Extending Model to Model Transformation Results from Triple Graph Grammars to Multiple Models

Model transformation is an important building block for model-driven approaches. It puts forward a necessity and a challenge to specify and realize model transformation as well as to ensure the correctness of transformations. This paper proposes an OCL-based framework for model transformations. The formal foundation of the framework is the integration of Triple Graph Grammars and the Object Constraint Language (OCL). The OCL-based transformation framework offers an on-the-fly verification of model transformations and means for transformation quality assurance.

Download Full-text

Model Transformation with Triple Graph Grammars and Non-terminal Symbols

Communications in Computer and Information Science - Formal Techniques for Safety-Critical Systems ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-12988-0_10 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 161-177

Author(s):

William da Silva ◽

Max Bureck ◽

Ina Schieferdecker ◽

Christian Hein

Keyword(s):

Model Transformation ◽

Graph Grammars ◽

Triple Graph Grammars

Download Full-text

Avoiding unnecessary information loss: correct and efficient model synchronization based on triple graph grammars

International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer ◽

10.1007/s10009-020-00588-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lars Fritsche ◽

Jens Kosiol ◽

Andy Schürr ◽

Gabriele Taentzer

Keyword(s):

Model Transformation ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Information Loss ◽

Change Propagation ◽

Graph Grammars ◽

Proof Of Concept ◽

Synchronization Process ◽

Model Synchronization ◽

Triple Graph Grammars ◽

Improved Performance

Abstract Model synchronization, i.e., the task of restoring consistency between two interrelated models after a model change, is a challenging task. Triple graph grammars (TGGs) specify model consistency by means of rules that describe how to create consistent pairs of models. These rules can be used to automatically derive further rules, which describe how to propagate changes from one model to the other or how to change one model in such a way that propagation is guaranteed to be possible. Restricting model synchronization to these derived rules, however, may lead to unnecessary deletion and recreation of model elements during change propagation. This is inefficient and may cause unnecessary information loss, i.e., when deleted elements contain information that is not represented in the second model, this information cannot be recovered easily. Short-cut rules have recently been developed to avoid unnecessary information loss by reusing existing model elements. In this paper, we show how to automatically derive (short-cut) repair rules from short-cut rules to propagate changes such that information loss is avoided and model synchronization is accelerated. The key ingredients of our rule-based model synchronization process are these repair rules and an incremental pattern matcher informing about suitable applications of them. We prove the termination and the correctness of this synchronization process and discuss its completeness. As a proof of concept, we have implemented this synchronization process in eMoflon, a state-of-the-art model transformation tool with inherent support of bidirectionality. Our evaluation shows that repair processes based on (short-cut) repair rules have considerably decreased information loss and improved performance compared to former model synchronization processes based on TGGs.

Download Full-text

Formal analysis of model transformations based on triple graph grammars

Mathematical Structures in Computer Science ◽

10.1017/s0960129512000370 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

FRANK HERMANN ◽

HARTMUT EHRIG ◽

ULRIKE GOLAS ◽

FERNANDO OREJAS

Keyword(s):

Model Transformation ◽

Graph Transformation ◽

Model Transformations ◽

Graph Grammars ◽

Attributed Graph ◽

Translation Rule ◽

Forward Translation ◽

Triple Graph Grammars ◽

Transformation Systems ◽

Graph Transformation Systems

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 aforward 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.

Download Full-text

Schema Compliant Consistency Management via Triple Graph Grammars and Integer Linear Programming

Formal Aspects of Computing ◽

10.1007/s00165-021-00557-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nils Weidmann ◽

Anthony Anjorin

Keyword(s):

Linear Programming ◽

Integer Linear Programming ◽

Experimental Evaluation ◽

Graph Grammars ◽

Model Driven Engineering ◽

Rule Based ◽

Consistency Management ◽

Model Driven ◽

Triple Graph Grammars ◽

Domain Constraints

AbstractIn the field of Model-Driven Engineering, Triple Graph Grammars (TGGs) play an important role as a rule-based means of implementing consistency management. From a declarative specification of a consistency relation, several operations including forward and backward transformations, (concurrent) synchronisation, and consistency checks can be automatically derived. For TGGs to be applicable in realistic application scenarios, expressiveness in terms of supported language features is very important. A TGG tool is schema compliant if it can take domain constraints, such as multiplicity constraints in a meta-model, into account when performing consistency management tasks. To guarantee schema compliance, most TGG tools allow application conditions to be attached as necessary to relevant rules. This strategy is problematic for at least two reasons: First, ensuring compliance to a sufficiently expressive schema for all previously mentioned derived operations is still an open challenge; to the best of our knowledge, all existing TGG tools only support a very restricted subset of application conditions. Second, it is conceptually demanding for the user to indirectly specify domain constraints as application conditions, especially because this has to be completely revisited every time the TGG or domain constraint is changed. While domain constraints can in theory be automatically transformed to obtain the required set of application conditions, this has only been successfully transferred to TGGs for a very limited subset of domain constraints. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a search-based strategy for achieving schema compliance. We show that all correctness and completeness properties, previously proven in a setting without domain constraints, still hold when schema compliance is to be additionally guaranteed. An implementation and experimental evaluation are provided to support our claim of practical applicability.

Download Full-text