André Heuer

Formal definition of syntax and semantics for documenting variability in activity diagrams

Quality assurance is an important issue in product line engineering. It is commonly agreed that quality assurance in domain engineering requires special attention, since a defect in a domain artifact can affect several products of a product line and can lead to high costs for defect correction. However, the variability in domain artifacts is a special challenge for quality assurance, since quality assurance approaches from single system engineering cannot handle the variability in domain artifacts. Therefore, the adaptation of existing approaches or the development of new approaches is necessary to support quality assurance in domain engineering. Activity diagrams are a widely accepted modeling language used to support quality assurance activities in single system engineering. However, current quality assurance approaches adapted for product line engineering using activity diagrams are not based on a formal syntax and semantics and therefore techniques based on these approaches are only automatable to a limited extent. In this paper, we propose a formal syntax and semantics for documenting variability in activity diagrams based on Petri-nets which provide the foundation for an automated support of quality assurance in domain engineering.

Extending an IEEE 42010-Compliant Viewpoint-Based Engineering-Framework for Embedded Systems to Support Variant Management

The increasing complexity of today’s embedded systems and the increasing demand for higher quality require a comprehensive engineering approach. The model-based engineering approach that has been developed in the project SPES 2020 (Software Platform Embedded Systems) is intended to comprehensively support the development of embedded systems in the future. The approach allows for specifying an embedded system from different viewpoints that are artefact-based and seamlessly integrated. It is compliant with the IEEE Std. 1471 for specifying viewpoints for architectural descriptions. However, the higher demand for individual embedded software necessitates the integration of variant management into the engineering process of an embedded system. A prerequisite for the seamless integration of variant management is the explicit consideration of variability. Variability allows for developing individual software based on a set of common core assets. Yet, variability is a crosscutting concern as it affects all related engineering disciplines and artefacts across the engineering process of an embedded system. Since the IEEE Std. 1471 does not support the documentation of crosscutting aspects, we apply the concept of perspectives to IEEE Std. 1471’s successor (IEEE Std. 42010) in order to extend the SPES engineering approach to support continuous variant management.

Defining variability in activity diagrams and Petri nets

Control flow models, such as UML activity diagrams or Petri nets, are widely accepted modeling languages used to support quality assurance activities in single system engineering as well as software product line (SPL) engineering. Quality assurance in product line engineering is a challenging task since a defect in a domain artifact may affect several products of the product line. Thus, proper quality assurance approaches need to pay special attention to the product line variability. Automation is essential to support quality assurance approaches. A prerequisite for automation is a profound formalization of the underlying control flow models and, in the context of SPLs, of the variability therein. In this paper, we propose a formal syntax and semantics for defining variability in Petri nets. We use these extended Petri nets as a foundation to formally define variability in UML activity diagrams; UML activity diagrams serve as a basis for several testing techniques in product line engineering. We illustrate the contribution of such a formalization to assurance activities in product line engineering by describing its usage in three application examples.

Structuring variability in the context of embedded systems during software engineering

During the development of embedded software, the system context (mechanical, electronical, business, etc.) has to be considered. Typically, this context is diverse and highly complex. Moreover, the context in which the system is embedded can vary. For example, the system can be used in different technical environments or in different countries. This variability in the context influences the software to be developed and typically leads to system variability. This paper systematically analyses the impact of context variability on the system development, more precisely, on the variability of the system. Related work is discussed and an example from the automotive domain is presented to identify open issues that need to be addressed.

Variant Management and Reuse

Variability management and reuse are important concerns in the development of variant-rich software-intensive systems. In this chapter, we present the SPES XT modeling frameworks mechanism to capture the orthogonal concern of variability.

Technology Transfer Concepts

In software engineering, transferring innovative concepts, techniques and methods into the practice of existing organizations is an expensive and complex task. This chapter gives an overview on the transfer of the SPES XT modeling framework to different organization.

Evaluation of the SPES XT Modeling Framework

In software engineering, emprirical evaluations play a major role in discovering the advantages and disadvantages of newly developed methods, techniques, and tools.

Application and Evaluation in the Energy Domain

Energy providers in Germany, including grid operators, play an essential role in securing the value chain of almost all business sectors as well as supplying private households with energy.