Tackling the Challenges of Evolution in Multiperspective Software Design and Implementation

Abstract

The design and implementation of software require the usage of different perspectives and views to cope with its static structure, dynamic behavior, and requirements. Artifacts of different views are dependent on each other and subject of frequent changes. Anticipating those changes becomes difficult, as most impact analysis approaches are not designed to work in multiperspective environments. They treat artifacts of different perspectives in isolation, which tends to introduce further inconsistencies and faults. In the related research area of consistency checking, the problem of multiple views has been addressed for a long time and solutions have been developed. We aim on combining the predictive capabilities of impact analysis with the approach of multiperspective consistency checking, to bridge the gap between artifacts of different views. We propose an approach which facilitates impact analysis of different UML models and Java source code. Our approach is based on impact propagation rules, which analyze traceability relations between software artifacts and the type of change applied by a developer.