Skip to main content
Log in

Model transformation by example using inductive logic programming

  • Special Section Paper
  • Published:
Software & Systems Modeling Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Model transformation by example is a novel approach in model-driven software engineering to derive model transformation rules from an initial prototypical set of interrelated source and target models, which describe critical cases of the model transformation problem in a purely declarative way. In the current paper, we automate this approach using inductive logic programming (Muggleton and Raedt in J Logic Program 19-20:629–679, 1994) which aims at the inductive construction of first-order clausal theories from examples and background knowledge.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ade, H., Denecker, M.: AILP: Abductive inductive logic programming. In: Proceedings of the 14th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, pp. 1201–1209. Morgan Kaufmann, Montréal (1995)

  2. Altova:. MapForce 2006. http://www.altova.com/features_xml2xml_mapforce.html

  3. Balogh, A., Varró, D.: Advanced model transformation language constructs in the VIATRA2 framework. In: ACM Symposium on Applied Computing—Model Transformation Track (SAC 2006), pp. 1280–1287. ACM Press, Dijon (2006)

  4. Bézivin J.: On the unification power of models. Softw. Syst. Model. 4(2), 171–188 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Cicchetti, A., di Ruscio, D., Eramo, R.: Towards propagation of changes by model approximations. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Enterprise Distributed Object Computing Conference Workshops (EDOC 2006), p. 24. IEEE Computer Society. Workshop on Models of Enterprise Computing (2006)

  6. Cypher, A. (ed.): Watch What I Do: Programming by Demonstration. MIT Press, Cambridge (1993)

  7. De Raedt L., Lavrač N.: Multiple predicate learning in two inductive logic programming settings. J. Pure Appl. Logic 4(2), 227–254 (1996)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. Didonet Del Fabro, M., Bézivin, J., Jouault, F., Valduriez, P.: Applying generic model management to data mapping. In: Journées Bases de Données Avancés (BDA), pp. 343–355 (2005)

  9. Ehrig, H., Engels, G., Kreowski, H.-J., Rozenberg, G. (eds.): Handbook on Graph Grammars and Computing by Graph Transformation, vol. 2: Applications, Languages and Tools. World Scientific, Singapore (1999)

  10. Erwig, M.: Toward the automatic derivation of XML transformations. In: First International Workshop on XML Schema and Data Management (XSDM’03), LNCS, vol. 2814, pp. 342–354. Springer, Heidelberg (2003)

  11. Fabro, M.D.D., Valduriez, P.: Semi-automatic model integration using matching transformations and weaving models. In: SAC 2007: Proceedings of the 2007 ACM Symposium on Applied computing, pp. 963–970. ACM, New York (2007)

  12. Fischer, T., Niere, J., Torunski, L., Zündorf, A.: Story diagrams: a new graph transformation language based on UML and Java. In: Ehrig, H., Engels, G., Kreowski, H.-J., Rozenberg, G. (eds.) Proceedings of Theory and Application to Graph Transformations (TAGT’98), LNCS, vol. 1764. Springer, Heidelberg (2000)

  13. Gerber, A., Lawley, M., Raymond, K., Steel, J., Wood, A.: Transformation: The missing link of MDA. In: Corradini, A., Ehrig, H., Kreowski, H.-J., Rozenberg, G. (eds.) Proceedings of ICGT 2002: First International Conference on Graph Transformation, LNCS, vol. 2505, pp. 90–105. Springer, Barcelona (2002)

  14. Huszerl G., Majzik I., Pataricza A., Kosmidis K., Dal Cin M.: Quantitative analysis of UML Statechart models of dependable systems. Comput. J. 45(3), 260–277 (2002)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  15. Heckel R., Küster J.M., Taentzer G.: Confluence of typed attributed graph transformation systems. In: Corradini, A., Ehrig, H., Kreowski, H.-J., Rozenberg, G.(eds) Proceedings of ICGT 2002: First International Conference on Graph Transformation, LNCS, vol. 2505, pp. 161–176. Springer, Barcelona (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Jouault, F., Bézivin, J.: KM3: A DSL for metamodel specification. In: Proceedings of Formal Methods for Open Object-Based Distributed Systems (FMOODS 2006), LNCS, vol. 4037, pp. 171–185. Springer, Heidelberg (2006)

  17. Jouault, F., Kurtev, I.: Transforming models with ATL. In: Model Transformations in Practice Workshop at MODELS 2005, LNCS, vol. 3844, pp. 128–138. Springer, Heidelberg (2005)

  18. Königs, A., Schürr, A.: MDI—a rule-based multi-document and tool integration approach. J. Softw. Syst. Model., Special Section on Model-based Tool Integration (2006, in press)

  19. Lechner S., Schrefl M.: Defining web schema transformers by example. In: Marik, V., Retschitzegger, W., Stepankova, O.(eds) DEXA, LNCS, vol. 2736, pp. 46–56. Springer, Heidelberg (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Lowden B.G.T., Robinson J.: Constructing inter-relational rules for semantic query optimisation. In: Hameurlain, A., Cicchetti, R., Traunmüller, R.(eds) Proceedings of Database and Expert Systems Applications, 13th International Conference, DEXA 2002, Aix-en-Provence, France, 2–6 September, LNCS, vol. 2453, pp. 587–596. Springer, Heidelberg (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Moyle S.: Using theory completion to learn a navigation control program. In: Matwin, S., Sammut, C.(eds) Proceedings of Twelfth International Conference on ILP (ILP 2002), vol. LNAI, pp. 182–197. Springer, Heidelberg (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Muggleton S., de Raedt L.: Inductive logic programming: Theory and methods. J. Logic Program. 19-20, 629–679 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Object Management Group. QVT: Request for Proposal for Queries, Views and Transformations. http://www.omg.org

  24. Ono, K., Koyanagi, T., Abe, M., Hori, M.: XSLT stylesheet generation by example with WYSIWYG editing. In: Proceedings of the 2002 Symposium on Applications and the Internet (SAINT 2002), pp. 150–161. IEEE Computer Society, Washington, DC, USA (2002)

  25. Progol. http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~shm/progol/

  26. Prover9: Automated Theorem Prover. http://www.cs.unm.edu/~mccune/prover9/

  27. Repenning A., Perrone C.: Programming by example: programming by analogous examples. Commun. ACM 43(3), 90–97 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Rozenberg, G. (eds): Handbook of Graph Grammars and Computing by Graph Transformations: Foundations. World Scientific, Singapore (1997)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  29. Schürr.: Specification of graph translators with triple graph grammars. In: Tinhofer, B. (ed.) Proceedings of WG94: InternationalWorkshop on Graph-Theoretic Concepts in Computer Science, LNCS, vol. 903, pp. 151–163. Springer, Heidelberg (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Shekhar S., Hamidzadeh B., Kohli A., Coyle M.: Learning transformation rules for semantic query optimization: A data-driven approach. IEEE Trans. Knowl. Data Eng. 5(6), 950–964 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Strommer, M., Murzek, M., Wimmer, M.: Applying model transformation by-example on business process modeling languages. In: Proceedings of Third International Workshop on Foundations and Practices of UML (ER 2007), LNCS, vol. 4802, pp. 116–125. Springer, Heidelberg (2007)

  32. StylisStudio. http://www.stylusstudio.com

  33. The Aleph Manual. http://web.comlab.ox.ac.uk/oucl/research/areas/machlearn/Aleph/

  34. Varró, D.: Model transformation by example. In: Proceedings of Model Driven Engineering Languages and Systems (MODELS 2006), LNCS, vol. 4199, pp. 410–424. Springer, Genova (2006)

  35. Varró, D., Balogh, Z.: Automating model transformation by example using inductive logic programming. In: ACM Symposium on Applied Computing—Model Transformation Track (SAC 2007). ACM Press, New York (2007)

  36. Wimmer, M., Strommer, M., Kargl, H., Kramler, G.: Towards model transformation generation by-example. In: Proceedings of HICSS-40 Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, p. 285. IEEE Computer Society, Hawaii, USA (2007)

  37. Yan, L.L., Miller, R.J., Haas, L.M., Fagin, R.: Data-driven understanding and refinement of schema mappings. In: Proceedings of ACM SIGMOD Conference on Management of Data, pp. 485–496 (2001)

  38. Zloof, M.M.: Query-by-example: the invocation and definition of tables and forms. In: Kerr, D.S. (ed.) VLDB, pp. 1–24. ACM, New York (1975)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dániel Varró.

Additional information

Communicated by Dr. Jean Bezivin.

This work was partially supported by the SENSORIA European project (IST-3-016004). Dániel Varró was also supported by the J. Bolyai Scholarship.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Balogh, Z., Varró, D. Model transformation by example using inductive logic programming. Softw Syst Model 8, 347–364 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-008-0092-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-008-0092-1

Keywords

Navigation