Formal analysis of model transformations based on triple graph grammars

Triple graph grammars (TGGs) are a well-established concept for the specification and execution of bidirectional model transformations within model driven software engineering. Their main advantage is an automatic generation of operational rules for forward and backward model transformations, which...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Hermann, Frank, Ehrig, Hartmut, Golas, Ulrike, Orejas Valdés, Fernando|||0000-0002-3023-4006
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/116369
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/116369
https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0960129512000370
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Software engineering
Formal languages
Computational complexity
Correctness
Completeness
Systems
Enginyeria del programari
Llenguatges formals
Complexitat computacional
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica::Informàtica teòrica
Descripción
Sumario:Triple graph grammars (TGGs) are a well-established concept for the specification and execution of bidirectional model transformations within model driven software engineering. Their main advantage is an automatic generation of operational rules for forward and backward model transformations, which simplifies specification and enhances usability as well as consistency. In this paper we present several important results for analysing model transformations based on the formal categorical foundation of TGGs within the framework of attributed graph transformation systems.; Our first main result shows that the crucial properties of correctness and completeness are ensured for model transformations. In order to analyse functional behaviour, we generate a new kind of operational rule, called a forward translation rule. We apply existing results for the analysis of local confluence for attributed graph transformation systems. As additional main results, we provide sufficient criteria for the verification of functional behaviour as well as a necessary and sufficient condition for strong functional behaviour. In fact, these conditions imply polynomial complexity for the execution of the model transformation. We also analyse information and complete information preservation of model transformations, that is, whether a source model can be reconstructed (uniquely) from the target model computed by the model transformation. We illustrate the results for the well-known model transformation example from class diagrams to relational database models.