Research On Model Driven Software Development Method And Implementation Technology

With the rapid development of computer science and technology, the software system is becoming more and more complicate, and the way to produce software is also changing. The new technology and method are coming forth. However, while people benefit from the convenience of these new products, they have to suffer the fact of losing the value in the forepart of investment. The new technology itself is changing continually and could not guarantee the compatibility of former products. Nowadays, the functional need of software is enlarging. Therefore the software becomes more complex which demands extra time and cost and the more crucial problem is that the frequent change which set strict restrictions to the developing speed and quality. The object oriented software development method could not deal with the developing and coding problems due to the problems above.In order to deal with such problems, the new software development method which is called MDA emerges as the times require. What lies in this method is a series of different abstract system models which become the main product of developing process. MDA takes advantages of modeling languages to build software instead of traditional programming languages. It separates the systematic model into two parts: the PSM and PIM, and combine them together by using the mapping principles, after that the components of target platform eventually form. But currently the modeling languages such as UML, MOF have not precise semantics definitions, the relative application such as model mapping can not be described precisely.Based on the analysis of related research and existing methods, we put forward a MDA software development method based on executable meta-modeling language. Surrounding this method, the approach to design executable meta-modelling language, domain modeling method and model mapping method and the software development framework are researched. The main research contents in this thesis are listed as follows:1. The research of executable meta-modeling language. The ability of MOF meta-data description language is so weak that it only support the object oriented component to establish meta-modeling, such as classes, operations, attributes. However there is no accurate semantic description, so this thesis gives out methods on enlarging the EMOF model of MOF criterion and forms the executable meta-modeling language—xKL. The xKL is composed by meta-kernel language mKernel, meta-restriction language mOCL and meta-syntax language mBNF. The mKernel is based on EMOF and own the concrete semantic meaning by enlarging the concept dynamically. The mBNF constructs the different meta-text language of text-syntax by enlarging the mKernel. It describes and analyses the different text syntax. The meta-restriction language mOCL enlarges the mKernel constructed object restriction language and uses in the restriction abstract syntax model as well as other restrictions and model queries.2. The research of modeling method and model transfer method based on MDA.UML modeling provides a unified design standard to the development of component, the design patterns, the distribution system, the integration of application and the contract design. However it does not provide any practical technology, so there must be a considerable number of complex problems. The meta-model language xKL, as the modeling language of constructing PIM, has solved the isolation problems in the stages of modeling and coding, which integrates the design phase and developing phase. At the same time, it provides a unified meta-model to manage and operate the meta-data.3. The research of software developing frame based on MDA. Software Development Framework Based on Model Driven Architecture is developed on Windows operating system and Eclipse IDE. The model management tool provides the functions of establishing and transferring model; a visual domain frame tool could build a domain frame according to the demand; Using the component composing technology to combine the components transferred from domain models, and then construct the concrete applications. By using the MDAF frame, it is possible to develop the application system swiftly.The creative points in this thesis include:1. Presents a new method to construct executable meta-modeling language. Just like MOF, the abstract model of executable meta-modeling language is self describable; meanwhile the other abstract semantic model can be described by executable meta-modeling language. The executable meta-modeling language is defined by the way of PIM and it easily constructs the language tool as well as the mutual operations with their context. The executable meta-modeling language includes meta-kernel language mKernel, meta-restriction language mOCL and meta-syntax language mBNF. The meta-kernel language is the core of basic executable meta-modeling language, which includes basic static modeling concept and dynastic modeling concept. The mOCL enlarges mKernel and put several of set functions into practice. The mBNF enlarges the mKernel and realized the universal text definition language. The meta-modeling language with executable ability brings a number of advantages such as model verifying, the convenient way of enlarging and defining language and model transferring.2. The domain modeling method based on executable meta-modeling language. The executable meta-modeling language constructs both the meta-modeling process and modeling process. The meta-modeling process establishes the domain meta-model; the modeling process establishes a concrete domain application model. The meta-model contains domain knowledge and it can restrict the modeling behaviors as well as ensure the process of modeling obey the domain restrictions. By representing the domain model as an executable model, it can test its correctness in the domain layer instead of considering the platform related problems. Therefore, the domain model would never be out of time and could be promoted and reused continually.3. Import the executable meta-modeling language into MDA frame. While using MDA method, the developers have to concentrate on retaining the model which represents the real system. The developers produce the components in a certain abstract layer, and these components keep fresh all the time. Even after the code generated, the succeeded work still working on the models and the code itself is just the method to reach the goal. After importing the executable meta-model language into MDA frame, except for having the advantage of PIM of MDA frame, the PIM model using the executable meta-modeling language could be tested. After a strict test, if all the tests could have the expected results then the PIM we say is correct and complete. What the PIM gives out is not only the documents but expected results.In conclusion, this thesis makes a research in both the model driven software development method and executable meta-modeling. It also regards the executable meta-model language as the modeling language of PIM in MDA architecture. At the same time, it represents a software developing framework based on MDA. Using this framework, we developed a platform called Communication Software Platform Based on Model Driven Technology which has been already tested in Jilin University campus network. So there are practical value and theory value on the research in the model driven software development method and executable meta-modeling language.