i* framework, and an industrial MDD solution called Integranova.This work has been developed with the support of FONDECYT under the projects AMoDDI 11130583 and TESTMODE 11121395.This work is also supported by EOSSAC project, funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Spanish government (TIN2013-44641-P).Giachetti Herrera, GA.; Marín, B.; López, L.; Franch, X.; Pastor López, O. (2017). Verifying goal-oriented specifications used in model-driven development processes. Information Systems. 64:41-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.is.2016.06.011S41626

Software Product Line

The Software Product Line (SPL) is an emerging methodology for developing software products. Currently, there are two hot issues in the SPL: modelling and the analysis of the SPL. Variability modelling techniques have been developed to assist engineers in dealing with the complications of variability management. The principal goal of modelling variability techniques is to configure a successful software product by managing variability in domain-engineering. In other words, a good method for modelling variability is a prerequisite for a successful SPL. On the other hand, analysis of the SPL aids the extraction of useful information from the SPL and provides a control and planning strategy mechanism for engineers or experts. In addition, the analysis of the SPL provides a clear view for users. Moreover, it ensures the accuracy of the SPL. This book presents new techniques for modelling and new methods for SPL analysis

Requirements-Driven Adaptation of Choreographed Interactions

Electronic services are emerging as the de-facto enabler of interaction interoperability across organization boundaries. Cross-organizational interactions are often “choreographed”, i.e. specified by a messaging protocol from a global point of view independent of the local view of each interacting organization. Local requirements motivating an interaction as well as the global contextual requirements governing the interaction inevitably evolve over time, requiring adaptation of the corresponding interaction protocol. Adaptation of an interaction protocol must ensure the satisfaction of both sets of interaction requirements while maintaining consistency between the global view and the local views of an interaction specification. Such adaptation is not possible with the current state-of-the-art representations of choreographed interactions, as they capture only operational messaging specifications detached from both local organizational requirements as well as global contextual requirements. This thesis presents three novel contributions that tackle adaptation of choreographed interaction protocols: an automated technique for deriving an interaction protocol from requirements, a formalization of consistency between local and global views, and a framework for guiding the adaptation of a choreographed interaction. A choreographed interaction is specified using models of organizational requirements motivating the interaction. We employ the formal semantics embedded in requirements models to automatically derive an interaction protocol. We propose a framework for relating the global and local views of interaction specification and maintaining consistency between them. We develop a metamodel for interaction specification, from which we enumerate adaptation operations. We build a catalogue that provides guidance on performing each operation and propagating changes between the global and local views. These contributions are evaluated using examples from the literature as well as a real-world case study

25 Years of Model-Driven Web Engineering : What we achieved, what is missing

Model-Driven Web Engineering (MDWE) approaches aim to improve the Web applications development process by focusing on modeling instead of coding, and deriving the running application by transformations from conceptual models to code. The emergence of the Interaction Flow Modeling Language (IFML) has been an important milestone in the evolution of Web modeling languages, indicating not only the maturity of the field but also a final convergence of languages. In this paper we explain the evolution of modeling and design approaches since the early years (the 90’s) detailing the forces which drove that evolution and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of some of those approaches. A brief presentation of IFML is accompanied with a thorough analysis of the most important achievements of the MDWE community as well as the problems and obstacles that hinder the dissemination of model-driven techniques in the Web engineering field.Laboratorio de Investigación y Formación en Informática Avanzada (LIFIA