Interfaces and metainterfaces for models and metamodels

Abstract

Evolution and customization of component-based systems require an explicit understanding of component inter-dependencies. Implicit assumptions, poor documentation and hidden dependencies turn even simple changes into challenges. The problem is exacerbated in XML-intensive projects due to the use of soft references and the lack of information hiding. We address this with dependency tracking interface types for models and metamodels. We provide automatic compatibility checks and a heuristic inference procedure for our interfaces, which allows easy and incremental adoption of our technique even in mature projects. We have implemented a prototype and applied it to two large cases: an enterprise resource planning system and a healthcare information system. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.