Engineering model transformations with transML

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10270-011-0211-2Model transformation is one of the pillars of model-driven engineering (MDE). The increasing complexity of systems and modelling languages has dramatically raised the complexity and size of model transformations as well. Even though many transformation languages and tools have been proposed in the last few years, most of them are directed to the implementation phase of transformation development. In this way, even though transformations should be built using sound engineering principles—just like any other kind of software—there is currently a lack of cohesive support for the other phases of the transformation development, like requirements, analysis, design and testing. In this paper, we propose a unified family of languages to cover the life cycle of transformation development enabling the engineering of transformations. Moreover, following an MDE approach, we provide tools to partially automate the progressive refinement of models between the different phases and the generation of code for several transformation implementation languages.This work has been sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation with project METEORIC (TIN2008-02081), and by the R&D program of the Community of Madrid with projects “e-Madrid" (S2009/TIC-1650). Parts of this work were done during the research stays of Esther and Juan at the University of York, with financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant refs. JC2009-00015, PR2009-0019 and PR2008-0185)

Full contract verification for ATL using symbolic execution

The Atlas Transformation Language (ATL) is currently one of the most used model transformation languages and has become a de facto standard in model-driven engineering for implementing model transformations. At the same time, it is understood by the community that enhancing methods for exhaustively verifying such transformations allows for a more widespread adoption of model-driven engineering in industry. A variety of proposals for the verification of ATL transformations have arisen in the past few years. However, the majority of these techniques are either based on non-exhaustive testing or on proof methods that require human assistance and/or are not complete. In this paper, we describe our method for statically verifying the declarative subset of ATL model transformations. This verification is performed by translating the transformation (including features like filters, OCL expressions, and lazy rules) into our model transformation language DSLTrans. As we handle only the declarative portion of ATL, and DSLTrans is Turing-incomplete, this reduction in expressivity allows us to use a symbolic-execution approach to generate representations of all possible input models to the transformation. We then verify pre-/post-condition contracts on these representations, which in turn verifies the transformation itself. The technique we present in this paper is exhaustive for the subset of declarative ATL model transformations. This means that if the prover indicates a contract holds on a transformation, then the contract’s pre-/post-condition pair will be true for any input model for that transformation. We demonstrate and explore the applicability of our technique by studying several relatively large and complex ATL model transformations, including a model transformation developed in collaboration with our industrial partner. As well, we present our ‘slicing’ technique. This technique selects only those rules in the DSLTrans transformation needed for contract proof, thereby reducing proving timeComisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología TIN2015-70560-RJunta de Andalucía P10-TIC-5906Junta de Andalucía P12-TIC-186

Software quality tools and techniques presented in FASE’17

Software quality assurance aims to ensure that the software product meets the quality standards expected by the customer. This special issue of Software Tools for Technology Transfer is concerned with the foundations on which software quality assurance is built. It introduces the papers that focus on this topic and that have been selected from the 20th International Conference on Fundamental Approaches to Software Engineering (FASE’17)

A Rewriting Logic Semantics for ATL

As the complexity of model transformation (MT) grows, the need to rely on formal semantics of MT languages becomes a critical issue. Formal semantics provide precise speci cations of the expected behavior of transformations, allowing users to understand them and to use them properly, and MT tool builders to develop correct MT engines, compilers, etc. In addition, formal semantics allow modelers to reason about the MTs and to prove their correctness, something specially important in case of large and complex MTs (with, e.g., hundreds or thousands of rules) for which manual debugging is no longer possible. In this paper we give a formal semantics of the ATL 3.0 model transformation language using rewriting logic and Maude, which allows addressing these issues. Such formalization provides additional bene ts, such as enabling the simulation of the speci cations or giving access to the Maude toolkit to reason about them

A Language Description is More than a Metamodel

Within the context of (software) language engineering, language descriptions are considered first class citizens. One of the ways to describe languages is by means of a metamodel, which represents the abstract syntax of the language. Unfortunately, in this process many language engineers forget the fact that a language also needs a concrete syntax and a semantics. In this paper I argue that neither of these can be discarded from a language description. In a good language description the abstract syntax is the central element, which functions as pivot between concrete syntax and semantics. Furthermore, both concrete syntax and semantics should be described in a well-defined formalism

Least - change bidirectional model transformation With QVT- R and ATL

QVT Relations (QVT-R) is the standard language proposed by the OMG to specify bidirectional model transformations. Unfortunately, in part due to ambiguities and omissions in the original semantics, acceptance and development of effective tool support has been slow. Recently, the checking semantics of QVTR has been clarified and formalized. In this article we propose a QVT-R tool that complies to such semantics. Unlike any other existing tool, it also supports metamodels enriched with OCL constraints (thus avoiding returning ill-formed models), and proposes an alternative enforcement semantics that works according to the simple and predictable “principle of least change”. The implementation is based on an embedding of both QVT-R transformations and UML class diagrams (annotated with OCL) in Alloy, a lightweight formal specification language with support for automatic model finding via SAT solving. We also show how this technique can be applied to bidirectionalize ATL, a popular (but unidirectional) model transformation language.This work is funded by ERDF-European Regional Development Fund through the COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness) and by national funds through the FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-020532. The first author is also sponsored by FCT grant SFRH/BD/69585/2010. The authors would also like to thank all anonymous reviewers for the valuable comments and suggestions

Supporting user-oriented analysis for multi-view domain-specific visual languages

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Information and Software Technology. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2008 Elsevier B.V.The integration of usable and flexible analysis support in modelling environments is a key success factor in Model-Driven Development. In this paradigm, models are the core asset from which code is automatically generated, and thus ensuring model correctness is a fundamental quality control activity. For this purpose, a common approach is to transform the system models into formal semantic domains for verification. However, if the analysis results are not shown in a proper way to the end-user (e.g. in terms of the original language) they may become useless. In this paper we present a novel DSVL called BaVeL that facilitates the flexible annotation of verification results obtained in semantic domains to different formats, including the context of the original language. BaVeL is used in combination with a consistency framework, providing support for all steps in a verification process: acquisition of additional input data, transformation of the system models into semantic domains, verification, and flexible annotation of analysis results. The approach has been validated analytically by the cognitive dimensions framework, and empirically by its implementation and application to several DSVLs. Here we present a case study of a notation in the area of Digital Libraries, where the analysis is performed by transformations into Petri nets and a process algebra.Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and MODUWEB

Towards rigorously faking bidirectional model transformations

Bidirectional model transformations (bx) are mechanisms for auto-matically restoring consistency between multiple concurrently modified models. They are, however, challenging to implement; many model transformation languages not supporting them at all. In this paper, we propose an approach for automatically obtaining the consistency guarantees of bx without the complexities of a bx language. First, we show how to “fake” true bidirectionality using pairs of unidirectional transformations and inter-model consistency constraints in Epsilon. Then, we propose to automatically verify that these transformations are consistency preserving — thus indistinguishable from true bx — by defining translations to graph rewrite rules and nested conditions, and leveraging recent proof calculi for graph transformation verification

Embedding Domain-Specific Modelling Languages in Maude Specifications

Extended version accepted in the Systems and Software Engineering Journal.International audienceWe propose an approach for embedding Domain-Specific Modelling Languages (\dsml) into Maude, based on representing models and metamodels as Maude specifications, and on representing operational semantics and model transformations as computable functions/relations between such specifications. This provides us, on the one hand, with abstract definitions of essential concepts of domain-specific modelling languages: model-to-metamodel conformance, operational semantics, and (operational-semantics-preserving) model transformations; and, on the other hand, with equivalent executable definitions for those concepts, which can be directly used in Maude for formal verification purpose

A UML/OCL framework for the analysis of fraph transformation rules

In this paper we present an approach for the analysis of graph transformation rules based on an intermediate OCL representation. We translate different rule semantics into OCL, together with the properties of interest (like rule applicability, conflicts or independence). The intermediate representation serves three purposes: (i) it allows the seamless integration of graph transformation rules with the MOF and OCL standards, and enables taking the meta-model and its OCL constraints (i.e. well-formedness rules) into account when verifying the correctness of the rules; (ii) it permits the interoperability of graph transformation concepts with a number of standards-based model-driven development tools; and (iii) it makes available a plethora of OCL tools to actually perform the rule analysis. This approach is especially useful to analyse the operational semantics of Domain Specific Visual Languages. We have automated these ideas by providing designers with tools for the graphical specification and analysis of graph transformation rules, including a backannotation mechanism that presents the analysis results in terms of the original language notation