Valeria de Castro

Applying CIM-to-PIM model transformations for the service-oriented development of information systems

Context: Model-driven approaches deal with the provision of models, transformations between them and code generators to address software development. This approach has the advantage of defining a conceptual structure, where the models used by business managers and analysts can be mapped into more detailed models used by software developers. This alignment between high-level business specifications and the lower-level information technologies (ITs) models is crucial to the field of service-oriented development, where meaningful business services and process specifications are those relevant to real business scenarios. Objective: This paper presents a model-driven approach which, starting from high-level computational-independent business models (CIMs) - the business view - sets out guidelines for obtaining lower-level platform-independent behavioural models (PIMs) - the information system view. A key advantage of our approach is the use of real high-level business models, not just requirements models, which, by means of model transformations, helps software developers to make the most of the business knowledge for specifying and developing business services. Method: This proposal is framed in a method for service-oriented development of information systems whose main characteristic is the use of services as first-class objects. The method follows an MDA-based approach, proposing a set of models at different levels of abstraction and model transformations to connect them. Results: The paper present the complete set of CIM and PIM metamodels and the specification of the mappings between them, which clear advantage is the support for the alignment between high-level business view and ITs. The proposed model-driven process is being implemented in an MDA tool. A first prototype has been used to develop a travel agency case study that illustrates the proposal. Conclusion: This study shows how a model-driven approach helps to solve the alignment problem between the business view and the information system view that arises when adopting service-oriented approaches for software development.

TOWARDS A SERVICE-ORIENTED MDA-BASED APPROACH TO THE ALIGNMENT OF BUSINESS PROCESSES WITH IT SYSTEMS: FROM THE BUSINESS MODEL TO A WEB SERVICE COMPOSITION MODEL

In recent years, the automation of business processes has become one of the most prominent and promising uses of Web service technology. Consequently several languages have been created for the execution of business processes, making it possible to define new and more complex services or business processes which are implemented for example by means of Web service composition. Nevertheless, these kinds of languages are not suitable for use in the early stages of the development process of information systems. Special methodologies or techniques are therefore necessary to allow systems analysts to understand services from a business point of view, while facilitating the design and development of Web service composition. In this paper, we present a service-oriented approach to information system development that starts by identifying, through business modeling, the services required by the customers of a business, to make it possible to create a Web service composition model. This model will facilitate the transformation to specific languages for business process execution, thereby reducing the development efforts made in service-oriented applications. The method proposed is illustrated by means of a Web application for the management of medical images, which we have taken as a case study.

A model driven method for service composition modelling: a case study

In recent years, innovation in technologies such as XML, web services and component-based development has led to interest in business processes. For this reason several languages for designing and implementing business processes, such as Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (BPEL4WS), have been created. However, one weakness of these languages is that they are difficult for business analysts to use in the early stages of the web information systems development process. In this work, we present a model-driven method for service composition modelling. The method defines a process, new models and the mappings between them. The process first identifies the services that will be offered to the user and then allows obtaining a service composition model, which facilitates the mapping to a specific web services composition language. The proposed method is illustrated through a case study of a web information system for the management of medical images.

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.

Model-Driven Engineering as a new landscape for traceability management: A systematic literature review

Context: Model-Driven Engineering provides a new landscape for dealing with traceability in software development. Objective: Our goal is to analyze the current state of the art in traceability management in the context of Model-Driven Engineering. Method: We use the systematic literature review based on the guidelines proposed by Kitchenham. We propose five research questions and six quality assessments. Results: Of the 157 relevant studies identified, 29 have been considered primary studies. These studies have resulted in 17 proposals. Conclusion: The evaluation shows that the most addressed operations are storage, CRUD and visualization, while the most immature operations are exchange and analysis traceability information.

Model transformations for hypertext modeling on web information systems

In response to the lack of suitable methods to build the navigation model of Web Information Systems (WIS), we presented in past works HM3, the Hypertext Modeling Method of MIDAS, a methodological framework for the agile development of WIS. We proposed a method to obtain the navigation model of a WIS, starting from the conceptual data model and the user requirements, collected in the use case model. In this work, continuing with the MDA approach for WIS development that we are following with HM3, we define the model to model transformations needed at the PIM level to get the hypertext model from the behavioral and content models. Firstly we specify the transformation rules with natural language to later map them to graph transformation rules.

A User Service Oriented Method to Model Web Information Systems

Nowadays it is possible to develop Web Information Systems (WIS) that allow us to buy a fly ticket or to book a hotel, as well as to get specific information through the Internet. However, due to the lack of suitable methods to build the navigation model of WIS, frequently the users are lost while navigating through the system, because they do not know how to use it. Traditional methodologies for WIS development usually propose to obtain the navigation model from the conceptual data model, without taking into account the behavior of systems. Unlike these methodologies, we propose to address the problem of navigation model construction from a user service oriented perspective. In this work we explain, through a case study, the hypertext modeling method proposed by MIDAS. It allows to build more intuitive and user friendly WIS. Moreover, we present a comparative study in which we remark the main benefits and advantages of our method with regard to the traditional methodologies for hypertext modeling.

Service Composition Modeling: A Case Study

In the last years the innovation in technologies such as XML, Web services and component-based development has motivated the interest in business processes. For this reason various languages for design and implementation of business processes such as Business Process Execution Language for Web services (BPEL) have arisen. However, a weakness of these languages is the difficulty to be used by business analysts in the early stages of the development process. In this work we present, through a case study, a model-driven process for the service composition modeling. The process begins with the identification of the services that will be offered to the user, taken into account the system requirements; and allows to obtain a service composition model. From this model it is possible the mapping to a specific Web services composition language

A Web Information System for Medical Image Management

In the last years, the use of digital images for medical diagnosis and research has increased considerably. For this reason, it is necessary to develop new and better applications for managing in an effective way a large amounts of medical information. DICOM is the standard for the Digital Imaging and COmmunications in Medicine. However, DICOM information is difficult to interchange and integrate out of the scope of medical specialized equipment. This drawback make difficult its use and its integration in a wide context as the Web. XML is the standard for the information exchange and data transportation between multiple applications. As the XML databases are emerging like the best alternative to storage and manage XML documents, in this work we present a Web Information System to store, in an integrated way, DICOM and Analyze 7.5 files in an XML Database. For its development, the XML schemas for both DICOM and Analyze 7.5 formats have been obtained and the architecture for the integration of XML documents in the XML DB has been defined.

Business Process Development based on Web Services: a Web Information System for Medical Image Management and Processing

Innovation in technologies such as XML and Web services, has led to an interest in business processes. Consequently, several languages for the execution of business processes have been created. Nevertheless, as these languages cannot be used in the early stages of the development process of Web information systems (WIS), it is necessary to include methodologies that allow the systems analysts to understand the business process as well as to model the services composition. This work presents a process for the business process development based on Web services, which starts with the identification of the services that are offered to the user and ends with the definition of a service composition model. This process is illustrated by means of a WIS for the management of medical images that we have taken as a case study. Because it is one of the most widely used for Web services composition, we have chosen the BPEL4WS language for the implementation of the business processes. However, we have found several limitations in such language which are also described in this paper