Integrating UML composite structures and fUML

Abstract

To cope with the complexity of large systems, one usually makes use of hierarchical structures in their models. To detect and to remove design errors as soon as possible, these models must be analyzed in early stages of the development process. For example, UML models can be analyzed through simulation using the semantics of a foundational subset for executable UML models (fUML). However, the composite structures used to describe the hierarchy of systems in UML is not covered by fUML. In this paper, we therefore propose a complementary meta-model for fUML covering parts of UML's composite structures, and elaborate the rules previously defined in the literature for static semantics. These rules are described in an axiomatic way using first-order logic so that a large set of tools can be used for analysis. Our preliminary evaluation provides results about the applicability of the meta-model and the soundness of the rules. © 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland.