Refining Transformation Rules For Converting UML Operations To Z Schema

The UML (Unified Modeling Language) has its origin in mainstream software engineering and is often used informally by software designers. One of the limitations of UML is the lack of precision in its semantics, which makes its application to safety critical systems unsuitable. A safety critical system is one in which any loss or misinterpretation of data could lead to injury, loss of human lives and/or property. Safety Critical systems are usually specified by very precisely and frequently required formal verification. With the continuous use of UML in the software industry, there is a need to augment the informality of software models produced to remove ambiguity and inconsistency in models for verification and validation. To overcome this well-known limitation of UML, formal specification techniques (FSTs), which are mathematically tractable, are often used to represent these models. Formal methods are mathematical techniques that allow software developers to produce softwares that address issues of ambiguity and error in complex and safety critical systems. By building a mathematically rigorous model of a complex system, it is possible to verify the system\u27s properties in a more thorough fashion than empirical testing. In this research, the author refines transformation rules for aspects of an informally defined design in UML to one that is verifiable, i.e. a formal specification notation. The specification language that is used is the Z Notation. The rules are applied to UML class diagram operation signatures iteratively, to derive Z schema representation of the operation signatures. Z representation may then be analyzed to detect flaws and determine where there is need to be more precise in defining the operation signatures. This work is an extension of previous research that lack sufficient detail for it to be taken to the next phase, towards the implementation of a tool for semi-automated transformation

Introducción breve a la ingeniería dirigida por modelos

The software crisis is a concept that has started to be used in 1968, at the first conference organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on software development. There, Edsger Dijkstra criticized that projects were not completed in compliance with the classic triple constraint of project management (scope, time and cost), since most of them do not reach the expected requirements, are delivered out of time or exceeds the expected cost. Unfortunately, the current reality is that while there have been proposed new methodologies aimed at solving the usual problems related to software development, there is still no reliable method to estimate the development of computer systems. This work introduces the Model-Driven Engineering approach that, according to the experts, will help to solve many of the problems that thousands of software development teams have daily worldwide.La crisis del software es un concepto que comenzó a utilizarse en 1968, en la primera conferencia organizada por la Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN) en el desarrollo de software. Allí, Edsger Dijkstra criticó que los proyectos no se completaban debido a la clásica triple restricción de la gestión de proyectos —alcance, tiempo y costo—, ya que la mayoría de ellos no alcanzaban los requisitos previstos, se entregaban fuera de plazo o superaban el costo esperado. Por desgracia, la realidad actual es que; si bien se han propuesto nuevas metodologías destinadas a la solución de los problemas habituales relacionados con el desarrollo de software, todavía no existe un método fiable para estimar el desarrollo de los sistemas informáticos. En este artículo se presenta el enfoque de Ingeniería Dirigida por Modelos que, según los expertos, ayudará a resolver muchos de los problemas que miles de equipos de desarrollo de software tienen a diario en todo el mundo

A brief introduction to model-driven engineering

The software crisis is a concept that has started to be used in 1968, at the first conference organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on software development. There, Edsger Dijkstra criticized that projects were not completed in compliance with the classic triple constraint of project management (scope, time and cost), since most of them do not reach the expected requirements, are delivered out of time or exceeds the expected cost. Unfortunately, the current reality is that while there have been proposed new methodologies aimed at solving the usual problems related to software development, there is still no reliable method to estimate the development of computer systems. This work introduces the Model-Driven Engineering approach that, according to the experts, will help to solve many of the problems that thousands of software development teams have daily worldwid

RuleCNL: A Controlled Natural Language for Business Rule Specifications

Business rules represent the primary means by which companies define their business, perform their actions in order to reach their objectives. Thus, they need to be expressed unambiguously to avoid inconsistencies between business stakeholders and formally in order to be machine-processed. A promising solution is the use of a controlled natural language (CNL) which is a good mediator between natural and formal languages. This paper presents RuleCNL, which is a CNL for defining business rules. Its core feature is the alignment of the business rule definition with the business vocabulary which ensures traceability and consistency with the business domain. The RuleCNL tool provides editors that assist end-users in the writing process and automatic mappings into the Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules (SBVR) standard. SBVR is grounded in first order logic and includes constructs called semantic formulations that structure the meaning of rules.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, Fourth Workshop on Controlled Natural Language (CNL 2014) Proceeding

Diagrammatic Attention Management and the Effect of Conceptual Model Structure on Cardinality Validation

Diagrams are frequently used to document various components of information systems, from the procedures established for user-system interaction, to the structure of the database at the system’s core. Past research has revealed that diagrams are not always used as effectively as their creators intend. This study proposes a theory of diagrammatic attention management to contribute to the exploration of diagram effectiveness. Based upon diagrammatic attention management, this study demonstrates that the type of diagram most commonly used to represent conceptual models is less effective than three other alternatives for validating the models’ cardinalities. Most conceptual models are documented using entity-relationship diagrams that include a full transaction cycle or module on a single page, i.e., an aggregate diagrammatic format. Participants in this study using three alternative representations (disaggregate diagrammatic, aggregate sentential, and disaggregate sentential) outperformed users of the aggregate diagrammatic format for cardinality validation. Results suggest that to facilitate effective use of aggregate diagrams, users need a mechanism by which to direct their attention while using the diagrams. If such an attention direction mechanism is not inherent in a diagram, it may need to be applied as an external tool, or the diagram may need to be disaggregated to facilitate use

"A model-driven approach for designing multi-platform user interface dialogues": dialogues specification

Human-computer interaction becomes sophisticated, multimodal and multi device and needs to be well-designed with the aim of facilitating application correction (i.e. to correcting errors/bugs in the application) or extension (i.e. adding new functionalities or modifying existing tasks). This thesis is focused on building a methodology of designing and specifying User Interface (UI) behaviour. The Unified Modelling Language (UML) is used to describe in detail the conceptual model and to define all its objects. The methodology flux diagram is provided with the specification of the consistency and the completeness properties of the transformation model. To support the methodology, we implement a graphic Dialog Editor in which Models are organized in three levels (abstract, concrete and final) according to Cameleon Reference Framework (CFR) and, whose process respects the Model Driven Engineering (MDE) approach. Furthermore, the use of Dialog Editor is illustrated through a simple exam...Les interfaces Homme-Machine deviennent de plus en plus complexes. Leur conception nécessite des nouveaux outils et/ou méthodes. En exploitant l'aproche orienté-modèle, cette thèse repond à ce besoin en proposant une méthodologie de conception des dialogues multi-plateform

Language and tool support for event refinement structures in Event-B

Event-B is a formal method for modelling and verifying the consistency of chains of model refinements. The event refinement structure (ERS) approach augments Event-B with a graphical notation which is capable of explicit representation of control flows and refinement relationships. In previous work, the ERS approach has been evaluated manually in the development of two large case studies, a multimedia protocol and a spacecraft sub-system. The evaluation results helped us to extend the ERS constructors, to develop a systematic definition of ERS, and to develop a tool supporting ERS. We propose the ERS language which systematically defines the semantics of the ERS graphical notation including the constructors. The ERS tool supports automatic construction of the Event-B models in terms of control flows and refinement relationships. In this paper we outline the systematic definition of ERS including the presentation of constructors, the tool that supports it and evaluate the contribution that ERS and its tool make. Also we present how the systematic definition of ERS and the corresponding tool can ensure a consistent encoding of the ERS diagrams in the Event-B models