ECMDA workshop

Thales ATM experience in using MDE

ECMDA Workshop From code centric to model centric software engineering

Bilbao 11 July 2006

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Thales ATM presentation

Thales ATM provides Air Traffic Control systems that are: Large software systems

Have a lifetime of more than 20 years

The issue to solve is:

High cost of development and maintenance

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Why the MDE approach in Thales ATM

Improve the productivity by: Automating the model check, the document generation, the

update of the traceability links. Reducing the number of problems identified during the

system integration phase Providing support by automation to the safety analysis.

Facilitate the product line management with the appropriate level of quality, safety and reliability

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Traditional approach compared to MDE approach

Classical system specification, architecture and design activities restricted to functional analysis

A code centric SW development.

Manual verification activities

System specification, architecture and design activities enhanced with the end user view (use cases) and the information view (data model)

A model centric SW development

Automated verification activities

The system architecture and design uses MDSysE method

and tools

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Transversal activities

Context

Logical Architecture

Physical Architecture

System Design

MDE Approach

Specification

Req.

SW Development

CCM engineering

IDL

XML

Integration/

Validation

CCM Architecture

CCM deployment

UR SSS

ICD

IRS

SSDD C++

Java

Verification activities

Tests generation

Test procedures

Model Check

System Integration tests

System Validation tests

Traceability

Traces

Safety Analysis

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MDSysE in the MDE Approach

MDSysE presents 4 views of the system to perform the system Architecture and Design: The Contextual view which presents the system, its actors and the

interfaces between the actors and the system The Logical view that breaks up the system into Logical Components

(LC) The Physical view that breaks up the system into Physical

Components (PC). A Physical Component implements one Logical Component or implement generic function like communication

The End Product Breakdown Structure that enables to organize the system development into Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI)

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The 4 views of MDSysE

System context view

MySystem

Actor

Actor1UseCase1

<<se_context.Capability>>

UseCase2

<<se_context.Capability>>

UseCase3

<<include>>

<<include>>

TheSystem

customer bank

*

Physical viewPC1

PC2

PortD

PortCPortB

PortA

PC1 PC2

interface

interface1 Physical Architecture

CapabilityRealisation

LC1

LC2 LC3

LC4

Logical view Logical Architecture

<<implement>> <<implement>>

Product Breakdown Structure

Organisational view

MySystem

subsystem subsystem1 subsystem2 subsystem3

subsystem4 subsystem5

subsystem6

subsystem7

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Verification activities

In order to increase the productivity and limit as much as possible the possibility of human errors, the verification activities are automated: The modeling rules Automatic generation of tests (yet under study) The traceability links updated The safety analysis is facilitated and help is provided to:

Check that the safety requirements are implemented Check that the safety requirements implementation does not jeopardize the

project budget balance Check that the system after implementation of new features still complies to

the safety requirements

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Miscellaneous activities

Collateral activities need to be dealt with: The Change Management :

The specific issue of MDE related to Change Management is to be able to manage parallel version of a system model

The metrics The tracking metrics The quality of the model metrics

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Tools environment

What needs to be guaranteed by the tools of the MDE tool chain: Substitutability to guarantee the tools lifetime appropriate

to the product line need

Interoperability to guarantee that we will be able to increase the productivity by automating our activities

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MDE Tool chain

Objecteering – CCM Tool Objecteering - MDSysEDOORS

Requirements

Req. Context

Logical Architecture

Physical Architecture

System Design

Integration/ValidationCCM Architecture

CCM deployment

CCM engineering

C++/JavaXML IDLICD, SSDD, SRS, IRS

Traces

Traceability Tests generation

UPM Tool

ModelBus

Test

Procedures

CardamomRuntime

Safety Analysis Model Check

OCL ToolIBM ToolReqtify

SSS

TATM library

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Results of the project

Today the project allowed Thales ATM to solve some important aspects frequently raised as obstacles to adopt a MDE approach:

  An effective and practical instantiation of the MDE process

Selection of a tools chain with necessary adaptations

And last but not least the team composition

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Results of the project

The positive aspects of the use of MDE at this stage of the project are: Consistent view of the system Benefit from the model transformations Have different views of the system Make all the project actors work on the same input

We assume that generating the interface classes of the project components will ensure the consistency of those interfaces. This will be known in 2 years time

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Potential improvements

Test generation from use cases

Model rule checking

Metrics to be graded for the project environment

Communication of the design

Reduction of the system complexity 

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Return on Investment

The Return Of Investment expected by Thales ATM will be obtained at the end of the system integration only

The major savings expected from the automation of the development tasks and the maintenance costs reduction allowed by the use of the model

Significant ROI expected from the reuse of the project production through the product line approach facilitated by MDE