Semantic Model Differencing Utilizing Behavioral Semantics Specifications

The Unified Enterprise Modelling Language (UEML) aims to become a hub for integrated use of enterprise and information systems (IS) models expressed using different languages. The paper explains how central constructs from UML's class and activity diagrams have been incorporated into UEML. As a result, the semantics of UML's central constructs for representing classes and activities have become more precisely defined in terms of the common UEML ontology. Through their ontology images, the two diagram types are also on the way to become interoperable with other enterprise and IS modelling languages in UEML.

UML activity and state chart diagrams are the most frequently UML models used for testing a system based on its specifications. Testers may choose different UML diagrams based on comprehensibility criteria. Previous studies, however, highlighted the lack of experts’ evaluation of comprehensibility of activity and state chart diagrams in test case generation. Thus, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the comprehensibility of the UML activity and state chart diagrams based on perspectives of experts. This study generated manual test cases from activity and state chart diagrams and used comprehensibility’s evaluation criteria during interviews with several software testing experts. The results of this study revealed that activity diagrams are more comprehensible than state chart diagrams in test case generation by considering comprehension variables (perceived difficulty and subjective confidence). The results of this study aim to unify the practical efforts of testers to choose MBT diagrams in generating test cases.

Interface and interaction design take up most of the times in software creation. Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is mainly the best way to interact with a computer. During software development, class diagram is the only required step and process to design an information system according to UML notation. In addition, creating class diagram is a mandatory activity during the software creation process. The aim of this paper is to automatically generate the HCI mockup from class diagram to make easy and extremely fast software design. For example, the SEF (Schéma d'Enchaînement de Fenêtre), is an interface model allowing to create a new interface mockup. It offers more widgets to design the HCI. And MACAO (Méthode d'Analyse et de Conception d'Applications Orientées-objets) is one of the methods which helps computer scientist to easily create software. The model transformation is based on Model Driven Engineering (MDE). We use UML notation to design the class diagrams. We also adopt MDA architecture to create the model-based transformation process. Transformation rules are created using Atlas Transformation Language (ATL) to automatically generate a specific interface from the class diagram.

General-purpose modeling languages are inadequate to model and visualize business processes precisely. An enterprise has its own vocabulary for modeling processes and its specific tasks may have attached data that define the tasks precisely. We propose using Domain Specific Modeling (DSM) languages to model business processes, such that an enterprise can define its own DSM language(s) capturing its vocabulary and data requirement. We suggest using UML profiles and UML activity diagrams as the semantic base for these DSM languages and present tools that are able to create a DSM language and tool support for a given domain. One tool, called ADSpecializer, can generate a UML profile and its tool support of a given application domain. The other tool, ADModeler, is used to create UML activity diagrams within such a domain-specific UML profile. The two tools enable an enterprise to efficiently define and utilize their own DSM language.

Because of their structural and semantic inter-dependency, UML diagrams describing a software product must be consistent to ensure the success of the development process. This inter-diagram consistency is often not easy to ensure considering the multi-views the diagrams cover, the different levels of abstraction they encode, and the different development phases during which they are produced. In this paper, we tackle the consistency problem between the functional and dynamic views in behavioral diagrams of software. We propose an approach to detect and localize inter-consistency errors among UML use cases and activity diagrams. This approach is composed of two phases: measurement phase (1) and controlling phase (2). This approach is illustrated and validated through a "Restaurant management system" case study. The proposed approach will help both software designers/developers and quality assurance/testing engineers identifying and localizing the causes of software errors at early phases (specification and design).

In model-driven engineering (MDE), UML class diagrams serve as a way to plan and communicate between developers. However, it is complex and resource-consuming. We propose an automated approach for the extraction of UML class diagrams from natural language software specifications. To develop our approach, we create a dataset of UML class diagrams and their English specifications with the help of volunteers. Our approach is a pipeline of steps consisting of the segmentation of the input into sentences, the classification of the sentences, the generation of UML class diagram fragments from sentences, and the composition of these fragments into one UML class diagram. We develop a quantitative testing framework specific to UML class diagram extraction. Our approach yields low precision and recall but serves as a benchmark for future research.

The virtue of quality is not itself a subject; it depends on a subject. In the software engineering field, quality means good software products that meet customer expectations, constraints, and requirements. Despite the numerous approaches, methods, descriptive models, and tools, that have been developed, a level of consensus has been reached by software practitioners. However, in the model-driven engineering (MDE) field, which has emerged from software engineering paradigms, quality continues to be a great challenge since the subject is not fully defined. The use of models alone is not enough to manage all of the quality issues at the modeling language level. In this work, we present the current state and some relevant considerations regarding quality in MDE, by identifying current categories in quality conception and by highlighting quality issues in real applications of the model-driven initiatives. We identified 16 categories in the definition of quality in MDE. From this identification, by applying an adaptive sampling approach, we discovered the five most influential authors for the works that propose definitions of quality. These include (in order): the OMG standards (e.g., MDA, UML, MOF, OCL, SysML), the ISO standards for software quality models (e.g., 9126 and 25,000), Krogstie, Lindland, and Moody. We also discovered families of works about quality, i.e., works that belong to the same author or topic. Seventy-three works were found with evidence of the mismatch between the academic/research field of quality evaluation of modeling languages and actual MDE practice in industry. We demonstrate that this field does not currently solve quality issues reported in industrial scenarios. The evidence of the mismatch was grouped in eight categories, four for academic/research evidence and four for industrial reports. These categories were detected based on the scope proposed in each one of the academic/research works and from the questions and issues raised by real practitioners. We then proposed a scenario to illustrate quality issues in a real information system project in which multiple modeling languages were used. For the evaluation of the quality of this MDE scenario, we chose one of the most cited and influential quality frameworks; it was detected from the information obtained in the identification of the categories about quality definition for MDE. We demonstrated that the selected framework falls short in addressing the quality issues. Finally, based on the findings, we derive eight challenges for quality evaluation in MDE projects that current quality initiatives do not address sufficiently.

This work presents a Model Driven Engineering (MDE) approach for the automatic generation of a network of timed automata from the functional specification of an embedded application described using UML class and sequence diagrams. By means of transformations on the UML model of the embedded system, a MOF-based representation for the network of timed automata is automatically obtained, which can be used as input to formal verification tools, as the Uppaal model checker, in order to validate desired functional and temporal properties of the embedded system specification. Since the network of timed automata is automatically generated, the methodology can be very useful for the designer, making easier the debugging and formal validation of the system specification. The paper describes the defined transformations between models, which generate the network of timed automata as well as the textual input to the Uppaal model checker, and illustrates the use of the methodology with a case study to show the effectiveness of the approach.

This paper deals with a new technique for validating object-oriented software at design phase of project development. There are several modeling diagrams used at design phase of Software Development Life Cycle. But in this paper, we focus on UML Activity Diagram. In our work, first we construct the UML activity diagram for the given system using ArgoUML. Then, the XML (“EXtensible Markup Language”) code is generated for the constructed activity diagram. Next, this XML code is translated to XSD (“XML Schema Definition”) code. This XSD code is given as input to JAXB (“Java Architecture for XML Binding”), which generates the Java template. Then, this Java template is instrumented to a complete Java program with minimal manual effort. Next, we carryout concolic testing of this Java code using jCUTE. This tool generates test cases by taking the Java program as input. Then, the obtained test suite and generated Java source code are inputed into our in-house developed tool named COPECA (COverage PErcentage CAlculator) to calculate MC/DC (Modified Condition/Decision Coverage) score. We have achieved 56.31% MC/DC on doing experiment with fourteen activity diagrams, which is a fair (moderate) achievement compared to the existing work.

This paper presents a prioritization technique that prioritizes the test cases using different design attributes like cohesion, coupling, the number of database access, and non-functional requirements. First, the system requirements are modeled using UML activity diagram (AD). The AD is turned into activity diagram graph (ADG), and the ADG is traversed to find out the test scenarios that are identified by the linearly independent paths in the ADG. Depending upon the different design attributes, weights for each node in the graph are identified and a final priority value is assigned to each node. The nodes executed for every test are identified, the priority value (PV) of the nodes is summed up, and the test case is assigned with a final priority value. Finally, depending on the priority value, the test cases are prioritized. The efficiency of the suggested approach is evaluated using the APFD metric.

Voice assistants are a subset of speech recognition technology that continue to exponentially improve in terms of their accessibility and functionality in response to user voice commands. The current research examined the effects of speaker accent, speech quality, and speech rate on syntactic and semantic interpretation accuracy for the voice assistant Siri. 60 adult participants read standardized command phrases to Siri to determine syntactic and semantic interpretation accuracy differences between Canadian and non-Canadian accents, masked and unmasked speaking, and slow, moderate, and fast rates of speech. Analyses demonstrated that poorer speech quality inputs resulted in significantly lower syntactic and semantic accuracy interpretation scores. Furthermore, non-Canadian accents generated significantly lower semantic accuracy interpretation scores. Accuracy measurements for speech rate and speaker accent (syntactic accuracy) did not support previous research findings. These results signify the importance of additional algorithmic training improvements and continuing to investigate influential factors on voice assistant response accuracy.

The continuous growth of the Android market has resulted in greater demand for applications and shorter development cycles. Developers and companies are adopting solutions to increase productivity and reduce development time and effort. Among them, Model-driven Engineering (MDE) has emerged as a concrete alternative to automatically generate Android applications. However, the current MDE propositions generate only part of the application, forcing developers to spend time in implementation tasks. To tackle that, we propose JustModeling, an MDE approach formed by JBModel, a graphical modeling tool with which the user models the application business classes using the UML class diagram and that provides a set of model transformations to generate code for the JustBusiness framework, which automatically generates all necessary resources of the mobile application. This allows developers to work on a higher level of abstraction, focusing on the application design rather than implementation issues. The approach was validated by a case study that showed better results than JustBusiness and the traditional development.

The paper presents an UML-business-model-driven approach to the automated design of the initial conceptual database model. The proposed approach is based on: (i) extraction of characteristic concepts from the business model consisting of a finite set of UML activity diagrams representing the business processes of the whole enterprise, and (ii) automated generation of the UML class diagram representing the target conceptual model. The implemented two-phase automatic generator iterates through the source business model, processes all activity diagrams and generates the target class diagram. The classes are being generated in the first phase, while the class associations are being added in the second phase. The application of the implemented generator is illustrated on the simplified real business model.KeywordsBusiness ModelActivity DiagramClass DiagramConceptual ModelUMLADBdesignTopcased

The Unified Modeling Language - UML - is the most used specification language, and the way the world models not only application structure, behavior, and architecture, but also business process and data structure. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate a system development methodology by generating the UML diagrams from the requirements of the Automatic Banking Machine (ABM) System and discuss their relationships, differences and suitability. The high-level requirements of the system are specified by using use-case diagram, activity diagram, state chart diagram, collaboration diagram, sequence diagram, and component diagram, and the low-level requirements of each component using class diagrams. We briefly introduce each diagram, their usage, their advantages and some limitations, and then we discuss the relationships and differences between two or more diagrams, and suitability for modeling the different parts of the system.

The unified modeling language (UML) designs come in a variety of different notations. UML designs can be quite large and interactions between various notations and the models they define can be difficult to assess. During the design phase, and between successive releases of systems, designs change. The impact of such changes and the resulting effect on behavior can be non-obvious and difficult to assess. This survey article explores techniques for such re-evaluation that can be classified as regression testing and suggests regression testing criteria for designs. These might vary depending on testing objectives and include both selective and regenerative regression testing approaches. The article provides a concise overview of regression testing approaches related to various UML design notations including use cases, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, activity diagrams, and statecharts, as well as combinations of these models. It discusses UML-related techniques involving cost and prioritization during selective regression testing. Finally, it evaluates these techniques with respect to inclusiveness, precision, efficiency, generality, accountability, and safety. An example is used throughout to illustrate how the techniques work. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This survey article explores techniques for regression testing with UML designs and suggests regression testing criteria for designs. These might vary depending on testing objectives and include both selective and regenerative regression testing approaches. The article provides a concise overview of regression testing approaches related to various UML design notations including use cases, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, activity diagrams, and statecharts, as well as combinations of these models. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.