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From model transformation to incremental bidirectional model synchronization

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Abstract

The model-driven software development paradigm requires that appropriate model transformations are applicable in different stages of the development process. The transformations have to consistently propagate changes between the different involved models and thus ensure a proper model synchronization. However, most approaches today do not fully support the requirements for model synchronization and focus only on classical one-way batch-oriented transformations. In this paper, we present our approach for an incremental model transformation which supports model synchronization. Our approach employs the visual, formal, and bidirectional transformation technique of triple graph grammars. Using this declarative specification formalism, we focus on the efficient execution of the transformation rules and how to achieve an incremental model transformation for synchronization purposes. We present an evaluation of our approach and demonstrate that due to the speedup for the incremental processing in the average case even larger models can be tackled.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. System Analysis and Modeling Group, Hasso Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam, Prof.-Dr.-Helmert-Str. 2-3, 14482, Potsdam, Germany

    Holger Giese

  2. Software Engineering Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Paderborn, Warburger Str. 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany

    Robert Wagner

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  1. Holger Giese
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  2. Robert Wagner
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Correspondence to Robert Wagner.

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Communicated by Prof. Oscar Nierstrasz.

This work was partly developed in the course of the Collaborative Research Center 614—Self-optimizing Concepts and Structures in Mechanical Engineering—University of Paderborn, and was published on its behalf and funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. This article is an extended version of [17].

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Giese, H., Wagner, R. From model transformation to incremental bidirectional model synchronization. Softw Syst Model 8, 21–43 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-008-0089-9

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