Model-driven engineering (MDE) is a software development methodology that focuses on creating and exploiting

domain model In software engineering, a domain model is a conceptual model of the domain that incorporates both behavior and data.Fowler, Martin. ''Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture''. Addison Wesley, 2003, p. 116. In ontology engineering, a d ...

s, which are conceptual models of all the topics related to a specific problem. Hence, it highlights and aims at abstract representations of the

knowledge Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is disti ...

and activities that govern a particular application domain, rather than the computing (i.e. algorithmic) concepts.

Overview

The MDE approach is meant to increase productivity by maximizing compatibility between systems (via reuse of standardized models), simplifying the process of design (via models of recurring design patterns in the application domain), and promoting communication between individuals and teams working on the system (via a standardization of the terminology and the

best practice A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to other known alternatives because it often produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing ...

s used in the application domain). For instance, in model-driven development, technical artifacts such as source code, documentation, tests, and more are generated algorithmically from a domain model. A modeling paradigm for MDE is considered effective if its models make sense from the point of view of a user that is familiar with the domain, and if they can serve as a basis for implementing systems. The models are developed through extensive communication among product managers, designers, developers and users of the application domain. As the models approach completion, they enable the development of software and systems. Some of the better known MDE initiatives are: * The

Object Management Group The Object Management Group (OMG) is a computer industry standards consortium. OMG Task Forces develop enterprise integration standards for a range of technologies. Business activities The goal of the OMG was a common portable and interoperab ...

(OMG) initiative

Model-Driven Architecture Model Driven Architecture (MDA) is a software design approach for the development of software systems. It provides a set of guidelines for the structuring of specifications, which are expressed as models. Model Driven Architecture is a kind of doma ...

(MDA) which is leveraged by several of their standards such as

Meta-Object Facility The Meta-Object Facility (MOF) is an Object Management Group (OMG) standard for model-driven engineering. Its purpose is to provide a type system for entities in the CORBA architecture and a set of interfaces through which those types can be crea ...

, XMI, CWM, CORBA,

Unified Modeling Language The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a general-purpose, developmental modeling language in the field of software engineering that is intended to provide a standard way to visualize the design of a system. The creation of UML was originally ...

(to be more precise, the OMG currently promotes the use of a subset of UML called fUML together with its action language, ALF, for model-driven architecture; a former approach relied on Executable UML and OCL, instead), and QVT. * The

Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...

"eco-system" of programming and modelling tools represented in general terms by the (

Eclipse Modeling Framework Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) is an Eclipse (software), Eclipse-based Model-driven architecture, modeling framework and Automatic programming, code generation facility for building tools and other applications based on a structured data model. ...

). This framework allows the creation of tools implementing the MDA standards of the OMG; but, it is also possible to use it to implement other modeling-related tools.

History

The first tools to support MDE were the Computer-Aided Software Engineering (

CASE Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component * Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books * Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...

) tools developed in the 1980s. Companies like Integrated Development Environments (IDE - StP), Higher Order Software (now Hamilton Technologies, Inc., HTI), Cadre Technologies,

Bachman Information Systems Bachman may refer to: *Bachman (surname) *Bachman, Ohio *Bachman, West Virginia *Bachman Khan (1210–1239 or 1240), a Kimak khan *Bachmann knot, often used in mountaineering for ascending on ropes * Bachman Station, a train station on the Dallas A ...

, and Logic Works (BP-Win and ER-Win) were pioneers in the field. The US government got involved in the modeling definitions creating the IDEF specifications. With several variations of the modeling definitions (see Booch, Rumbaugh,

Jacobson Jacobson may refer to: * Jacobson (surname), including a list of people with the name * Jacobson, Minnesota, a place in the United States * Jacobson's, an American regional department store chain See also * Jacobsen (disambiguation) * Jakobs ...

, Gane and Sarson,

Harel Harel is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Alon Harel (1957-), Israeli law professor * Dan Harel (1955-), general in the Israeli Defense Force * David Harel (1950-), computer sciences professor * Eden ...

, Shlaer and Mellor, and others) they were eventually joined creating the

(UML). Rational Rose, a product for UML implementation, was done by Rational Corporation (Booch) responding automation yield higher levels of abstraction in software development. This abstraction promotes simpler models with a greater focus on problem space. Combined with executable semantics this elevates the total level of automation possible. The

(OMG) has developed a set of standards called

model-driven architecture Model Driven Architecture (MDA) is a software design approach for the development of software systems. It provides a set of guidelines for the structuring of specifications, which are expressed as models. Model Driven Architecture is a kind of doma ...

(MDA), building a foundation for this advanced architecture-focused approach. According to Douglas C. Schmidt, model-driven engineering technologies offer a promising approach to address the inability of third-generation languages to alleviate the complexity of platforms and express domain concepts effectively., ''"A promising approach to address platform complexity—and the inability of third-generation languages to alleviate this complexity and express domain concepts effectively—is to develop Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) technologies..."''

Tools

Notable software tools for model-driven engineering include: * AADL from Carnegie-Mellon Software Engineering Institute *

Acceleo Acceleo is an open-source code generator from the Eclipse Foundation that allows people to use a model-driven approach to building applications. It is an implementation of the " MOFM2T" standard, from the Object Management Group (OMG), for perfo ...

an open source code generator from Obeo *

Actifsource Actifsource is a domain specific modeling workbench. It is realized as plug-in for the software development environment Eclipse. Actifsource supports the creation of multiple domain models which can be linked together. It comes with a UML-like gr ...

* AgileUML an open source MDE toolset from AgileMDE Ltd *

ATLAS Transformation Language ATL (ATLAS Transformation Language) is a model transformation language and toolkit developed and maintained by OBEO and AtlanMod. It was initiated by the AtlanMod team (previously called ATLAS Group). In the field of Model-Driven Engineering (M ...

or ATL, a model transformation language from Obeo * DUALLy, an MDE framework to create interoperability *

(EMF) * Enterprise Architect from Sparx Systems *

Generic Eclipse Modeling System Generic Eclipse Modeling System (GEMS) is a configurable toolkit for creating domain-specific modeling and program synthesis environments for Eclipse. The project aims to bridge the gap between the communities experienced with visual metamodeling ...

(GEMS) * GeneXus a

Knowledge Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is disti ...

-based, declarative, multi-platform, multi-language development solution *

Graphical Modeling Framework The Graphical Modeling Framework (GMF) is a framework within the Eclipse platform. It provides a generative component and runtime infrastructure for developing graphical editors based on the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) and Graphical Editing ...

(GMF) * JetBrains MPS, a

metaprogramming Metaprogramming is a programming technique in which computer programs have the ability to treat other programs as their data. It means that a program can be designed to read, generate, analyze or transform other programs, and even modify itself ...

system from

JetBrains JetBrains s.r.o. (formerly IntelliJ Software s.r.o.) is a Czech software development company which makes tools for software developers and project managers. , the company has offices in Prague; Munich; Berlin; Boston, Massachusetts; Amsterdam ...

* MagicDraw from No Magic Inc *

MERODE Merode may refer to: People * House of Merode, a princely dynasty belonging to the Belgian nobility ** Jean Philippe Eugène de Mérode (1674–1732), Imperial Field Marshal ** Félix de Mérode (1791–1857), Belgian politician ** Xavier de Mé ...

JMermaid from KU Leuven (educational) *

MetaEdit+ MetaEdit+ is an environment for creating and using Domain-Specific Modeling languages. Research History The research behind the genesis of MetaEdit+ was carried out at the University of Jyväskylä, as part of the MetaPHOR project. A metamodeli ...

from MetaCase * ModelCenter from Phoenix Integration *

Open ModelSphere Open ModelSphere is a data, process and UML modeling tool written in Java and distributed as free software under the GPL License. It provides support for forward and reverse engineering between UML and relational schemas. History Open ModelSphere ...

* OptimalJ from Compuware * PREEvision from Vector Informatik * Rhapsody from IBM * RISE Editor from RISE to Bloome Software * PowerDesigner from

SAP Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...

* Simulink from MathWorks *

Software Ideas Modeler Software Ideas Modeler is a CASE and an UML tool. The modeler supports all 14 diagram types specified in UML 2.5. It also supports among others the following diagrams and standards: * ER diagrams * BPMN 2.0 * CMMN * SysML 1.5 * ArchiMate 3 * ...

from Dusan Rodina *

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CMa ...

an Eclipse Open Source project to create custom graphical modeling workbenches * Together Architect from Borland * Umple from the University of Ottawa * Uniface from Compuware * YAKINDU Statechart Tools open source tool build on top of

References

External links

''Model-Driven Architecture: Vision, Standards And Emerging Technologies''
at omg.org Systems engineering Unified Modeling Language

Overview

History

Tools

See also

References

Further reading

External links