Towards composite model transformations using distributed graph transformation concepts

Abstract

Model-based development of highly complex software systems leads to large models. Storing them in repositories offers the possibility to work with these models in a distributed environment. However, they are not modularized and thus, do not especially support distributed development. An alternative is to consider composite models such that several teams can work largely independently. In this paper, we consider a general approach to composite models and their transformation based on graph transformation concepts. To illustrate this approach, we present a concrete setting for composite models based on the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF). EMF models can be distributed over several sites. While remote references can express import relations, export and import interfaces are not explicitly defined. In our approach, we sketch composite models with explicit and implicit interfaces using concepts of distributed graph transformation and outline different kinds of composite model transformations. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.