Case study: Class diagram restructuring

TL;DR

This paper presents a case study on refactoring UML class diagrams by removing attribute clones and abstracting shared data features, demonstrating typical model refactoring issues.

Contribution

It introduces a specific in-place refactoring technique for UML class diagrams, focusing on attribute clone removal and class abstraction to enhance diagram quality.

Findings

Effective attribute clone removal reduces redundancy.

Class abstraction improves diagram clarity.

Highlights challenges in model refactoring processes.

Abstract

This case study is an update-in-place refactoring transformation on UML class diagrams. Its aim is to remove clones of attributes from a class diagram, and to identify new classes which abstract groups of classes that share common data features. It is used as one of a general collection of transformations (such as the removal of redundant inheritance, or multiple inheritance) which aim to improve the quality of a specification or design level class diagram. The transformation is a typical example of a model refactoring, and illustrates the issues involved in such transformations.