Quick xing ATL transformations with speculative analysis

Model transformations are central compo- nents of most model-based software projects. While en- suring their correctness is vital to guarantee the quality of the solution, current transformation tools provide lim- ited support to statically detect and x errors. In this way, the identi cation of errors and their correction are nowadays mostly manual activities which incur in high costs. The aim of this work is to improve this situation. Recently, we developed a static analyser that com- bines program analysis and constraint solving to iden- tify errors in ATL model transformations. In this paper, we present a novel method and system that uses our analyser to propose suitable quick xes for ATL transfor- mation errors, notably some non-trivial, transformation- speci c ones. Our approach supports speculative analy- sis to help developers select the most appropriate x by creating a dynamic ranking of xes, reporting on the consequences of applying a quick x, and providing a previsualization of each quick x application. The approach integrates seamlessly with the ATL ed- itor. Moreover, we provide an evaluation based on exist- ing faulty transformations built by a third party, and on automatically generated transformation mutants, which are then corrected with the quick xes of our catalogueWork supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economyand Competitivity (TIN2014-52129-R), the R&D programme of the Madrid Region (S2013/ICE-3006), and the EU commission (FP7-ICT-2013-10, #611125

Embedding requirements within the model driven architecture.

The Model Driven Architecture (MDA) is offered as one way forward in software systems modelling to connect software design with the business domain. The general focus of the MDA is the development of software systems by performing transformations between software design models, and the automatic generation of application code from those models. Software systems are provided by developers, whose experience and models are not always in line with those of other stakeholders, which presents a challenge for the community. From reviewing the available literature, it is found that whilst many models and notations are available, those that are significantly supported by the MDA may not be best for use by non technical stakeholders. In addition, the MDA does not explicitly consider requirements and specification. This research begins by investigating the adequacy of the MDA requirements phase and examining the feasibility of incorporating a requirements definition, specifically focusing upon model transformations. MDA artefacts were found to serve better the software community and requirements were not appropriately integrated within the MDA, with significant extension upstream being required in order to sufficiently accommodate the business user in terms of a requirements definition. Therefore, an extension to the MDA framework is offered that directly addresses Requirements Engineering (RE), including the distinction of analysis from design, highlighting the importance of specification. This extension is suggested to further the utility of the MDA by making it accessible to a wider audience upstream, enabling specification to be a direct output from business user involvement in the requirements phase of the MDA. To demonstrate applicability, this research illustrates the framework extension with the provision of a method and discusses the use of the approach in both academic and commercial settings. The results suggest that such an extension is academically viable in facilitating the move from analysis into the design of software systems, accessible for business use and beneficial in industry by allowing for the involvement of the client in producing models sufficient enough for use in the development of software systems using MDA tools and techniques