1. What is the future of modeling and architecture?
Response to the Future Development of UML RFI
Cory Casanave (cory-c at modeldriven.com)
Sept. 13th 2009

2. Who We Are Model Driven Solutions ModelDriven.org
Architectural services for major organizations – currently focused primarily on U.S. government clients
All types of architecture – Enterprise, Systems, Business, Service Oriented, Process, Information, etc.
Extensive use of “MDA” as a way to derive value form models. We use MDA at a high level and for more than generating systems
ModelDriven.org
Open community for models, modeling and tooling
ModelPro – MDA Provisioning, supporting SoaML
fUML – Foundational Executable UML
GAIN – Community for open architectures and open government
EKB – Enterprise Knowledge Base – Architecture Integration using the semantic web (new)
A deep & long history of working with models, tooling, architecture and standards
We would like to use the proposed architectural ecosystem and participate with others in its development

3. Framing the Question What is the future of modeling and architecture?
What role should UML and OMG Standards play in that future?
We suggest that a foundation of that future should be an Architectural Ecosystem that is inclusive of but not exclusive to UML as we know it today
We also suggest UML-2 refinement should proceed in parallel with developing this ecosystem

4. Overview of the Architectural Ecosystem Idea
What is the opportunity?
There is an opportunity for an architectural ecosystem that will solve major government and industry problems, UML and other OMG and non-OMG standards can be a springboard for and part of this ecosystem
What do users want?
Users want a better ways to plan, design and realize their business and technology objectives and have open technologies that facilitate these objectives without artificial boundaries or complexities
What is the core idea/argument?
By integrating the full life-cycle of modeling using an open world, open market architectural ecosystem we can address crucial enterprise needs with a profitable business model
This ecosystem provides for federated semantic models with multiple views and viewpoints
What about UML as it is now?
UML is not designed for or sufficient as the foundation for the architectural ecosystem. However, it can be a major part of that ecosystem. UML notations can be views in the ecosystem. UML is both to large and to small. Extensibility will enable simplicity.
Conclusion
OMG & UML can be part of an architectural ecosystem that captures, communicates and leverages knowledge for and about the enterprise and enterprise systems at many levels and from many viewpoints. We can choose to be a leader in forming that ecosystem or let it pass us by. Creating standards for this architectural ecosystem is a judicial investment for the OMG and OMG members as it will create new business opportunities and address crucial user requirements

5. How to address the future of modeling?
OMG Decisions
How to address the future of modeling?
Strategic
UML 2 Centric
Strategic Roadmap
Incremental Changes
Architectural
Ecosystem
UML+ is the
Center
Whatever we decide – lets be clear and realistic about where we are going and why
UMF
UML3

6. The User Problems Organizations are very frustrated
They can’t easily share data, services or processes
Their systems are not business driven
Their business processes are not even business driven
They find it hard to collaborate, to integrate
The are not agile, their technology holds them back
They have rampant redundancy in capabilities
They can’t plan a transition and make it happen
Complexity at all levels (business and technology)
Costs are out of control
They will and are paying billions to try and solve these problems – and failing
This community currently claims modeling will solve these problems!
Just look at what your web page says your tools will help with now!
Yet the problems continue, and continue to get worse

7. Architecture Models Are Trapped in Stovepipes
Architecture Models hold our Enterprise Architectures, business processes and services, technology models, SOA architectures, data schema and more
But, model “files” are not web assets and hard to connect
Standards & vocabularies overlap and are inconsistent
Information is unconnected, redundant and not easily usable outside its source

8. Architectures Published into the Data Cloud
Visible and connected architectures have more value!

9. Goal: Linked Open Architectures
Services
Processes
Data
Policies
Federated Architectures Promotes Collaboration and Shared Resources
Models are part of an ecosystem, not islands

10. Architectural Ecosystem Context
Community of Stakeholders and Architects
Viewpoints
Federated
Architectural
KnowledgeBase

11. The OMG Meta-Muddle
The OMG has created stovepipes, hard to integrate and understand
Since each stovepipe has to solve world hunger, each becomes big and complex or dies
Consider using these together today:
UML-2, BPMN-2, IMM, ODM, SBVR, SoaML, SysML
Mapping the stovepipes does not make an effective integrated environment!
This meta-muddle is compromising the value of each standard and making OMG & modeling less relevant
Move to leading the solution rather than causing the problem
The leaders in architecture have a lousy architecture – how embarrassing!
What the market doesn’t need: Another Stovepipe!

12. The Opportunity
Modeling and architecture are key enablers to solving the user problems
Providing a path to this enabler is a major opportunity, much larger than the “UML Market” (as currently perceived)
Deliver on today's promises of modeling and architecture while embracing the future of modeling
Such an opportunity justifies that OMG rethink its place in modeling and architecture
What we think of as UML today is not sufficient – it is pigeonholed as a tool for OO program design and suffers from that heritage
Thinking about the future of UML should be in context of this larger picture
UML (today) probably does not justify a new substantial investment, the broader market does
An architectural ecosystem embracing multiple viewpoints and languages but federated with a common model will enable this opportunity
AKA – “Family of Languages” built on a federated foundation
Or, linked DSLs
Or, the business modeling framework
Or, what the UML infrastructure should have been
Or, the Architectural Ecosystem

13. The Architectural Ecosystem Open Markets, Open World
The technologies and standards that have been successful are those that provide a foundation for the marketplace to build on
Visual Basic, Java, Eclipse, TCP/IP, Etc
Why are people still building their modeling foundations on PowerPoint, Visio and Excel?
Because the foundation we have provided is not open – it is a “closed world” except for the restrictive capabilities of UML profiles.
An Open Market / Open World approach to modeling has an inherently unlimited market and the potential to excite and embrace new users and new markets

14. Proposed RFP: Unified Modeling Foundation (UMF)
The Unified Modeling Foundation is an RFP supporting the architectural ecosystem
It is not a modeling language – it is the integration framework for languages and a construction kit for new, federated, DSLs
Existing languages represent viewpoints of an underlying model
The UMF provides the underlying model and a way to make projections to these language viewpoints (including diagram interchange)
Semantic concepts are open, extensible and shared between language structures
Open Scope
Business, Enterprise, Systems, Implementation, Metrics, Security…
As an open set of concepts that can be shared among languages, the ultimate scope is open. Extension is not just for OMG, it is open to users.

15. Unified Modeling Framework
UMF Conceptual Model
UML-2
Unified Modeling Framework
Class
Activity
State
Library of
Concepts
Sequence
Use case
Projection
& Mapping
Composite Structure
UMF
Core
Concepts
BPMN
Java C#
XSD
SBVR
More…

16. This is being done now Current Integrated Modeling Efforts DoDAF DM2
FEA/FSAM
Proprietary tool models
BPDM & IMM
Nasa NExIOM
(Proposed) Business Modeling Framework
Unified Process Model (NIST)
Model Driven Solutions “EKB”
A major problem and multiple non integrated solutions – sounds like standards time!

17. Desired Features of UMF
Provides the basis for the Architectural Ecosystem
Semantically grounded tight core
Projection & mapping
Library of concepts
Extensible
Federated
All meta levels in one repository
Separation of concerns
Modular & loosely coupled – not monolithic
Provides for capabilities of “profiles” and meta models
Actionable & Executable (where applicable)

18. The UMF RFP Communicates the Architectural Ecosystem Vision
Provides a semantic integration model based on a number of “input” languages
UML, BPMN, SQL, SBVR, ODM, OWL, Java, C#, BMM, Etc
Would normalize, where possible, the concepts in these languages and provide projections to concrete meta models for them
Set of concepts is layered, extensible and makes no unnecessary semantic commitments
Core concepts should be “semantically grounded” in a formal language – optional for other concepts
Mappings provided to input languages
UMF may propose new or altered metadata infrastructure that has the required capabilities – perhaps based on semantic web
Must not make the UML-2 mistakes – political or technical
Don't try and change the surface language at the same time!
Don’t have a closed process!
Don’t make any UML surface language the core.
Do use other languages and frameworks as input to the abstractions
Do have an open reference implementation!
Do make sure the meta-infrastructure is up to the task!

19. UMF and UML
The key to the future of UML is not “UML” it is the architectural ecosystem
UML needs to be a part of UMF and to play a role in this ecosystem
UML should not stop while UML is in progress, continue to incrementally evolve UML
The expertise and market position of UML and other tool vendors should be part of the solution. OMG seems like the right place to do this
UML offers a rich set of modeling concepts to integrate, but the answer can’t be “UML Centric” or “OO Centric” or “I.T. Centric” – languages defined in UMF can be “Centric” but the UMF should not have a dominant decomposition.
Initially UML would live in parallel to UMF as a mapping, later UML may be natively based on UMF – this minimizes market impact on UML-2
As UMF would not be defining a “new language”, it would not address some UML superstructure issues – this should come after UMF or, if small, be done incrementally, extending UML-2

20. Advantages of this approach
Expands marketplace, potentially integrating:
Business modeling
Process Modeling, Information Modeling, Service Modeling
Enterprise Architecture
Metrics
Motivation & requirements
Systems modeling
OO modeling
Ontologies
MDA
Others we have not thought of
Provides a foundation for a rich set of federated languages, tools and supporting capabilities
Should not destabilize current UML market “waiting for UML 3”
Inclusive of vendors outside of UML

21. Disadvantages Substantial effort, probably 2 years Risk of failure
Technical (not able to make it work)
Business (either not implemented or not embraced)
Requires communicating a new vision

22. LOD as the architectural integration platform (Just One Option)
Using Linked Open Data
LOD as the architectural integration platform
(Just One Option)

23. Linked Open Data AKA – “Semantic Web”
Based on RDF (Resource Description Framework)
Provides an internet data model – federates data globally
Link, query, infer and repurpose information without controlling it
Getting support as the backbone for open government
Inherently “Open World” and Federated
May be better than XMI as an exchange format and infrastructure
As a basis for the Architectural Ecosystem we would be leveraging a growing community

24. Mapping Meta Levels & Ontologies
Linked Open RDF Representation
MOF
“Meta Meta Model”
MOF
“Meta RDF Schema”
OMG Standard XMI Representation
Uses Vocabulary
Uses Vocabulary
UML “Meta Model”
UML “RDF Schema”
Uses Vocabulary
Uses Vocabulary
UML Models
(I.E. CRR)
UML RDF Models
(I.E. CRR)
Models
Models
The World (Business & Technical Systems)

25. The World (Business & Technical Systems)
Federating Models & Data with Hub Ontologies & Mapping (Bridge Ontologies)
MOF
“Meta RDF Schema”
MOF
“Meta RDF Schema”
Uses Vocabulary
Uses Vocabulary
Shared Concept
Meta Ontology
UML “RDF Schema”
BPMN “RDF Schema”
Uses Vocabulary
Uses Vocabulary
Shared Concept
Hub Ontology
Uses Vocabulary
UML
RDF Models
BPMN
RDF Models
Uses Vocabulary
Federated Models
Federated Data
Models
Models
Models
The World (Business & Technical Systems)

26. Transformation Example (BPMN/UML)
Enterprise Knowledge Base
Eclipse IDE
Eclipse EMF Interface*
Semantic Web Interface
Knowledge Base
Web-UI
User Views
Forms
Browse
Query
File Get/Put
XML “Rest”
Interface
Transformation
BPMN
Model
Process
Model
UML
Model
Inference & Rules
Shared Concepts
Sesame RDF KB
Orbeon XForms Server
Artifact / KB Integration
Artifact Repository
Subversion
Interface
BPMN
Configuration Mgmt
Eclipse
Tortoise
UML
Subversion

27. Thank You! Open Modeling Community EKB ModelPro GAIN Initiative fUML
Architecture Services
Service Oriented Architecture
Business Process Modeling
Semantic Web
Enterprise Architecture
Business Architecture
Systems Architecture
Model Driven Architecture
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