Semantically Configurable Consistency Analysis for Class and Object Diagrams

TL;DR

This paper presents a formal, configurable analysis approach for checking consistency between object and class diagrams, accommodating semantic variability through a feature model and parametrized transformations.

Contribution

It introduces a formal framework and a parametrized analysis method that adapt to different semantic configurations of class and object diagrams.

Findings

Implemented using a parametrized transformation to Alloy.

Addresses semantic variability in modeling languages.

Provides a case study for formal automated analysis.

Abstract

Checking consistency between an object diagram (OD) and a class diagram (CD) is an important analysis problem. However, several variations in the semantics of CDs and ODs, as used in different contexts and for different purposes, create a challenge for analysis tools. To address this challenge in this paper we investigate semantically configurable model analysis. We formalize the variability in the languages semantics using a feature model: each configuration that the model permits induces a different semantics. Moreover, we develop a parametrized analysis that can be instantiated to comply with every legal configuration of the feature model. Thus, the analysis is semantically congured and its results change according to the semantics induced by the selected feature configuration. The ideas are implemented using a parametrized transformation to Alloy. The work can be viewed as a case study example for a formal and automated approach to handling semantic variability in modeling languages.