Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Incremental Bidirectional Transformations: Comparing Declarative and Procedural Approaches Using the Families to Persons Benchmark

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering (ENASE 2018)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1023))

Abstract

Model transformations constitute a key technology for model-driven software engineering. In round-trip engineering processes, model transformations are performed not only in forward, but also in backward direction. In this paper, we compare declarative and procedural approaches to defining bidirectional transformations. More specifically, we use the well-known Families to Persons benchmark to evaluate two approaches. The declarative approach is based on QVT Relations (QVT-R), a declarative language which allows to specify incremental bidirectional transformations by defining a set of relations which need to hold among the participating models. The procedural approach makes use of BXtend, a light-weight framework for bidirectional transformations which are implemented in Xtend, a procedural and object-oriented programming language. Surprisingly, the comparative evaluation demonstrates that the procedural approach outperforms the declarative approach with respect to different criteria such as correctness of the solution, implementation effort, or cognitive complexity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    TGG denotes triple graph grammars, GT stands for graph transformations.

  2. 2.

    http://www.eclipse.org/xtend.

References

  1. Anjorin, A., Buchmann, T., Westfechtel, B.: The families to persons case. In: Garcia-Dominguez et al. [12], pp. 27–34

    Google Scholar 

  2. Anjorin, A., Cunha, A., Giese, H., Hermann, F., Rensink, A., Schürr, A.: BenchmarX. In: Candan, K.S., Amer-Yahia, S., Schweikardt, N., Christophides, V., Leroy, V. (eds.) Workshop Proceedings of the EDBT/ICDT 2014 Joint Conference. CEUR Workshop Proceedings, Athens, Greece, vol. 1133, pp. 82–86, March 2014

    Google Scholar 

  3. Anjorin, A., Diskin, Z., Jouault, F., Ko, H.S., Leblebici, E., Westfechtel, B.: BenchmarX reloaded: a practical framework for bidirectional transformations. In: Eramo, R., Johnson, M. (eds.) Sixth International Workshop on Bidirectional Transformations (BX 2017). CEUR Workshop Proceedings, Uppsala, Sweden, vol. 1827, pp. 15–30, April 2017

    Google Scholar 

  4. Anjorin, A., Lauder, M., Schürr, A.: eMoflon: a metamodelling and model transformation tool. In: Störrle, H., et al. (eds.) Joint Proceedings of the Co-located Events at the 8th European Conference on Modelling Foundations and Applications (ECMFA 2012), p. 348. Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Copenhagen (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bradfield, J., Stevens, P.: Recursive checkonly QVT-R transformations with general when and where clauses via the modal mu calculus. In: de Lara, J., Zisman, A. (eds.) FASE 2012. LNCS, vol. 7212, pp. 194–208. Springer, Heidelberg (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28872-2_14

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  6. Bradfield, J., Stevens, P.: Enforcing QVT-R with mu-Calculus and games. In: Cortellessa, V., Varró, D. (eds.) FASE 2013. LNCS, vol. 7793, pp. 282–296. Springer, Heidelberg (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37057-1_21

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  7. Buchmann, T.: BXtend—a framework for (bidirectional) model transformations. In: Hamoudi, S., Pires, L.F., Selic, B. (eds.) Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Model-Driven Engineering and Software Development: MODELSWARD (MODELSWARD 2018), Funchal, Madeira, vol. 1, pp. 336–345. SciTePress, January 2018

    Google Scholar 

  8. Buchmann, T., Greiner, S.: Bidirectional model transformations using a handcrafted triple graph transformation system. In: Cabello, E., Cardoso, J., Ludwig, A., Maciaszek, L.A., van Sinderen, M. (eds.) ICSOFT 2016. CCIS, vol. 743, pp. 201–220. Springer, Cham (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62569-0_10

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  9. Buchmann, T., Westfechtel, B.: Using triple graph grammars to realize incremental round-trip engineering. IET Softw. 10(6), 173–181 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Czarnecki, K., Foster, J.N., Hu, Z., Lämmel, R., Schürr, A., Terwilliger, J.F.: Bidirectional transformations: a cross-discipline perspective. In: Paige, R.F. (ed.) ICMT 2009. LNCS, vol. 5563, pp. 260–283. Springer, Heidelberg (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02408-5_19

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. Czarnecki, K., Helsen, S.: Feature-based survey of model transformation approaches. IBM Syst. J. 45(3), 621–645 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Garcia-Dominguez, A., Hinkel, G., Krikava, F. (eds.): Proceedings of the 10th Transformation Tool Contest (TTC 2017). CEUR Workshop Proceedings, Marburg, vol. 2026, July 2017

    Google Scholar 

  13. Greiner, S., Buchmann, T., Westfechtel, B.: Bidirectional transformations with QVT-R: a case study in round-trip engineering UML class models and Java source code. In: Hammoudi, S., Pires, L.F., Selic, B., Desfray, P. (eds.) Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Model-Driven Engineering and Software Development (MODELSWARD 2016), pp. 15–27. SciTePress (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Hidaka, S., Tisi, M., Cabot, J., Hu, Z.: Feature-based classification of bidirectional transformation approaches. Softw. Syst. Model. 15(3), 907–928 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Hinkel, G.: An NMF solution to the families to persons case at the TTC 2017. In: Garcia-Dominguez et al. [12], pp. 35–39

    Google Scholar 

  16. Horn, T.: Solving the TTC families to persons case with funnyQT. In: Garcia-Dominguez et al. [12], pp. 47–51

    Google Scholar 

  17. IKV++ technologies: medini QVT (2017). http://projects.ikv.de/qvt

  18. Macedo, N., Cunha, A.: Least-change bidirectional model transformation with QVT-R and ATL. Softw. Syst. Model. 15(3), 783–810 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Object Management Group: Object Constraint Language Version 2.4. Needham, MA, formal/2014-02-03 edn, February 2014

    Google Scholar 

  20. Object Management Group: Meta Object Facility (MOF) 2.0 Query/View/Transformation Specification Version 1.3. Needham, MA, formal/2016-06-03 edn, February 2016

    Google Scholar 

  21. Object Management Group: OMG Meta Object Facility (MOF) Core Specification Version 2.5.1. Needham, MA, formal/2016-11-01 edn, November 2016

    Google Scholar 

  22. Samimi-Dehkordi, L., Zamani, B., Rahimi, S.K.: Solving the families to persons case using EVL+Strace. In: Garcia-Dominguez et al. [12], pp. 54–62

    Google Scholar 

  23. Schürr, A.: Specification of graph translators with triple graph grammars. In: Mayr, E.W., Schmidt, G., Tinhofer, G. (eds.) WG 1994. LNCS, vol. 903, pp. 151–163. Springer, Heidelberg (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-59071-4_45

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  24. Steinberg, D., Budinsky, F., Paternostro, M., Merks, E.: EMF Eclipse Modeling Framework. The Eclipse Series, 2nd edn. Addison-Wesley, Upper Saddle River (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Stevens, P.: Bidirectional model transformations in QVT: semantic issues and open questions. Softw. Syst. Model. 9(1), 7–20 (2010)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  26. Westfechtel, B.: A case study for evaluating bidirectional transformations in QVT relations. In: Filipe, J., Maciaszek, L. (eds.) In: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on the Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering (ENASE 2015), Barcelona, Spain, pp. 141–155. SciTePress, April 2015

    Google Scholar 

  27. Westfechtel, B.: A case study for a bidirectional transformation between heterogeneous metamodels in QVT relations. In: Maciaszek, L.A., Filipe, J. (eds.) ENASE 2015. CCIS, vol. 599, pp. 141–161. Springer, Cham (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30243-0_8

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  28. Westfechtel, B.: Case-based exploration of bidirectional transformations in QVT relations. Softw. Syst. Model. 17(3), 989–1029 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Westfechtel, B.: Incremental bidirectional transformations: applying QVT relations to the families to persons benchmark. In: Damiani, E., Spanoudakis, G., Maciaszek, L. (eds.) Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on the Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering (ENASE 2018), Funchal, Madeira, pp. 39–53. SciTePress, March 2018

    Google Scholar 

  30. Zündorf, A., Weidt, A.: The SDMLib solution to the TTC 2017 families 2 persons case. In: Garcia-Dominguez et al. [12], pp. 41–45

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The BXtend solution for the Families to Persons case was developed by Sebastian Kaske in a Bachelor thesis under the supervision of both authors. Furthermore, the authors are indebted to Anthony Anjorin for providing the Benchmarx framework, as well as to Erhan Leblebici for integrating medini QVT into the framework.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Computer Science I, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany

    Bernhard Westfechtel & Thomas Buchmann

Authors
  1. Bernhard Westfechtel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas Buchmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bernhard Westfechtel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Ernesto Damiani

  2. City University London, London, UK

    George Spanoudakis

  3. Wrocław University of Economics, Wroclaw, Poland

    Leszek A. Maciaszek

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Westfechtel, B., Buchmann, T. (2019). Incremental Bidirectional Transformations: Comparing Declarative and Procedural Approaches Using the Families to Persons Benchmark. In: Damiani, E., Spanoudakis, G., Maciaszek, L. (eds) Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering. ENASE 2018. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1023. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22559-9_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22559-9_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-22558-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-22559-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation