1. Behavioral Models for Software Development
Andrei Kirshin, Dolev Dotan, Alan Hartman
January 2008

2. Abstract
MDD  raising the level of abstraction, increasing the automation
Models and model transformations  increased productivity, quality, effective way of adapting to changes in requirements
This talk focuses on models which describe the behavior of the system, and the tools for executing at the model level
Platform independent action language
Model driven development is a game-changing new paradigm for software development. Modeling raises the level of abstraction and increases the automation of the production of software development artifacts.
Models and model transformations provide the key to increased productivity, higher levels of software quality, and a more effective way of adapting to changes in requirements.
This talk focuses on models which describe the behavior of the system, and the tools for executing at the model level. This allows for early debugging of incompletely specified models of a system.
We also discuss the proposals for a platform independent action language to describe behavior in UML models.

3. Outline Introduction UML Model Debugger Testing Motivation
UML Behavioral Modeling
Action Language
UML Model Debugger
Debugging capabilities
Debugging perspective
Diagram animation
Testing
Model testing
Model-based testing (test generation)

4. Outline – Introduction
Motivation
UML Behavioral Modeling
Action Language
UML Model Debugger
Debugging capabilities
Debugging perspective
Diagram animation
Testing
Model testing
Model-based testing (test generation)

5. Introduction – Vision Time Developers Abstraction Tools
Variety & versatility of users: business analysts, architects, developers, testers
Components, services,
features, behaviors,
actions, patterns
Model level debugging
Model level testing
Support for AL
Static model analysis
MDD
Code
Generation MD
Many highly qualified developers
Structures, operations, statements,
expressions, classes, interfaces, packages
3GL level debugging,
3GL testing tools,
OOD
Compiler RE
Few experts
Registers,
low level commands
Assembler,
Assembly debugger PD
PD – Procedural Development, RE – Reverse Engineering, MD – Model Discovery

6. Behavioral Modeling Toolset
Traditional Software
Development
Model Driven Development
IDE
Modeling Tool
Code Debugger
Model Debugger
Compiler
Model Transformation

7. Executable Specification
MDD and Model Debugger
Model Debugger
Executable Specification
(e.g. code)
Executable Model
Runtime
Transformation
Execution
Identify defects at a much higher level of abstraction, earlier in the development cycle

8. Modeling with UML Structure Behavior Class (Class diagram)
Component (Composite structure diagram)
Behavior
State machine (state machine diagram)
Activity (activity diagram)
Interaction (sequence/communication diagram)
Action language (snippets of code in model)

9. State Machines Features include:
Behaviors for: transition effects, state entry, do, exit
Composite states
Nested state machines
Concurrency (orthogonal states)
Transition guards
Conditionals (choice, junction)
Integration with the Object Oriented Model:
Effect/entry/do/exit behaviors…
Guards…
…can access class attributes, call class operations, etc.
Triggers:
Operation calls
Attribute changes

10. Activity Diagrams – “Sophisticated Flowcharts”
Features include:
Control flow
Data flow
Conditionals (choice node, guards)
Concurrency (fork & join)
Nested behavior calls
Data stores
Integration with the Object Oriented Model:
(“Opaque”) actions – code snippets…
Guard expressions…
…can access class attributes, call class operations, etc.
Actions for:
Calling operations
Reading and modifying attributes
Sending signals
and more…

11. UML Behavioral Modeling
Structure: protocol, classes (capsules), ports and connectors
Behaviors (state machines, activities, interactions)
Stand-alone
Specify the implementation of operations
Specify the lifecycle of objects (capsules)
Specify state entry/do/exit behavior and transition effect
Code snippets (target language or platform independent)
Activity actions
Guards (activity edge, state machine transition)
 Flexible
 Very complex (almost as complex as code)

12. Action Language Snippets of Code in the Model
Target language (Java, C++, C#) or its subset
 Error prone, bound to specific target platform and compiler
 Already known language
Platform independent
 New language to learn
 Makes the model retargetable, less error prone

13. Outline – UML Model Debugger
Introduction
Motivation
UML Behavioral Modeling
Action Language
UML Model Debugger
Debugging capabilities
Debugging perspective
Diagram animation
Testing
Model testing
Model-based testing (test generation)

14. Interactive Debugging
Traditional debugging
Running a main function
Hitting a breakpoint
Stepping
Observing values
Interactive debugging (model “exerciser”)
Creating instances
Invoking operations and behaviors, send signals

15. Model Debugging Perspective
Variables
Breakpoints
Event Pools
Instances
Diagram Animation
Console
Snippet
Signals
I/O

16. Double-click to Invoke Operation
Instances View
Create New Instance
Destroy Instance
Dynamic debugging
Object creation and destruction
Method invocation
Instance
Attribute
Double-click to Invoke Operation

17. Debug View Control and display granularity – model elements
Execution Stack
Step
(into, over, out)
Stop
Pause
Resume
Send Signal
Broadcast Signal
Control and display granularity – model elements
State, Transition, Action, Edge, etc.
Supports concurrency in behaviors – stack trace is a tree

18. Behavior attributes, local variables and parameters
Variables View
Self Object
Behavior attributes, local variables and parameters
Similar to Eclipse debugging framework view

19. Breakpoints View Similar to Eclipse debugging framework view
“Do” Behavior
State
Transition
Similar to Eclipse debugging framework view
Breakpoints
Statemachine: State, Transition, Entry, Do, Exit, Effect
Activity: Action

20. Event Pools View
Shows pending events in event the pools of active objects
Pending Events

21. Send and Broadcast Signal Buttons Double-click to send signal
Signals and I/O Views
Send and Broadcast Signal Buttons
Double-click to send signal
Signals History

22. Diagram Animation – State Machine
Running Transition
Execution Pending
Current State
Breakpoint

23. Diagram Animation – Activity
Execution Pending
Token Provider
Offer Path

24. Outline – Testing Introduction UML Model Debugger Testing Motivation
UML Behavioral Modeling
Action Language
UML Model Debugger
Debugging capabilities
Debugging perspective
Diagram animation
Testing
Model testing
Model-based testing (test generation)

25. Debugging – Model Interpretation
UML Model
Application
Code Generation
Test Generator
Model Debugger
Test Execution Environment
Test / Trace
Simulation / Emulation (for debugging and understanding)
Recording of execution traces (assisted test generation)

26. Debugging – Generated Code
UML Model
Application
Code Generation
Test Generator
Model Debugger
Test Execution Environment
Test / Trace
Execution monitoring and control
Execution trace animation
Trace analysis results visualization

27. Automatic Test Generation
UML Model
Application
Code Generation
Test Generator
Model Debugger
Test Execution Environment
Test / Trace
Test is a sequence of stimuli and observations
Model is used as the oracle to predict the expected results
A bunch of tests is generated automatically according to provided criteria

28. Test Execution Environment
Test Editing
UML Model
Application
Code Generation
Test Generator
Model Debugger
Test Execution Environment
Test / Trace
Manual test creation using model-level terms
Editing of tests generated using the Test Generator or Model Debugger traces

29. Test Execution Environment
Model Testing
UML Model
Application
Code Generation
Test Generator
Model Debugger
Test Execution Environment
Test / Trace
Execution of tests on the model
Used for model regression testing and test-first modeling approach

30. Model Driven Testing of Applications
UML Model
Application
Code Generation
Test Generator
Model Debugger
Test Execution Environment
Test / Trace
Execution of tests on the application
Transformation to concrete test execution environment

31. Testing Summary Test creation Model Testing
Manual (test editor)
Assisted (execution trace recording)
Automatic test generation
Model Testing
Execution of tests on the model
Used for model regression testing and test-first modeling approach
Model-Based Testing of Systems
Transformation to concrete test execution environment
Execution of tests on the application

32. Summary
MDD is a practical option for improving SW production and capitalizing on existing SW assets through:
Abstraction
Automation
Legacy modernization
UML Behavioral Modeling
Action Language
UML Model Debugger
Model testing
Model-based testing of applications

33. References
IBM Haifa Research Lab – Model Driven Engineering Technologies group
Model Debugger
Model Grokking
UML
Contacts:
Andrei Kirshin, Dolev Dotan, Alan Hartman