VICToRy: Visual Interactive Consistency Management in Tolerant Rule-based Systems

In the field of Model-Driven Engineering, there exist numerous tools that support various consistency management operations including model transformation, synchronisation and consistency checking. The supported operations, however, typically run completely in the background with only input and output made visible to the user. We argue that this often reduces both understandability and controllability. As a step towards improving this situation, we present VICToRy, a debugger for model generation and transformation based on Triple Graph Grammars, a well-known rule-based approach to bidirectional transformation. In addition to a fine-grained, step-by-step, interactive visualisation, VICToRy enables the user to actively explore and choose between multiple valid rule applications thus improving control and understanding.Comment: In Proceedings GCM 2020, arXiv:2012.0118

Role-based Runtime Model Synchronization

Model-driven Software Development (MDSD) promotes the use of multiple related models to realize a software system systematically. These models usually contain redundant information but are independently edited. This easily leads to inconsistencies among them. To ensure consistency among multiple models, model synchronizations have to be employed, e.g., by means of model transformations, trace links, or triple graph grammars. Model synchronization poses three main problems for MDSD. First, classical model synchronization approaches have to be manually triggered to perform the synchronization. However, to support the consistent evolution of multiple models, it is necessary to immediately and continuously update all of them. Second, synchronization rules are specified at design time and, in classic approaches, cannot be extended at runtime, which is necessary if metamodels evolve at runtime. Finally, most classical synchronization approaches focus on bilateral model synchronization, i.e., the synchronization between two models. Consequently, for more than two models, they require the definition of pairwise model synchronizations leading to a combinatorial explosion of synchronization rules. To remedy these issues, we propose a role-based approach for runtime model synchronization. In particular, we propose role-based synchronization rules that enable the immediate and continuous propagation of changes to multiple interrelated models (and back again). Additionally, our approach permits adding new and customized synchronization rules at runtime. We illustrate the benefits of role-based runtime model synchronization using the Families to Persons case study from the Transformation Tool Contest 2017

Triple Graph Grammars or Triple Graph Transformation Systems? A Case Study from Software Configuration Management

Abstract. Triple graph grammars have been used to specify consistency maintenance between inter-dependent and evolving models at a high level of abstraction. On a lower level, consistency maintenance may be specified by a triple graph transformation system, which takes care of all operational details required for executing consistency maintenance operations. This paper presents a case study from software configuration management in which we decided to hand-craft a triple graph transformation system rather than to generate it from a triple graph grammar. The case study demonstrates some limitations concerning the kinds of consistency maintenance problems which can be handled by triple graph grammars

Reusable Event Types for Models at Runtime to Support the Examination of Runtime Phenomena

Abstract-Today's software is getting more and more complex and harder to understand. Models help to organize knowledge and emphasize the structure of a software at a higher abstraction level. While the usage of model-driven techniques is widely adopted during software construction, it is still an open research topic if models can also be used to make runtime phenomena more comprehensible as well. It is not obvious which models are suitable for manual analysis and which model elements can be related to what type of runtime events. This paper proposes a collection of runtime event types that can be reused for various systems and meta-models. Based on these event types, information can be derived which help human observers to assess the current system state. Our approach is applied in a case study and evaluated regarding generalisability and completeness by relating it to two different meta-models

A Case Study for Networks of Bidirectional Transformations

Die Entwicklung moderner Softwaresysteme basiert oft auf mehreren Artefakten. Diese Artefakte teilen sich oft redundante oder abhängige Informationen, welche während der Entwicklung des Softwaresystems konsistent gehalten werden müssen. Die manuelle Durchführung dieses Prozesses ist arbeitsaufwendig und fehleranfällig. Konsistenzerhaltungsmechanismen ermöglichen diese Artefakte automatisch konsistent zu halten. Konsistenzerhaltung basiert oftmals auf bidirektionalen Transformationen, welche ein Zielmodell aktualisieren, wenn ein Quellmodell modifiziert wird. Während das Gebiet der bidirektionale Transformationen stark erforscht ist, hat Konsistenzerhaltung von mehr als zwei Modellen bisher weniger Aufmerksamkeit erhalten. Allerdings umfasst die Entwicklung von Softwaresystemen jedoch oft mehr als zwei Modelle. Folglich benötigt man Konsistenzerhaltung zwischen mehr als zwei Modellen, welche durch Netzwerke bidirektionaler Transformationen erreicht werden kann. Solche Transformationsnetzwerke kombinieren mehrere Transformationen, wobei jede einzelne für die Konsistenzerhaltung zweier Modelle verantwortlich ist. Da die Entwicklung jeder Transformation individuelles Domänenwissen erfordert, werden sie in der Regel von mehreren Domänenexperten unabhängig voneinander entwickelt. Zusätzlich können einzelne Transformationen in anderen Netzwerken wiederverwendet werden. Dies wird jedoch in bisherigen Arbeiten nicht berücksichtigt, macht aber die Konsistenzerhaltung durch Netzwerke bidirektionaler Transformationen anfällig für Probleme. In einem Netzwerk von Transformationen kann es beispielsweise zwei oder mehr Verkettungen von Transformationen geben, die dieselben Metamodelle mit verschiedenen anderen Metamodellen in Beziehung setzen. Jedoch können sie die Elemente unterschiedlich miteinander in Beziehung setzen. Dies kann zum Beispiel zu einer doppelten Erstellung derselben Elemente über die verschiedenen Transformationsketten führen. Es gibt jedoch kein systematisches Wissen über die Problemarten, die in solchen Netzwerken auftreten können oder ob und wie derartige Probleme systematisch verhindert werden können. Diese Thesis führt eine Fallstudie durch, die ermitteln soll, welche Arten von Problemen bei der Konsistenzerhaltung durch Netzwerke bidirektionaler Transformationen auftreten können. Für diese Probleme leiten wir eine Klassifizierung hinsichtlich des erforderlichen Wissens für ihre Vermeidung ab. Für Probleme, die Transformationsentwickler verhindern können, schlagen wir Strategien zur systematischen Vermeidung während ihrer Konstruktion vor. In unserer Fallstudie sind 90\% der gefundenen Probleme verhinderbar. Die übrigen Probleme lassen sich während der Entwicklung einer einzelnen Transformation nicht ohne das Wissen über weitere Transformationen im Netzwerk vermeiden. Folglich hilft diese Thesis Transformationsentwicklern Fehler bei der Erstellung von Transformationen systematisch zu vermeiden und ermöglicht es Netzwerkentwicklern Fehler zu erkennen, die bei der Konstruktion der Transformation nicht verhindert werden können

A method for mapping between ASMs and implementation language

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-196).One of the challenges of model-based engineering is traceability: the ability to relate the set of models developed during the design stages to the implemented system. This thesis develops a language specific method for creating bidirectional traceability, a mapping between model and implementation, suitable for tracing requirements from model through implementation and vice versa. The mapping is created as a byproduct of code generation and reverse engineering, and can be used to subsequently synchronize changes between the model and implementation. The creation of the mapping is specifically demonstrated through generating Java code from an abstract state machine (ASM) based modeling language, called the Timed Abstract State Machine (TASM) language. This code generation process involves a series of three transformations. The first transformation creates a specialised System Dependency Graph (SDG) called a TASM SDG from a TASM specification.(cont.) The second uses Triple Graph Grammars to transform the TASM SDG to a Java SDG (JSDG). The applied grammars are saved as the mapping information. The third transformation procedurally generates Java code. In order to make this methodology possible, this thesis introduces the TASM SDG, as well as a novel algorithm, generally applicable to ASM languages, that explicates state transitions. The approach presented extends the bidirectional traceability capabilities inherent in the TASM language to Java. The code generation technique is demonstrated using an industrial case study from the automotive domain, an Electronic Throttle Controller (ETC).by David Cheng-Ping Wang.S.M

Model Synchronization for Software Evolution

Software evolution refers to continuous change that a software system endures from inception to retirement. Each change must be efficiently and tractably propagated across models representing the system at different levels of abstraction. Model synchronization activities needed to support the systematic specification and analysis of evolution activities are still not adequately identified and formally defined. In our research, we first introduce a formal notation for the representation of domain models and model instances to form the theoretical basis for the proposed model synchronization framework. Besides conforming to a generic MOF metamodel, we consider that each software model also relates to an application domain context (e.g., operating systems, web services). Therefore, we are addressing the problems of model synchronization by focusing on domain-specific contexts. Secondly, we identify and formally define model dependencies that are needed to trace and propagate changes across system models at different levels of abstraction, such as from design to source code. The approach for extraction of these dependencies is based on Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) algorithms. We further model identified dependencies using Unified Modeling Language (UML) profiles and constraints, and utilize the extracted dependency relations in the context of coarse-grained model synchronization. Thirdly, we introduce modeling semantics that allow for more complex profile-based dependencies using Triple Graph Grammar (TGG) rules with corresponding Object Constraint Language (OCL) constraints. The TGG semantics provide for fine-grained model synchronization, and enable compliance with the Query/View/Transformation (QVT) standards. The introduced framework is assessed on a large, industrial case study of the IBM Commerce system. The dependency extraction framework is applied to repositories of business process models and related source code. The extracted dependencies were evaluated by IBM developers, and the corresponding precision and recall values calculated with results that match the scope and goals of the research. The grammar-based model synchronization and dependency modelling using profiles has also been applied to the IBM Commerce system, and evaluated by the developers and architects involved in development of the system. The results of this experiment have been found to be valuable by stakeholders, and a patent codifying the results has been filed by the IBM organization and has been granted. Finally, the results of this experiment have been formalized as TGG rules, and used in the context of fine-grained model synchronization