Flexible Model-to-Model Transformation Templates: An Application to ATL

By: Jesús Sánchez Cuadrado, Esther Guerra, Juan de Lara

Abstract

Model transformation is one of the core techniques in Model-Driven Engineering. Many transformation languages exist nowadays, but few offer mechanisms directed to the reuse of whole transformations or transformation fragments in different contexts. Taking inspiration from generic programming, in this paper we define model transformation templates. These templates are not defined over concrete meta-models, but on so-called meta-model concepts which later can be bound to specific meta-models. The binding mechanism is flexible as it permits mapping concepts and meta-models with certain kinds of structural heterogeneities. The approach is general and can be applied to any model transformation language. In this paper we report on its application to ATL.

Keywords

Model-Driven Engineering, Model-to-Model Transformation, Reutilization, Genericity

Cite as:

Jesús Sánchez Cuadrado, Esther Guerra, Juan de Lara, “Flexible Model-to-Model Transformation Templates: An Application to ATL”, Journal of Object Technology, Volume 11, no. 2 (August 2012), pp. 4:1-28, doi:10.5381/jot.2012.11.2.a4.