Navigating Across Non-Navigable Ecore References via OCL

The Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) and its meta-meta model Ecore support uni-directional and bi-directional references. It is quite common that references are defined uni-directionally only because of saving storage space or separating meta models, which is problematic when implementing Object Constraint Language (OCL) constraints that require navigation against the direction of uni-directional references. This is essential for certain approaches, e.g., incremental evaluation of OCL constraints on models shown by Altenhofen et al. that is used in SAP's Modeling Infrastructure (MOIN). In this paper, we present an approach that overcomes the aforementioned issue by providing navigation across non-navigable Ecore references via OCL. We further discuss different alternative solutions and briefly describe the realization that was outcome of a project in cooperation with the SAP AG

Requirements Analysis for an Integrated OCL Development Environment

An Integrated OCL Development Environment (IDE4OCL) can significantly improve the pragmatics and praxis of OCL. We present the domain concepts, toolâlevel interactions with OCL and the use cases we identified in a systematic analysis of requirements for an IDE4OCL. The domain concepts is an important contribution of our work as it attempts to clarify inconsistencies in the relevant specifications. Because OCL is not a standâalone language, the OCL landscape includes several interacting tools including an IDE4OCL. The use cases describe our vision of the desired functionality unique to an IDE4OCL. The results of our analysis and the long term vision of our work should be relevant to developers of OCL tools as well as to the OMG Request for Information regarding the UML Futures1. Our work is relevant to the UML Futures Roadmap because providing OCL for the constraints in the UML specification has been a longstanding problem at the OMG

View-based textual modelling

This work introduces the FURCAS approach, a framework for view-based textual modelling. FURCAS includes means that allow software language engineers to define partial and overlapping textual modelling languages. Furthermore, FURCAS provides an incremental update approach that enables modellers to work with multiple views on the same underlying model. The approach is validated against a set of formal requirements, as well as several industrial case studies showing its practical applicability

Hybrid semantic-document models

This thesis presents the concept of hybrid semantic-document models to aid information management when using standards for complex technical domains such as military data communication. These standards are traditionally text based documents for human interpretation, but prose sections can often be ambiguous and can lead to discrepancies and subsequent implementation problems. Many organisations produce semantic representations of the material to ensure common understanding and to exploit computer aided development. In developing these semantic representations, no relationship is maintained to the original prose. Maintaining relationships between the original prose and the semantic model has key benefits, including assessing conformance at a semantic level, and enabling original content authors to explicitly define their intentions, thus reducing ambiguity and facilitating computer aided functionality. Through the use of a case study method based on the military standard MIL-STD-6016C, a framework of relationships is proposed. These relationships can integrate with common document modelling techniques and provide the necessary functionality to allow semantic content to be mapped into document views. These relationships are then generalised for applicability to a wider context. Additionally, this framework is coupled with a templating approach which, for repeating sections, can improve consistency and further enhance quality. A reflective approach to model driven web rendering is presented and evaluated. This reflective approach uses self-inspection at runtime to read directly from the model, thus eliminating the need for any generative processes which result in data duplication across source used for different purpose

Identification and Optimisation of Type-Level Model Queries

The main appeal of task-specific model management languages such as ATL, OCL, Epsilon etc. is that they offer tailored syntaxes for the tasks they target, and provide concise first-class support for recurring activities in these tasks. On the flip side, task-specific model management languages are typically interpreted and are therefore significantly slower than general purpose programming languages (which can be also used to query and modify models) such as Java. While this is not an issue for smaller models, as models grow in size, naive execution of interpreted model management programs against them can become a scalability bottleneck. In this paper, we demonstrate an architecture for optimisation of model management programs written in languages of the Epsilon platform using static analysis and program rewriting techniques. The proposed architecture facilitates optimisation of queries that target models of heterogeneous technologies in an orthogonal way. We demonstrate how the proposed architecture is used to identify and optimise typelevel queries against EMF-based models in the context of EOL programs and EVL validation constraints. We also demonstrate the performance benefits that can be delivered by this form of optimisation through a series of experiments on EMF-based models. Our experiments have shown performance improvements of up to 99.56%

Integration and Test of MOF/UML-based Domain-specific Modeling Languages

In model-driven development (MDD), domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) are used as tailor-made software languages targeting dedicated application domains. Due to the narrow domain coverage of DSMLs, demands to integrate their individual functionality into a consolidated DSML arise (e.g., developing a software product combining two or more pre-existing DSMLs). However, in order to realize the benefits of integrated DSMLs, it must be ensured that the integrated DSML is correctly implemented and behaves as specified. To support the integration and the test of DSMLs, this thesis presents an approach targeting the Meta Object Facility (MOF) and the Unified Modeling Language (UML)- a metamodeling infrastructure frequently employed for the MDD of software systems. The integration of DSMLs is based on a rewriting technique for model-to-text (M2T) transformations. This method allows for the reuse as well as for the automatic refactoring of M2T transformation templates to fix important syntactical mismatches between templates and the integrated DSML. To test an integrated DSML, scenarios are used to define domain requirements on an abstract level (via structured text descriptions). In a subsequent step, executable scenario tests are derived from the requirements-level scenarios. These executable scenario specifications are then employed to test the integrated DSML for compliance with corresponding domain requirements. Empirical evaluations of the approach (case studies, controlled experiment) demonstrate its successful application, collect evidence for its usefulness, and quantify its benefits. The integrated proof-of-concept implementations build on the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF), making use of and extending well-known Eclipse-based projects. All accompanying developments are placed into the public domain as free/libre open source software. Within the framework of this thesis, research results were originally published as individual contributions (workshop, conference, and journal articles). All research contributions are results of applying a design science research approach. (author's abstract

MODEL DRIVEN SOFTWARE PRODUCT LINE ENGINEERING: SYSTEM VARIABILITY VIEW AND PROCESS IMPLICATIONS

La Ingeniería de Líneas de Productos Software -Software Product Line Engineerings (SPLEs) en inglés- es una técnica de desarrollo de software que busca aplicar los principios de la fabricación industrial para la obtención de aplicaciones informáticas: esto es, una Línea de productos Software -Software Product Line (SPL)- se emplea para producir una familia de productos con características comunes, cuyos miembros, sin embargo, pueden tener características diferenciales. Identificar a priori estas características comunes y diferenciales permite maximizar la reutilización, reduciendo el tiempo y el coste del desarrollo. Describir estas relaciones con la suficiente expresividad se vuelve un aspecto fundamental para conseguir el éxito. La Ingeniería Dirigida por Modelos -Model Driven Engineering (MDE) en inglés- se ha revelado en los últimos años como un paradigma que permite tratar con artefactos software con un alto nivel de abstracción de forma efectiva. Gracias a ello, las SPLs puede aprovecharse en granmedida de los estándares y herramientas que han surgido dentro de la comunidad de MDE. No obstante, aún no se ha conseguido una buena integración entre SPLE y MDE, y como consecuencia, los mecanismos para la gestión de la variabilidad no son suficientemente expresivos. De esta manera, no es posible integrar la variabilidad de forma eficiente en procesos complejos de desarrollo de software donde las diferentes vistas de un sistema, las transformaciones de modelos y la generación de código juegan un papel fundamental. Esta tesis presenta MULTIPLE, un marco de trabajo y una herramienta que persiguen integrar de forma precisa y eficiente los mecanismos de gestión de variabilidad propios de las SPLs dentro de los procesos de MDE. MULTIPLE proporciona lenguajes específicos de dominio para especificar diferentes vistas de los sistemas software. Entre ellas se hace especial hincapié en la vista de variabilidad ya que es determinante para la especificación de SPLs.Gómez Llana, A. (2012). MODEL DRIVEN SOFTWARE PRODUCT LINE ENGINEERING: SYSTEM VARIABILITY VIEW AND PROCESS IMPLICATIONS [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/15075Palanci

Model-driven round-trip engineering of REST APIs

Les API web s'han convertit cada vegada més en un actiu clau per a les empreses, que n'han promogut la implementació i la integració en les seves activitats quotidianes. A la pràctica, la majoria d'aquestes API web són "REST-like", que significa que s'adhereixen parcialment a l'estil arquitectònic conegut com transferència d'estat representacional ('representational state transfer', REST en anglés). De fet, REST és un paradigma de disseny i no proposa cap estàndard. Com a conseqüència, tant desenvolupar com consumir API REST són tasques difícils i costoses per als proveïdors i clients de l'API. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és facilitar el disseny, la implementació, la composició i el consum de les API REST, basant-se en tècniques d'enginyeria dirigida per models ('model-driven engineering', MDE en anglés). Aquesta tesi proposa les contribucions següents: EMF-REST, APIDiscoverer, APITester, APIGenerator, i APIComposer. Aquestes contribucions constitueixen un ecosistema que avança l'estat de la qüestió al camp de l'enginyeria de programari automàtica per al desenvolupament i el consum de les API REST.Las API Web se han convertido en una pieza fundamental para un gran número de compañías, que han promovido su implementación e integración en las actividades cotidianas del negocio. En la práctica, estas API Web son "REST-like", lo que significa que se adhieren parcialmente al estilo arquitectónico conocido como transferencia de estado representacional ('representational state transfer', REST en inglés). De hecho, REST es un paradigma de diseño y no propone ningún estándar. Por ello, tanto el desarrollo como el consumo de API REST son tareas difíciles y que demandan mucho tiempo de los proveedores y los clientes de API. El objetivo de esta tesis es facilitar el diseño, la implementación, la composición y el consumo de API REST, apoyándose en el desarrollo de software dirigido por modelos (DSDM). Esta tesis propone las siguientes contribuciones: EMF-REST, APIDiscoverer, APITester, APIGenerator y APIComposer. Estas contribuciones constituyen un ecosistema que avanza el estado de la cuestión en el área de la ingeniería del software referida a la automatización de las tareas relacionadas con el desarrollo y consumo de API REST.Web APIs have become an increasingly key asset for businesses, and their implementation and integration in companies' daily activities has thus been on the rise. In practice, most of these Web APIs are "REST-like", meaning that they adhere partially to the Representational State Transfer (REST) architectural style. In fact, REST is a design paradigm and does not propose any standard, so developing and consuming REST APIs end up being challenging and time-consuming tasks for API providers and clients. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to facilitate the design, implementation, composition and consumption of REST APIs by relying on Model-Driven Engineering (MDE). Likewise, it offers the following contributions: EMF-REST, APIDiscoverer, APITester, APIGenerator and APIComposer. Together, these contributions make up an ecosystem which advances the state of the art of automated software engineering for REST APIs

Model Transformation Languages with Modular Information Hiding

Model transformations, together with models, form the principal artifacts in model-driven software development. Industrial practitioners report that transformations on larger models quickly get sufficiently large and complex themselves. To alleviate entailed maintenance efforts, this thesis presents a modularity concept with explicit interfaces, complemented by software visualization and clustering techniques. All three approaches are tailored to the specific needs of the transformation domain