Standards and Technologies for Data Exchange with UML models Andreas Graf

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Standards and Technologies for Data Exchangewith
UML modelsAndreas Graf

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Agenda

• A brief introduction to UML
• UML is not standalone-gtneed for 3rd party tools
• The UML model hierarchy
• Tailoring the UML with Profiles and mapping
  meta-models
• Loose Integration vs. Tight Integration
• Issues with handling versions and configurations
• Exchange mechanisms
• Summary

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A brief introduction to UML

• Unified modelling language
• Provide one single modelling language for various
  domains
• (more than) 8 diagram types can be used to
  describe various aspects of the model
• Built-in mechanisms to extend and adapt the
  notation
• OMG Standard
• UML 2.0 currently in the works
• UML is not a method or a process

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Aspects not covered

• Requirements Engineering, Source Code,
  Documentation, Existing Models
• Integration with 3rd party or in-house tools
  (Requirements Engineering, IdE etc. )
• Sources of Existing Models Database Schema,
  Source Code, Models in different representations.
• Problem Map existing different meta-models on
  UML.

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UML is not standalone
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UML Modelling Layer Architecture
m3 (MOF)
Definition of syntax for the meta-model layer
m2 (MetaModel)
Definition of syntax and semantic of UML and UML
extensions
Class Car private string type int
power public int Start () int Stop
()

• type
• color

m1 (Model)
Start () Stop ()
Car

• type string
• power int

Modeling layer (software, system models,
databases)
Start () int Stop () int
m0 (Data)
Instantiated model (data)
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Tailoring the modeling conventions

• Basic Problem Other models might not match the
  UML meta-model

• Two Strategies Extending the metamodel or using
  profiles
• Extending the metamodel breaks tool support
• Profiles do not modify existing metamodels
• Add semantics that does not exist in the
  metamodel
• Add constraints that restrict the way you may use
  the metamodel and its constructs
• Add information that can be used when
  transforming a model to another model or code

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Adding more Semantics (Profiling)
Import from non-UML tools (implicitly) imply a
model conversion
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Conceptual model as a basis for a Profile SysML
Requirements example
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Conceptual model as a basis for a Profile SysML
Requirements example
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Integration types
Requires strategy to sync models
MechanicsHydraulics
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Configuration Management
UML Model
External Source
Time

• Dedicated Ownership
• Lock foreign elements

• Requires strategies for
• Identifying Objects
• Deleting used objects

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Model Versions

• Various versions of the model have to be managed
• The full model can be a combination of different
  versions of the submodel
• The different configurations need to be managed
• Different versioning strategies need to be
  integrated across tools
• Versioning granularity is an issue
• model
• subsystem
• class

Various factors influence the decision for data
exchange technology
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Vendor Specific APIs

• Support of API functionality varies from tool to
  tool
• Tight integration by modyifing GUI (e.g. to
  Requirement-Tools, DIE).
• Access to more features of the modelling tool
  (diagram layout)
• Vendor specific language (Basic, Java, RXE, )
• nm interfaces between tools.

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MOF APIs

• APIs based on MOF
• CORBA interface described in MOF standard
• JMI Java Interface for MetaData, uses MOF 1.4,
  not yet MOF 2.0
• Tool Support not yet very widespread.
• Tied to specific languages.

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XMI XML Metadata Interchange

• Defines Mapping of MOF to XML
• XMI integrates three key industry standards XML,
  UML, MOF
• Standard Method for Exchanging Data between UML
  modelling tools
• Can be used for import/export from other tools
  (see XSLT)
• Standard solution supported by many tools.
• Complex structure
• Supports transfer of model deltas

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XMI Example drawbacks
ltXMI.contentgt ltUMLModelgt
ltUMLNamespace.ownedElementgt
ltUMLClass name
'OnlyClass' visibility 'public'
xmi.id '
xmi.uuid
isAbstract 'false'
isRoot
'true'
isLeaf 'true'
isActive 'false'

gt lt/UMLClassgt
ltUMLClass name
'Container_class_for_objects_and_actors'
visibility 'public'
xmi.id 'ID_DUMMY_CLASS' isRoot 'true'
isLeaf 'true'
isActive 'true' /gt
lt/UMLNamespace.ownedElementgt
lt/UMLModelgt lt/XMI.contentgt

• No diagram information is contained in XML
  stream. Some UML tools need diagrams as
  representation
• Autolayout
• Manual work
• Layout of diagram also contain valuable
  information, that gets lost.

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Using MDA (Model Driven Architecture)

• Latest trend related to UML
• Model is the focal artifact, it is transformed
  into various other models (including source)
• No standard yet (but emerging)
• Easy to use
• Template-based tools support text-based output
  only
• loop(Instances-gtMclass)
• CREATE TABLE Mclass.name
• end loop

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Summary

• UML and its tools have to be integrated with
  other models and tools
• UMLs architecture allows to define profiles to
  integrate other models
• UML and MDA are strong standards in software
  engineering
• Various technologies exist to exchange data with
  UML models, XMI is emerging as the most supported
• Various issues with the process (versioning,
  config management) need to be solved specifically

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Bookmarks

• OMG
• http//www.omg.org/
• UML
• http//www.uml.org/
• XMI
• http//www.omg.org/technology/documents/formal/xmi
  .htm
• JMI
• http//java.sun.com/products/jmi/index.jsp
• http//forums.objectsbydesign.com/showthread.php?s
  threadid1074
• MDA
• http//www.omg.org/mda/
• Aonix
• http//www.aonix.de
• Graf_at_aonix.de