Mahsa - Department of Computer Science

Feature-Based Survey of Model
Transformation Approaches
Krzysztof Czarnecki and Simon Helsen
in IBM Systems Journal, 2006
Mahsa Hasani Sadi
Department of Computer Science
University of Toronto
mhsadi@cs.toronto.edu
CS2125: Modeling Methods Tools and Techniques, Fall 2012
Instructor: Marsha Chechik
Background (1)
(2002) A Request for
Proposal on Query /
View / Transformation
Research Question:
How to design a model transformation approach?
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Background (2)
Frameworks
Languages
Tools
Methods
Tefkat
MT
MOLA
UMLX
VIATRA
GReAT
Kent
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YATL
AMW
ATL
Kermeta
BOTL
AToM
AGG
Outline of the Paper

Specification of the features of model
transformation approaches

Mandatory Features
The outline of presentation:
 Optional Features
 Clonable
Features
Studying
a set
of the design concerns
(features)
of Features
a model transformation
 xor-group
language through examples
 or-group Features

Classification of model transformation
approaches
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Krzysztof Czarnecki
ECE Department
University of Waterloo
Features of Model Transformation
Model
Transformation
Specification
Tracing
Transformation
Rules
Directionality
Incrementality
Rule Application
Control
Rule
Organization
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Source – Target
Relationship
Example: Transforming Class Diagrams to Relational Tables (1)
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Example: Transforming Class Diagrams to Relational Tables (2)
Instances also matter!
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Specification Feature (1)
transformation umlRdbms (uml : SimpleUML, rdbms : SimpleRDBMS)
{
relation PackageToSchema /* map each package to a schema */ {
domain uml p:Package {name=pn}
domain rdbms s:Schema {name=pn}
}
Not Executable
(Declarative Language)
}
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Specification Feature (2)
transformation Uml2Rdbms ( in uml:UML , out rdbms:RDBMS ) {
// the entry point for the execution of the transformation
main()
{
uml.objectsOfType(Package) -> map packageToSchema();
}
…. }
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Directly Executable
(Imperative Language)
Model Transformation Language Design Concerns
transformation umlRdbms (uml : SimpleUML, rdbms : SimpleRDBMS)
{
relation PackageToSchema /* map each package to a schema */ {
domain uml p:Package {name=pn}
domain rdbms s:Schema {name=pn}
Language
Paradigm
}
}
ObjectOriented
Logic
transformation Uml2Rdbms ( in uml:UML , out rdbms:RDBMS ) {
// the entry point for the execution of the transformation
main()
Functional
{
uml.objectsOfType(Package) -> map packageToSchema();
}
…. }
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Procedural
Supported Syntax
Syntax
Concrete
Textual
transformation Uml2Rdbms ( in uml:UML , out rdbms:RDBMS ) {
// the entry point for the execution of the transformation
main()
{
uml.objectsOfType(Package) -> map packageToSchema();
}
…. }
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Graphical
Transformation Rules Feature (1)
relation ClassToTable /* map each persistent class to a table */ {
domain uml c:Class { namespace = p:Package {},
kind='Persistent', name=cn }
domain rdbms t:Table { schema = s:Schema {}, name=cn}
when { PackageToSchema(p, s); Application
Conditions
}
where {
Post
AttributeToColumn(c, t);
Conditions
}
}
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Transformation Rules Feature (2)
transformation umlRdbms (uml : SimpleUML, rdbms : SimpleRDBMS )
{ top relation PackageToSchema {…}
top relation ClassToTable {…}
relation AttributeToColumn {…}
Pre
Conditions
}
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Transformation Rules Design Concerns
Static
Mode
relation PackageToSchema /* map each package
to a schema */ {
Dynamic Mode
Restriction
}
enforce domain uml p:Package {name=pn}
In
In / Out
checkonly domain rdbms s:Schema {name=pn}
In-Place
Transformation
Out
}
relation PackageToSchema /* map each package
to a schema */ {
Directionality
}
enforce domain uml p:Package {name=pn}
enforce domain rdbms s:Schema {name=pn}
Unidirectional
}
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Multidirectional
Source – Target Relationship Feature
Source – Target
Relationship
Existing
Target
New Target
Update
Destructive
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In-Place
Extension
Only
Tracing
relation ClassToTable {
enforce domain uml c:Class {namespace=p:Package {}, kind='Persistent', name=cn}
enforce domain rdbms t:Table {schema=s:Schema {}, name=cn}
}
class TClassToTable
{
c: Class;
p: Package;
t: Table;
s: Schema;
}
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Tracing Feature
Tracing
Dedicated
Support
Storage
location
Creation
Manual
Model
Automatic
Source
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Separate
Target
Incrementality Feature
Incrementality
TargetIncrementality
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SourceIncrementality
Preservation
of User Edits
in Target
Pattern Matching Feature
Pattern
Pattern
Type = {
{
e1: <classname1>, e2: <classname2> …. en:<classnameN>
L1 : <assoc1> (ei, ej) …. Lm: <assocM>(eu, ew)
where <predicate>
}
Instances
c1: Class, a1: Attribute
L1: attrs (c1, a1)
where c1.name = X
and
<object>.<property> = <variable>
<object>.<property> = <expression>
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a1.name = X + Y
}
Patterns Feature
Transformation
Rules
Domain
Body
Patterns
Variables
Syntax
Structure
Abstract
Strings
Terms
Concrete
Graphs
Textual
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Graphical
Composing Transformation
Rule
Organization
library MyUmlFacilities(UML);
……..
transformation Uml2Rdbms (in uml:UML, out rdbms:RDBMS)
extends BasicUml2Rdbms, -- extending a transformation
extends library UMLUtilities(UML) -- extending a library
access library MathLibrary; -- accessing a math library
……..
Modularity
Mechanisms
Reuse
Mechanisms
Inheritance
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Logical
Composition
Parallel Transformations
var tr1 := new Req2Pimgui(req, pimGui);
var tr2 := new Req2Pimbehavior(req, pimBehavior);
var st1 := tr1.parallelTransform(); // forks the PIM GUI transformation
var st2 := tr2.parallelTransform(); // forks the PIM Behavior transformation
this.wait(Set{st1,st2}); // waits patiently
if (st1.succeeded() and st2.succeeded()) // creates the executable model
new Pim2Psm(pimGui,pimBehavior,psm).transform();
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Rule Application Control Feature
Rule Application
Control
Scheduling
RuleSelection
NonDeterminism
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Explicit
Condition
Conflict
Resolution
Phasing
Interactive
Categorization of Model Transformation Approaches

Model to Text

Model to Model
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Model to Text Approaches

Visitor-Based

Template-Based
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Model-to-Model Approaches

Direct Manipulation

Structure-Driven

Operational

Relational

Template-Based

Graph-Transformation-Based

Hybrid
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Comments (1)

Cited by 536 (publication year: 2006)

Revised version of another paper of the same authors,
“Classification of Model Transformation Approaches”,
in OOPSLA 2003. Cited by 732

Setting the foundation for “Meta Object Facility (MOF)
2.0, Query/ View/ Transformation Specification”, latest
version: January 2011, http://www.omg.org/spec/QVT
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Evaluation of the paper

A Well-written journal paper????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A journal paper????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Novelty ????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Significance of contributions??!!
Cited by 536
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Discussion

Why a separate language for model-transformation?

What types of model transformations does the language
support? (Does it make any difference?)

Structural model to structural model?


Behavioral model to behavioral model?


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Example: class to table ?
Example: state diagram to petri nets?
Structural model to behavioral model / vice versa?
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