Realizing QVT with Graph Rewriting-Based Model Transformation

Model-based development is an increasingly applied method in producing software artifacts that is driven by model transformation. For instance, OMG's Model-Driven Architecture as a model-based approach to software development facilitates the synthesis of application programs from models created using customized, domain-specific model processors. Meta Object Facility 2.0 Query/ Views/ Transformation (QVT) is the OMG's standard for specifying model queries, views, and transformations. Extensive research of graph transformation provides a strong formal background for model transformation. The main contribution of this paper is to show how high-level constraint constructs facilitate to realize transformations specified in QVT with metamodel-based model transformation. As a result we can reuse the graph transformation constructs, and its formal background, which facilitates to make QVT transformations validated

Model Transformations with Tom

International audienceModel Driven Engineering (MDE) advocates the use of Model Transformations (MT) in order to automate repetitive development tasks. Many different model transformation languages have been proposed with a significant tool development cost as common language elements like expressions, statements, ... must be built from scratch for each new language development tools. The Tom language is a shallow extension of Java tailored to describe and implement transformations of tree based data-structures. A key feature of Tom allows to map any Java data-structure to tree based data abstractions that can then be accessed by powerful non-linear, associative, commutative pattern matching. In this paper, we present how this approach can be used in order to develop model transformations, in particular relying on Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) based metamodeling facilities. This allows to provide a transformation language at a low cost both for the development of its tools and the training of its users

Termination Criteria for Model Transformation

Nowadays the usage of model transformations in software engineering has become widespread. Considering current trends in software development such as model driven development (MDD), there is an emerging need to develop model manipulations such as model evolution and optimisation, semantics definition, etc. If a model transformation is described in a precise way, it can be analysed lateron. Models, especially visual models, can be described best by graphs, due to their multi-dimensional extension. Graphs can be manipulated by graph transformation in a rule-based manner. Thus, we specify model transformation by graph transformation. This approach offers visual and formal techniques in such a way that model transformations can be subjects to analysis. Various results on graph transformation can be used to prove important properties of model transformations such as its functional behaviour, a basic property for computations. Moreover, certain kinds of syntactical and semantical consistency properties can be shown on this formal basis

SPaCIFY: a Formal Model-Driven Engineering for Spacecraft On-Board Software

International audienceThe aim of this article is to present a model- driven approach proposed by the SPaCIFY project for spacecraft on-board software development. This ap- proach is based on a formal globally asynchronous lo- cally synchronous language called Synoptic, and on a set of transformations allowing code generation and model verification

Confluence Detection for Transformations of Labelled Transition Systems

The development of complex component software systems can be made more manageable by first creating an abstract model and then incrementally adding details. Model transformation is an approach to add such details in a controlled way. In order for model transformation systems to be useful, it is crucial that they are confluent, i.e. that when applied on a given model, they will always produce a unique output model, independent of the order in which rules of the system are applied on the input. In this work, we consider Labelled Transition Systems (LTSs) to reason about the semantics of models, and LTS transformation systems to reason about model transformations. In related work, the problem of confluence detection has been investigated for general graph structures. We observe, however, that confluence can be detected more efficiently in special cases where the graphs have particular structural properties. In this paper, we present a number of observations to detect confluence of LTS transformation systems, and propose both a new confluence detection algorithm and a conflict resolution algorithm based on them.Comment: In Proceedings GaM 2015, arXiv:1504.0244

UniTi: Unified composition and time for multi-domain model-based design

To apply model-based design to embedded systems that interface with the physical world, including simulation and verification, current tools fall short. They must provide mathematical (model) definitions that stay close to the specification of the system. They must allow multiple domains, such as the continuous-time, discrete-time and dataflow domain, in a single model including well-defined interaction. They must support model transformations for refining a model during development. And most importantly, they must accurately include and simulate different notions of time in the model. UniTi is a model-based design flow and modelling and simulation environment that delivers on all these aspects. It is based on components that are signal transformations, and therefore mathematical functions. However, in each domain the representation of a signal differs. As components have the same structure in each domain, we can use unified composition operators to represent multiple domains in a single model. Furthermore, this composition provides a unified perspective on time in the domains, even though we differentiate between different notions of time. Time becomes a local property of the model, allowing us to represent and simulate time transformations such as time delays exactly without losing efficiency. Finally, model transformations are defined for such components, which are used for refining and developing the model and which are guided by the design steps in the design flow. We will formally define the domains, composition operators and transformations of UniTi and verify the approach with a case study on a phased array beamforming system

Integrating Refinement into Software Development Tools

AbstractIt is a challenge for automatic tool support to formal design by refinement transformations. In this paper, we bring this matter to the attention of the research community and discuss a component-based model transformational approach for integrating refinement into software development tools. Models, their consistency and correctness, in an object-oriented and component-based development process are defined in rCOS, that is a refinement calculus recently developed at UNU-IIST. Correctness preserving transformations between models are formalized and proved as refinement rules in rCOS. In this paper, we will discuss on how these transformations can be implemented in the relations language of Query/View/Transformation (QVT) standardized by OMG

Mining domain-specific edit operations from model repositories with applications to semantic lifting of model differences and change profiling

Model transformations are central to model-driven software development. Applications of model transformations include creating models, handling model co-evolution, model merging, and understanding model evolution. In the past, various (semi-) automatic approaches to derive model transformations from meta-models or from examples have been proposed. These approaches require time-consuming handcrafting or the recording of concrete examples, or they are unable to derive complex transformations. We propose a novel unsupervised approach, called Ockham, which is able to learn edit operations from model histories in model repositories. Ockham is based on the idea that meaningful domain-specifc edit operations are the ones that compress the model diferences. It employs frequent subgraph mining to discover frequent structures in model diference graphs. We evaluate our approach in two controlled experiments and one real-world case study of a large-scale industrial model-driven architecture project in the railway domain. We found that our approach is able to discover frequent edit operations that have actually been applied before. Furthermore, Ockham is able to extract edit operations that are meaningful—in the sense of explaining model diferences through the edit operations they comprise—to practitioners in an industrial setting. We also discuss use cases (i.e., semantic lifting of model diferences and change profles) for the discovered edit operations in this industrial setting. We fnd that the edit operations discovered by Ockham can be used to better understand and simulate the evolution of models

7. Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Enerji Dönüşümleri İle İlgili Model Tabanlı Açıklamalarının Tasarım Odaklı Düşünme Aracılığıyla Desteklenmesi

Learning environments should give opportunities for students to learn the topic of energy transformations that include interdisciplinary, and difficult to understand concepts meaningfully. For this purpose, design thinking, an innovative approach, was employed in the present study. In this context, a module based on design thinking on energy transformations was developed and implemented to 7th-grade students. In addition, the development of students' model-based explanations on the topic of energy transformations was examined. In the study designed as a design-based empirical research, pre- and post-model-based explanations created by students were used as data collection tools. Two rubrics were developed for components and sequences as elements of model-based explanations, benefiting from expert opinions for data analysis. As a result of the implementation of design thinking, it was revealed that the level of the components that the students used in relation to the concepts falling under energy transformations and of the sequences they established, in short, their model-based explanations improved. The current study contributes to the literature by providing information on how the design thinking approach supports the development of middle school students' model-based explanations about energy transformations.Öğrenme ortamları, öğrencilerin disiplinler arası ve anlaşılması zor kavramları içeren enerji dönüşümleri konusunu anlamlı bir şekilde öğrenmelerine olanak sağlamalıdır. Bu amaçla, bu çalışmada yenilikçi bir yaklaşım olan tasarım odaklı düşünme (design thinking) kullanılmıştır. Bu bağlamda, enerji dönüşümleri konusu ile ilgili tasarım odaklı düşünme temelli bir modül geliştirilmiş ve 7. sınıf öğrencilerine uygulanmıştır. Ayrıca öğrencilerin enerji dönüşümleri konusuna ilişkin model tabanlı açıklamalarının gelişimi incelenmiştir. Tasarım temelli ampirik bir araştırma (design-based empirical research) olarak dizayn edilen çalışmada, veri toplama aracı olarak öğrenciler tarafından oluşturulan ön ve son model tabanlı açıklamalar kullanılmıştır. Veri analizi için uzman görüşlerinden yararlanılarak, model tabanlı açıklamaların öğeleri olan bileşenler (components) ve bağlantılar (sequences) için iki ayrı rubrik geliştirilmiştir. Tasarım odaklı düşünmenin uygulanması sonucunda, öğrencilerin enerji dönüşümleri kapsamına giren kavramlara ilişkin kullandıkları bileşenlerin ve kurdukları bağlantıların düzeylerinin, kısacası model tabanlı açıklamalarının geliştiği ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu çalışma, tasarım odaklı düşünme yaklaşımının ortaokul öğrencilerinin enerji dönüşümleri ile ilgili model tabanlı açıklamalarının gelişimini nasıl desteklediği hakkında bilgi sağlayarak literatüre katkı sunmaktadır