Belén Vela

A methodological approach for object-relational database design using UML

Abstract.The most common way of designing databases is by means of a conceptual model, such as E/R, without taking into account other views of the system. New object-oriented design languages, such as UML (Unified Modelling Language), allow the whole system, including the database schema, to be modelled in a uniform way. Moreover, as UML is an extendable language, it allows for any necessary introduction of new stereotypes for specific applications. Proposals exist to extend UML with stereotypes for database design but, unfortunately, they are focused on relational databases. However, new applications require complex objects to be represented in complex relationships, object-relational databases being more appropriate for these requirements. The framework of this paper is an Object-Relational Database Design Methodology, which defines new UML stereotypes for Object-Relational Database Design and proposes some guidelines to translate a UML conceptual schema into an object-relational schema. The guidelines are based on the SQL: 1999 object-relational model and on Oracle8i as a product example.

Representing Web Services with UML: A Case Study

Nowadays services are one of the most important issues in the scope of the Web Information Systems (WIS). Although, there is a great amount of Web services, still it do not exist methods or modelling techniques that can guarantee quality in services and service-oriented applications development. MIDAS is a model-driven methodology for the development of WISs and is based on UML, XML and object-relational technology. Web services represent a new dimension in WIS development, in which the systems are constructed by means of transparent integration of services available in the Web. WSDL is the language proposed by the W3C for Web service description. In this paper, an UML extension for Web services modelling defined in WSDL is described through a case study.

Extending UML for Object-Relational Database Design

The most common way of designing databases is using de E/R model without taking into account other views of the system. However, new object-oriented design languages, such as UML (Unified Modelling Language), permit modelling the full system, including the database schema, in a uniform way. Besides, as UML is an extensible language, it allows introducing new stereotypes for specific applications if it is needed. There are some proposals to extend UML with stereotypes for database design but, unfortunately, they are focused on relational databases. However, new applications require representing complex objects related with complex relationships and object-relational databases are more appropriated to support the new application requirements. The framework of this paper is an Object-Relational Database Design Methodology. The methodology defines new UML stereotypes for Object-Relational Database Design and proposes some guidelines to translate an UML schema into an object-relational one. The guidelines are based on the SQL:1999 object-relational model and on Oracle8i as an example of product. In this paper we focus on the UML extensions required for object-relational database design.

Model transformation for object-relational database development

In this paper we define and formalize the model transformations that complete the methodological approach for the development of Object-Relational (OR) Databases (DB) proposed in MIDAS, a model driven methodology for the development of Web Information Systems. In this proposal the Platform Independent Model is the conceptual data model while the Platform Specific Model is the Object-Relational model that represents the OR DB schema. Since both of them will be represented in UML, we also summarize an UML profile for OR DB modeling. In this work we focus on the formalization of the mappings needed to get the OR DB schema from the conceptual data model. We have first specified them with natural language to later formalize them with graph transformation rules.

A Model Driven Approach for XML Database Development

In this paper we propose a methodological approach for the development of XML databases. Our proposal is framed in MIDAS, a model driven methodology for the development of Web Information Systems (WISs) based on the Model Driven Architecture (MDA) proposed by the Object Management Group (OMG). So, in this framework, the proposed data Platform Independent Model (PIM) is the conceptual data model and the data Platform Specific Model (PSM) is the XML Schema model. Both of them will be represented in UML, therefore we also summarize in this work an extension to UML for XML Schema. Moreover, we define the mappings to transform the data PIM into the data PSM, which will be the XML database schema. The development process of the XML database will be shown by means of a case study: a WIS for the management of medical images stored in the XML DB of Oracle.

A Methodological Approach for Object-Relational Database Design using UML

Abstract.The most common way of designing databases is by means of a conceptual model, such as E/R, without taking into account other views of the system. New object-oriented design languages, such as UML (Unified Modelling Language), allow the whole system, including the database schema, to be modelled in a uniform way. Moreover, as UML is an extendable language, it allows for any necessary introduction of new stereotypes for specific applications. Proposals exist to extend UML with stereotypes for database design but, unfortunately, they are focused on relational databases. However, new applications require complex objects to be represented in complex relationships, object-relational databases being more appropriate for these requirements. The framework of this paper is an Object-Relational Database Design Methodology, which defines new UML stereotypes for Object-Relational Database Design and proposes some guidelines to translate a UML conceptual schema into an object-relational schema. The guidelines are based on the SQL:1999 object-relational model and on Oracle8i as a product example.

Model driven development of secure XML databases

In this paper, we propose a methodological approach for the model driven development of secure XML databases (DB). This proposal is within the framework of MIDAS, a model driven methodology for the development of Web Information Systems based on the Model Driven Architecture (MDA) proposed by the Object Management Group (OMG) [20]. The XML DB development process in MIDAS proposes using the data conceptual model as a Platform Independent Model (PIM) and the XML Schema model as a Platform Specific Model (PSM), with both of these represented in UML. In this work, such models will be modified, so as to be able to add security aspects if the stored information is considered as critical. On the one hand, the use of a UML extension to incorporate security aspects at the conceptual level of secure DB development (PIM) is proposed; on the other, the previously-defined XML schema profile will be modified, the purpose being to incorporate security aspects at the logical level of the secure XML DB development (PSM). In addition to all this, the semi-automatic mappings from PIM to PSM for secure XML DB will be defined.

Supporting Model---Driven Development of Object---Relational Database Schemas: A Case Study

This paper completes our proposal for automatic development of Object-Relational (OR) DataBase (DB) schemas. By means of a case study, this work focuses on presenting the tooling developed to support the whole process. As usual, the proposal starts from a conceptual data model (Platform Independent Model) depicted in a UML class diagram. Then, the conceptual data model is mapped into an OR DB model (Platform Specific Model) that represents the OR DB schema. To that end, we have implemented a set of formalized mapping rules using the ATL language. Finally, the SQL code that implements the modeled schema in Oracle 10g is automatically generated from the OR model by means of a MOFScript model to text transformation. Moreover, since the OR model could be refined along the design process, we have developed a graphical editor for OR DB models.

MIDAS/BD: A Methodological Framework for Web Database Design

One of the most important trends in Information System research is concerning Web application development. Generally, Web Information Systems are developed ad-hoc, that is, without modeling them before their implementation. At best, developers use techniques and methodologies directly imported from the traditional Software Engineering field. However, classic methodologies do not fit to some key aspects of Web applications as, for example, navigation design. This is the reason why different modeling techniques and methodologies for Web Information Systems development have appeared. MIDAS is a methodological framework for Web Information System development that can be customized according to the type of application we want to develop (hypermedia applications, database applications, etc.). In this paper we present MIDAS/BD, the specific part of MIDAS for Web Database development. MIDAS/BD is based on XML and (object -) relational technology.

Participation of women in software engineering publications

To the best of our knowledge, no works analyzing the participation of women as authors and editors in software engineering research publications currently exist. We have therefore followed a well-defined procedure in order to conduct an empirical study of female participation in 12 leading software engineering journals. We have analyzed the gender of the authors, editorial board members, associate editors and editors-in-chief over a two-year period in order to analyze, on the one hand, the rate of participation of women as authors and as editors in software engineering publications, and on the other, whether women are underrepresented. We have also analyzed the female distribution of authors and editors according to the geographical location of their institutions. This was done by first selecting the journals to be used as the population for data collection which then allowed us to identify female authors of papers and female editors, including the country in which their institutions are located. This eventually led to an analysis of female participation in order to understand representation rates. We analyzed 3,546 authors of 1,266 papers in 61 different countries, and 363 members of editorial boards in 30 different countries. The results of this analysis provide quantitative data concerning the participation of women as authors and editors in major software engineering journals including their distribution per country, in which important differences have been found. The results obtained were first used to compare the participation of women as authors and editors and were then used to carry out a series of simulations in order to be able to statistically confirm whether women are underrepresented. The study shows, amongst other things, that women are not underrepresented as editorial boards members and as editors-in-chief of the journals studied, although their representation as editors-in-chief is low.