Automated Iteration between OMT* and SDL

Abstract

This chapter presents automated support for iteration between object modeling technique (OMT) and Specification and Description Language (SDL) based on hierarchical links and incremental code generation. Each OMT entity is linked with its corresponding SDL entities. Changes made to an OMT entity are forwarded locally to the corresponding SDL entities in such a way that as much as possible manual changes in SDL are preserved. This is carried out in hierarchical fashion that makes it possible to integrate the dynamic model of OMT in the iteration process. The object model of OMT allows classes from different subsystems to be brought together in one module. The dynamic model provides nested state diagrams and entry/exit actions, allowing a more concise view of state diagrams. The first iteration starts with a complete translation of the OMT* model to SDL. The translation of OMT* to SDL is the result of extensive research with industrial and academic partners; it combines the object model with the dynamic model to build an equivalent SDL specification.