Modeling Services Model Interoperability Xavier Blanc – University Paris VI

Objective Applying the MDA requires the use of different modeling services in a coordinated way. Those services are typically model publishing, model storage, model validation and verification, model transformation and model execution (This is a non exhaustive list). Today, many tools, commercial or not, are claiming that they provide such services. However, because this notion of modeling service is not well defined, it is not possible to use them in a coordinated way.

Context : MDA Scenario UML Repository OCL Checker Q/V/T Engine check get transform get

Problem Statement To connect services: Model types shall be well defined –What is model typing (conformance)? Access shall be defined –Is there Web Service or Java accesses? –Encoding : Is XMI is the only one possibility?

Model Typing Ex: accepted models are classes and packages If a model contains more model elements than required => Accept it!

Model Typing ModelModelType conformance What is a model? Extent (MOF2.0 Life Cycle) What is a meta-model? What is a model type ? Is a meta-model a model type ? What is conformance?

Access check Web Service Access + XMI Java Access + JMI How to exchange models? XMI, Java, CORBA What is the call semantic? Error, Exception, Reference How to call services? PIM – PSM Transfo?

Scope Is To define what is a modeling service –A service that inputs and outputs models –Example : IDL Generation, DTD Generation, QVT Transformation To define what is a connection of modeling services –Static or dynamic check To define how modeling services can be concretely called –Based on existing technologies (J2EE, CORBA, WS, …) Is Not: To define how to connect MDA related tools –By defining a specific APIs To define semantic relationships between metamodels –By definig scenario

Existing OMG Specifications MOF : should be used as a base for model typing. MOF to IDL mapping : should be considered as a modeling service and may be used as a concrete access MOF Life Cycle : should be considered as a set of modeling services XMI : should be used as a way of encoding models …

Requirement Modeling Service Definition Modeling Service Connectivity Definition Modeling Service Call Semantic Definition Access Point Mecanism Event Sharing Models Local vs Remote

Conclusion Need of Modeling Service It seems that OMG standards cover some (all?) aspects of modeling service Need to identify how well this is being addressed in the current OMG specification

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