Metrics to measure the change impact in ATL model transformations

Abstract

The Model-Driven Development (MDD) shifts the focus on code to models in the software development process. In MDD, model transformations are elements that play important role. In the software process, MDD projects evolve as changes in their transformations are frequent. Before applying changes it is important to measure their impacts in the transformation. However, currently no technique helps practitioners in this direction. In this work, we conducted an exploratory study to identify the criteria used by practitioners to measure the impact of changes in model transformations. As a result, we propose a set of metrics to measure such impacts. By measuring the change impact, practitioners can (i) save effort and development time for estimating costs to apply changes; and (ii) better schedule and prioritize changes according to the impact.