Representing and operating with model differences

Abstract

Models and metamodels play a cornerstone role in Model-Driven Software Development (MDSD). Models conform to metamodels, which usually specify domain-specific languages that allow to represent the various facets of a system in terms of models. This paper discusses the problem of calculating differences between models conforming to arbitrary metamodels, something essential in any MDSD environment for dealing with the management of changes and evolution of software models. We present a metamodel for representing the differences as models, too, following the MDSD “everything is a model” principle. The Difference Metamodel, together with the difference and other related operations (do, undo and composition) presented here have been specified in Maude and integrated in an Eclipse-developed environment.