Approach for Managing Variability in Database Schema

Abstract

The variability in software product lines is well studied, but this study is well neglected at the level of the databases. This insufficiency drives us to work on the modelling and the implementation of the variability in the databases in SPLs. Therefore, our contribution is proposing an approach to manage variability in database schemas. In this approach, we will focus primarily on modelling variability in the conceptual databases schemas at the domain engineering level. We will use model-driven engineering to ensure the different data models transformation to obtain a variable database model. Then, we will deal with application engineering by managing variability at the logical database schema through a configuration to obtain a variable relational database schema. Moreover, we proposed extensions for a metamodel to support the variability notions proposed. We also offer a tool support to apply and automate our approach and to test case studies.