Bidirectionally tolerating inconsistency: Partial transformations

Abstract

A foundational property of bidirectional transformations is that they should be correct: that is, the transformation should succeed in restoring consistency between any models it is given. In practice, however, transformation engines sometimes fail to restore consistency, e.g. because there is no consistent model to return, or because the tool is unable to select a best model to return from among equally good candidates. In this paper, we formalise properties that may nevertheless hold in such circumstances and discuss relationships and implications. © 2014 Springer-Verlag.