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Metamodel

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Metamodel

Definition

A metamodel is a model that consists of statements about models. Hence, a metamodel is also a model but its universe of discourse is a set of models, namely, those models that are of interest to the creator of the metamodel. In the context of information systems, a metamodel contains statements about the constructs used in models about information systems. The statements in a metamodel can define the constructs or can express true and desired properties of the constructs. Like models are abstractions of some reality, metamodels are abstractions of models. The continuation of the abstraction leads to metametamodels, being models of metamodels containing statements about metamodels. Metamodeling is the activity of designing metamodels (and metametamodels). Metamodeling is applied to design new modeling languages and to extend existing modeling languages.

A second sense of the term metamodel is the specification of the generation of mathematical models, in...

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Recommended Reading

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Correspondence to Manfred Jeusfeld .

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Jeusfeld, M. (2018). Metamodel. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_898

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