Considerations and Rationale for a UML System Model

Abstract

Semantics definition for the UnifiedModeling Language (UML) [33, 8] is not an easy task. Although considerable efforts have been made starting in the late nineties [19], no commonly agreed, formal and integrated semantics of the UML exists. In [1], we have defined a system model as a semantic domain for the UML. The system model is supposed to form a possible core and foundation of the UML semantics definition. For that purpose, the definitions are targeted towards UML which means that central concepts of UML have been formalized as theories of the system model. This contribution is structured as follows: In the rest of this Chapter, we discuss the general approach and highlight the main decisions. This Chapter is important to understand the system model definition, given in Chapter 4. This work is based on