Modeling and verification of Functional and Non-Functional Requirements of ambient Self-Adaptive Systems

International audienceSelf-Adaptive Systems modify their behavior at run-time in response to changing environmental conditions. For these systems, Non-Functional Requirements play an important role, and one has to identify as early as possible the requirements that are adaptable. We propose an integrated approach for modeling and verify- ing the requirements of Self-Adaptive Systems using Model Driven Engineering techniques. For this, we use Relax, which is a Requirements Engineering language which introduces flexibility in Non-Functional Require- ments. We then use the concepts of Goal-Oriented Requirements Engineering for eliciting and modeling the requirements of Self-Adaptive Systems. For properties verification, we use OMEGA2/IFx profile and toolset. We illustrate our proposed approach by applying it on an academic case study

Chatbots for Modelling, Modelling of Chatbots

Tesis Doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Departamento de Ingeniería Informática. Fecha de Lectura: 28-03-202

Combining SOA and BPM Technologies for Cross-System Process Automation

This paper summarizes the results of an industry case study that introduced a cross-system business process automation solution based on a combination of SOA and BPM standard technologies (i.e., BPMN, BPEL, WSDL). Besides discussing major weaknesses of the existing, custom-built, solution and comparing them against experiences with the developed prototype, the paper presents a course of action for transforming the current solution into the proposed solution. This includes a general approach, consisting of four distinct steps, as well as specific action items that are to be performed for every step. The discussion also covers language and tool support and challenges arising from the transformation

DT4BP: a Business Process Modelling Language for Dependable Time-Constrained Business Processes

Today, numerous organisations rely on information software systems to run their businesses. The effectiveness of the information software system then, depends largely on the degree to which the organisation's business is accurately captured in the business model. The business model is an abstract description of the way an organisation's functions. Thus, the more precise the business model, the more accurate the requirement definition of the information software system to be engineered.There are an abundance of tools and notations available today to support the development of many types of business process. Many of these artifacts rely on the concept of a business process to describe a business model. A business process is commonly known as a set of one or more linked procedures or activities which collectively realise a business objective or policy goal, normally within the context of an organisational structure defining functional roles and relationships". This thesis is concerned with modelling business processes as a means to accurately capture an organisation's activities and thus, the requirements of the software system that supports these activities.Among the infinite set of possible business processes, this thesis targets only those characterized by the qualities of dependability, collaboration and time. Business processes having these specific dimensions are referred to as Dependable, Collaborative and Time-Constrained (DCTC) business processes. A dependable business process is one whose failures or the number of occurrences in which business process misses its goal are not unacceptably frequent or severe (from certain viewpoint). A collaborative business process is one that requires the interaction of multiple participants to attain its goal. A time-constrained business process is one that owns at least one property expressed in terms of an upper or lower time bound. This thesis investigates how DCTC business processes can be described such that the resulting model captures all the relevant aspects of each dimension of interest. In addition, the business model must be comprehensible to the stakeholders involved not only in its definition, but also in its further use throughout the software development life cycle.A revision and analysis of notations that exist for modelling business processes conducted in this thesis have revealed that today there does not exist any modelling language that provides comprehensible, suitable and sufficiently expressive support for the characteristics of dependability, collaboration and time in an integrated manner. Hence, a significant part of this thesis is devoted to the definition of a new business process modelling language named DT4BP. The aim of this new modelling language is to be comprehensible, suitable and expressive enough to describe DCTC business processes. The definition of this new modelling language implies that a concrete syntax, an abstract syntax, a semantic domain and a semantic mapping is provided. The definition of this new modelling language is given following the Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) approach, and in particular the metamodelling principles. Thus, meta-models and model transformations are used to precisely specify the abstract syntax and semantic mapping elements of the language definition, respectively. Since DT4BP is a textual modelling language, its concrete syntax is specified by a context-free grammar. The Coordinated Atomic Actions conceptual framework with real-time extensions (Timed-CaaFWrk) is used as the semantic domain as it covers a large part of the abstractions included in dependable collaborative time-constrained business processes. The formalisation of this semantic domain according to the metamodelling principles is also part of the material presented in this thesis. Since the business model is considered as a representation of the requirement document the software system to be developed, it is crucial to validate whether it captures the requirements as intended by the stakeholder before going further in the software development process. Hence, besides the comprehensibility, suitability and expressiveness of the modelling language with respect to the domain of interest, it is of special interest to provide a mechanism that allows modellers to ensure that the business model is correct with respect to the stakeholder's expectations. One way of achieving this goal is to provide the modelling language with an executable semantics. In this manner, any business model can be executed on sample input data, and its dynamic behaviour observed. The observation of the dynamic behaviour of the model may be considered as a simulation of the model based on the sample input data. By performing several simulations of the model, the modeller, in cooperation with the stakeholder, can judge whether the business model is correct. This thesis provides an executable semantics for Timed-CaaFWrk that, used in combination with the model transformation that defines the semantic mapping element of the language definition, allows DT4BP models to be validated by simulation. In this manner, the dynamic behaviour of a particular DT4BP model for a given sample input data can be observed by transforming it into a Timed-CaaFWrk model, which is then run thanks to the given executable semantics

Model morphisms (MoMo) to enable language independent information models and interoperable business networks

MSc. Dissertation presented at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia of Universidade Nova de Lisboa to obtain the Master degree in Electrical and Computer EngineeringWith the event of globalisation, the opportunities for collaboration became more evident with the effect of enlarging business networks. In such conditions, a key for enterprise success is a reliable communication with all the partners. Therefore, organisations have been searching for flexible integrated environments to better manage their services and product life cycle, where their software applications could be easily integrated independently of the platform in use. However, with so many different information models and implementation standards being used, interoperability problems arise. Moreover,organisations are themselves at different technological maturity levels, and the solution that might be good for one, can be too advanced for another, or vice-versa. This dissertation responds to the above needs, proposing a high level meta-model to be used at the entire business network, enabling to abstract individual models from their specificities and increasing language independency and interoperability, while keeping all the enterprise legacy software‟s integrity intact. The strategy presented allows an incremental mapping construction, to achieve a gradual integration. To accomplish this, the author proposes Model Driven Architecture (MDA) based technologies for the development of traceable transformations and execution of automatic Model Morphisms

Using Relax Operators into an MDE Security Requirement Elicitation Process for Systems of Systems

International audienceSystems of systems (SoS) are large-scale systems composed of complex systems with difficult to elicit and model emergent properties. One of the most significant challenges in the engineering of such systems is how to elicit their non-functional requirements such as security. In this proposal paper we introduce a Model Driven Engineering (MDE) security requirement process for SoS. It is based on the Relax language to define invariant and relaxed security requirements. This enables taking into account security concerns early in the requirements phase of the SoS. We illustrate our process on a maritime safety and security case study

Adaptivity engineering : Modeling and quality assurance for self-adaptive software systems

Moderne Softwareentwicklung nutzt Techniken der Selbstadaptation, um Wartung von Softwaresystemen zu automatisieren und diese somit flexibler und robuster zu gestalten. Allerdings führt die Einführung solcher Techniken zu größeren und komplizierten Softwareentwürfen. Die Konsequenz sind Fehler im Entwurf. In der Literatur werden konstruktive Methoden wie MDE oder Patterns und analytische Methoden wie Testen oder Model Checking vorgeschlagen, um das Komplexitätsproblem zu verringern. Allerdings werden die Techniken der Selbstadaption von solchen Methoden bisher noch wenig unterstützt, d.h. dass es wenige integrierte Ansätze für die explizite Modellierung und Qualitätssicherung von Selbstadaptation gibt. In dieser Arbeit schlagen wir einen integrierten Modellierungs- und Qualitätssicherungsansatz für den Entwurf selbstadaptiver Softwaresysteme vor. Es werden sowohl konstruktive Methoden (z.B. Sprachen) als auch analytische Methoden (z.B. Model Checking) für die Unterstützung der Entwicklung solcher Systeme vorgeschlagen. Beide Typen von Methoden sind in Standardtechniken und Werkzeuge integriert. Im Ergebnis wird der Entwickler in der Modellierung selbstadaptiver Softwaresysteme durch den Einsatz von adaptionsspezifischen Sprachen unterstützt. Durch die dazu passenden Qualitätssicherungsverfahren erhält der Entwickler unmittelbare Rückmeldung über die Qualität seiner Modelle. Somit wird die Entwicklung selbstadaptiver Systeme bereits in frühen Phasen des Entwicklungsprozesses unterstützt, Entwurfsfehler werden vermieden und somit bessere Software gebaut.Modern software engineering introduces self-adaptivity features to perform automatic maintenance and make software systems more flexible and resilient. Unfortunately, introducing the additional self-adaptivity features makes software design bloated and complicated. As a consequence, software design models are often prone to errors. The literature proposes constructive approaches such as MDE, patterns, etc. as well as analytical approaches such as testing or model checking to solve the problem of complexity in general. However, there is no sufficient adaptivity-specific support throughout the engineering process, i.e. no approaches that support the creation of self-adaptivity specification models and their quality assurance. In this thesis, we will propose an integrated modeling and quality assurance environment for designing self-adaptive software systems. Therefore, we will propose constructive methods (e.g., languages) and analytical methods (e.g., model-checking) to support the engineering of these systems. Both types of methods are integrated into standard software engineering techniques and tools. As a result, the designer is supported in modeling self-adaptive software systems using concern-specific languages and receives immediate feedback about the quality of his models. This way, software engineering for self-adaptive systems is getting supported starting at the early design phase leading to less errors produced, and thus, to better software, overall.Tag der Verteidigung: 26.09.2013Paderborn, Univ., Diss., 201