Abstract
In Model Driven Engineering (MDE), models are first-class citizens, and model transformation is MDE's heart and soul. Since model transformations are executed for a family of (conforming) models, their validity becomes a crucial issue. This paper proposes to explore the question of the formal verification of model transformation properties through a tridimensional approach: the transformation involved, the properties of interest addressed, and the formal verification techniques used to establish the properties. This work is intended for a double audience. For newcomers, it provides a tutorial introduction to the field of formal verification of model transformations. For readers more familiar with formal methods and model transformations, it proposes a literature review (although not systematic) of the contributions of the field. Overall, this work allows to better understand the evolution, trends and current practice in the domain of model transformation verification. This work opens an interesting research line for building an engineering of model transformation verification guided by the notion of model transformation intent.
Highlights
This paper proposes to explore the question of the formal verification of model transformation properties through a tridimensional approach: the transformation involved, the properties of interest addressed, and the formal verification techniques used to establish the properties
From the Model-Driven Engineering (Mde) point of view, a transformation has a dual nature [22]: seen as a transformation model, a transformation can denote a computation, whose expression relies on a particular model of computation (MoC) embedded in a transformation language; and seen as a model transformation, emphasis focuses on the particular artefacts manipulated by a transformation
We summarise the features proposed by [35] relevant for the purpose of model transformation formalisation and verification: Transformation Units are the basic building blocks used to specify how computations are performed during the transformation; Scheduling specify how transformation units are combined to perform the computation: either implicitly, in which case the transformation designer has no direct control; or explicitly, using a large set of possibilities ranging from partially user-controlled schedulers to explicitly modelled Dsls for schedule flow specification
Summary
This paper proposes to explore the question of the formal verification of model transformation properties through a tridimensional approach: the transformation involved, the properties of interest addressed, and the formal verification techniques used to establish the properties. This work opens an interesting research line for building an engineering of model transformation verification guided by the notion of model transformation intent. Keywords Model-Driven Engineering, Model Transformation, Model Transformation Intent, Formal Verification, Transformation Languages, Classification, Survey, Property of Interest. From the Mde point of view, a transformation has a dual nature [22]: seen as a transformation model, a transformation can denote a computation, whose expression relies on a particular model of computation (MoC) embedded in a transformation language; and seen as a model transformation, emphasis focuses on the particular artefacts manipulated by a transformation (namely, metamodels for its specification and models for its execution). On the other hand, manipulating models implies that specific properties of interest will be directly related to the involved models as well as the intrinsic intent behind the transformation: e.g., one may be interested in always producing conforming models by construction, or ensuring that target models still conserve their semantics
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