Co-Evolution of Meta-Modeling Syntax and Informal Semantics in Domain-Specific Modeling Environments — A Case Study of AUTOSAR

Darko Durisic, Corrado Motta, M. Staron, M. Tichy
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Abstract

One domain-specific modeling environment is centered around a domain-specific meta-model which defines syntax (modeling elements, e.g., classes) for the domain models. However, in order for the system designers to be able to construct meaningful models, semantics of the domain-specific meta-model needs to be described as well. This semantics is often provided in a form of informal natural language specifications that contain a set of design requirements, each describing the intended use of one or more modeling elements. Intuitively, introduction of new concepts into the modeling environment is expected to require changes in both meta-modeling syntax and informal semantics in such a way that their co-evolution is highly correlated. In order to test this hypothesis, we analyzed the relation between added classes, attributes, and connectors, as meta-modeling syntax, and modified/added design requirements, as meta-modeling semantics, in a case study of the AUTOSAR meta-modeling environment. We found that new AUTOSAR concepts usually require both new modeling elements and new design requirements, but surprisingly adding more elements is not always followed by more requirements. This finding is also validated by the moderately strong correlation between the evolution of these two AUTOSAR meta-modeling artifacts (Spearman's rho 0,63 and Kendall's tau 0,49). For system designers, this means that both meta-modeling syntax and informal semantics is important to be considered in the analysis of domain-specific meta-model evolution, but it may not be enough for understanding the use of all modeling elements. For designers responsible for the maintenance of domain-specific meta-models, this means that more effort shall be put into describing the semantics of all introduced modeling elements.
领域特定建模环境中元建模语法和非正式语义的协同演化——以AUTOSAR为例
一个特定于领域的建模环境以特定于领域的元模型为中心,该元模型为领域模型定义了语法(建模元素,例如,类)。然而,为了使系统设计者能够构建有意义的模型,还需要描述特定于领域的元模型的语义。这种语义通常以一种非正式的自然语言规范的形式提供,其中包含一组设计需求,每个需求描述了一个或多个建模元素的预期用途。直观地说,在建模环境中引入新概念预计需要对元建模语法和非正式语义进行更改,以使它们的共同演变高度相关。为了验证这一假设,我们在AUTOSAR元建模环境的案例研究中分析了添加的类、属性和连接器(作为元建模语法)与修改/添加的设计需求(作为元建模语义)之间的关系。我们发现,新的AUTOSAR概念通常需要新的建模元素和新的设计要求,但令人惊讶的是,添加更多的元素并不总是伴随着更多的要求。这一发现也被这两个AUTOSAR元模型伪产物(Spearman的rho 0.63和Kendall的tau 0.49)的演化之间的中等强相关性所证实。对于系统设计者来说,这意味着元建模语法和非正式语义都是在分析特定于领域的元模型演化时需要考虑的重要因素,但是这对于理解所有建模元素的使用可能还不够。对于负责维护特定于领域的元模型的设计人员来说,这意味着需要投入更多的精力来描述所有引入的建模元素的语义。
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