Automating the Path from Models to Executable Systems in MDA Approach

Abstract

Model Driven Architecture (MDA) essential goal is to derive value from models. One of the values is to derive an implementation from models in an automated fashion. Automation enables rapid response to changes, increases the efficency of software development and decreases its cost. In MDA the derivation involves a source model, a transformation and a targeted technology specific model. In practice the transformation process from the source model to the target model might be complex and challenging. Between the models, gaps can exist because of the difference in the abstraction layers exhibited in the models. The gaps may not be small enough to perform a direct transformation. Moreover there are difficulties when the application behavior is addressed in MDA. In most cases, behavioral models are used for other purposes like documentation rather than complementing the structural models to facilitate automatic software generation. The problem is the lack of mechanisms for mapping behavior models from an abstraction level to another. The main focus of this paper is the mapping of behavioral models expressed as Unified Modeling Language (UML) state machine models into State Chart eXtensible Markup Language (SCXML) states. The paper presents a semi automated path from models to executable systems.