Thomas Reiter

Lifting metamodels to ontologies: a step to the semantic integration of modeling languages

The use of different modeling languages in software development makes their integration a must. Most existing integration approaches are metamodel-based with these metamodels representing both an abstract syntax of the corresponding modeling language and also a data structure for storing models. This implementation specific focus, however, does not make explicit certain language concepts, which can complicate integration tasks. Hence, we propose a process which semi-automatically lifts metamodels into ontologies by making implicit concepts in the metamodel explicit in the ontology. Thus, a shift of focus from the implementation of a certain modeling language towards the explicit reification of the concepts covered by this language is made. This allows matching on a solely conceptual level, which helps to achieve better results in terms of mappings that can in turn be a basis for deriving implementation specific transformation code.

A Framework for Building Mapping Operators Resolving Structural Heterogeneities

Seamless exchange of models among different modeling tools increasingly becomes a crucial prerequisite for the success of modeldriven engineering. Current best practices use model transformation languages to realize necessary mappings between concepts of the metamodels defining the modeling languages supported by different tools. Existing model transformation languages, however, lack appropriate abstraction mechanisms for resolving recurring kinds of structural heterogeneities one has to primarily cope with when creating such mappings.

Lost in Translation? Transformation Nets to the Rescue!

The vision of Model-Driven Engineering places models as first-class artifacts throughout the software lifecycle. An essential prerequisite is the availability of proper transformation languages allowing not only code generation but also augmentation, migration or translation of models themselves. Current approaches, however, lack convenient facilities for debugging and ensuring the understanding of the transformation process. To tackle these problems, we propose a novel formalism for the development of model transformations which is based on Colored Petri Nets. This allows first, for an explicit, process-oriented execution model of a transformation, thereby overcoming the impedance mismatch between the specification and execution of model transformations, being the prerequisite for convenient debugging. Second, by providing a homogenous representation of all artifacts involved in a transformation, including metamodels, models and the actual transformation logic itself, understandability of model transformations is enhanced.

Think global, act local: implementing model management with domain-specific integration languages

In recent years a number of model transformation languages have emerged that deal with fine-grained, local transformation specifications, commonly known as programming in the small [13]. To be able to develop complex transformation systems in a scalable way, mechanisms to work directly on the global model level are desirable, referred to as programming in the large [26]. In this paper we show how domain specific model integration languages can be defined, and how they can be composed in order to achieve complex model management tasks. Thereby, we base our approach on the definition of declarative model integration languages, of which implementing transformations are derived. We give a categorization of these transformations and rely on an object-oriented mechanism to realize complex model management tasks.