João Saraiva,

Departamento de Engenharia Informática –

Abstract:

Ever since the introduction of computers into society, researchers have constantly been trying to raise the abstraction level at which we write software programs; the first computer programming languages, structured languages and object-oriented languages are examples of this. We are currently adopting a new abstraction level based on models instead of source code: Model-Driven Engineering (MDE). This new abstraction level is the driving force for some recent modeling approaches, such as OMG’s Unified Modeling Language (UML) or Domain-Specific Modeling (DSM). But MDE and all its approaches are founded on metamodeling, the definition of a language representing a problem-domain and then the usage of that language to create models.

A key factor for the success of an approach is appropriate tool support; this has been the case with UML and DSM. However, it was only recently that tool creators started considering metamodeling as a first citizen issue in their list of greatest concerns and priorities.

In this paper, we evaluate a set of MDE tools from the perspective of the metamodeling activity. This evaluation is focused on both architectural and practical aspects of modeling and how the metamodeling activity is supported. Then, using the results of this evaluation, we discuss the current status of MDE tools and the direction that tool creators seem to be taking.

 

Date: 2006-Jul-18     Time: 15:00:00     Room: INESC – 9º Piso Auditório Alfa (sala 918)

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