Study of Interoperability between

Meta-Modeling Tools

Heiko KernUniversity of Leipzig

Third Workshop on Model Driven Approaches in System DevelopmentWarsaw, Poland, 08.09.2014

Motivation for Interoperability

Replacement of tools: Reuse of models Development of tool chains: Combination of model

processing

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Interoperability

Commercial License Open source

Version 7.2 Maturity level Version 2.6

Business Process Management Application domain Universal

Software AG, SAP Ecosystem Eclipse

Strategy, Design, Implementation, Controlling Platform

ToolsGMF, CDO, Epsilon, ATL, XText, BPMN, UML

Interoperability Focus is on the exchange of models and meta-models Migration of models between different tools

Research: State of the art in the area of model exchange What is the degree of interopability? What are the approaches to realize interoperability?

Objective of the Study

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Design of the Study

Scope of the Study

Unification Mechanism

Common Structure Transformation

Modeling Level

Model Level Language Level

Topology Point-to-Point Complex Topology

Integration Layer

Data Function Presentation

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Data

Function

Presentation

Data

Function

Presentation

Data

Function

Presentation

Tool Selection

Initial tool search Meta-modeling tool,

meta-case tool, modeling tool,

Maturity level Installable and usable

Concrete syntax Graphical modeling

Modeling domain Universal/general, Software development Buisness processes Data modeling

Meta-modeling Heavyweight

63 tools and 20 meta-modeling tools

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NameMeta-

modeling (light/heavy)

Incl.

Agilian ●/● ●

Altova UModel ●/-

ArgoUML ●/-

Archi -/-

ARIS Business Arch. ●/● ●

ARIS Express -/-

Artisan Studio ●/-

Astah ●/-

AToM3 -/● ●

bflow Toolbox -/-

Bizagi Process Modeler -/-

BOUML -/-

Business Process VA -/● ●

Cadifra UML Editor -/-

CaseComplete -/-

ConceptDraw -/● ●

Cubetto Toolset -/● ●

Database Design Tool -/-

DB Wrench -/-

dbConstructor -/-

DbSchema -/-

Dia -/● ●

Edraw Max -/● ●

Enterprise Architect -/● ●

ER Creator -/-

ER/Studio Software Arch. ●/-

ER/Studio Business Arch. -/-

GME -/● ●

Gliffy -/-

Grapholite -/-

iGrafix Process -/● ●

Intalio BPMS Designer -/-

NameMeta-

modeling (light/heavy)

Incl.

Lucidchart -/● ●

MagicDraw ●/-

Maram Meta-Tools -/● ●

MetaEdit+ -/● ●

Microsoft Visio -/● ●

Modelio ●/-

NClass -/-

Objecteering ●/-

objectiF ●/-

Open ModelSphere ●/-

ORM Designer -/-

Poseidon for UML -/-

Papyrus ●/-

PowerDesigner ●/● ●

Process Modeler -/-

RISE -/-

Select Architect ●/-

SemTalk -/-

Signavio Process Editor -/-

SmartDraw -/-

Topcased ●/-

UML Lab ●/-

UMLet -/-

ViFlow -/● ●

Violet UML Editor -/-

Visual Paradigm for UML ●/● ●

Visual Use Case -/-

Visualization and Modeling SDK

-/● ●

WinA&D -/-

Xcase -/-

yED -/● ●

Tool Analysis

Installation

User interface

Documentation

Export and import capababilities

Save and load

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Results of the Study

Unification Mechanism

Common structure Tool-specific formats for saving and loading

GXL, GRAPHML, ARIS DB, XML

Language-specific format for exchange BPMN-XML, XPDL, UML-XMI Depends on the modeling domain

Some tools support a common format for exchnage Visio (VDX), XMI XMI is used in context of MOF, EMF and UML

Result: No common structure

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Unification Mechanism

Transformation-based Two tools support a transformation-based approach

Visual Paradigm Visio import Mapping between

model elements

ARIS Business Architect Visio import Mapping between

meta-model elements

Result: Simple mappings, not comparable with M2M-transformations

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<mapping> <model id="EPC" aristype="13"> <symbols> <symbol uniquename="Event" aristype="1"/> <symbol uniquename="Function" aristype="335"/> </symbols> <connections> <cxn arissrctype="Function" aristrgtype="Function" cxntype="118" /> </connections> </model></mapping>

Modeling Level

Model level Language-specific format for exchange

Depends on the modeling domain, e.g. BPMN, XPDL, …

Generic format for the exchange of each model independent of a specific language

MetaEdit – GXL-adaption ARIS – ARIS DB …

Import of Visio models excluding their languages Visual Paradigm ARIS Buisness Architect Edraw Max Lucidchart Dia

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Modeling Level

Language level Two tools allow the exchange of modeling languages and

models conforming to these languages

(1) ConceptDraw and (2) iGrafix Visio import Stencil import via model import iGrafix uses the clipboard

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Microsoft Visio ConceptDraw iGrafix

Degree of Interoperability

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+ model level □ language level

380 possibilities (20 x 20 - 20)

30 x exchange → 7.9%27 x specific language → 7.1%3 x each language → 0.8%

Summary

Investigation of 20 meta-modeling tools

Unification mechanism Common structure

No common structure/format for exchange Maybe Microsoft Visio

Transformation-based: Simple mappings

Modeling level Model level: Import of Visio models without their stencils Language level: Import of Visio models and their stencils

Low degree of interopability between tools

Future work Mapping-Based exchange of models between meta-modeling

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Thank You.Questions?