Abstract
The development of complex, embedded software systems as used in telecommunication, cars, airplanes and automation systems requires structured, modular procedures and adequate techniques for a precise description of requirements, architectures and its their components, their interfaces to the systems' contexts as well as for internal interfaces, the interplay action between control and controlled device, and finally for the implementation. Early and integrated use of models (like e.g. UML and MDA advocate) generates immense expectations to successfully control the development process. This article describes the theoretical foundations of a strictly model based development in terms of an integrated, homogeneous, but yet modular construction kit for models, which is definitely needed for such an approach. Emphasis needs to be taken on Interfaces, Hierarchical decomposition, Architectures built through composition and decomposition, Abstraction through layering, Implementation through state machines, Refinement of hierarchy, interfaces and behavior, Alteration between abstraction viewpoints, and Integrated view on controlling and controlled system components. In analogy to any other engineering discipline, this modeling constriction kitmust correspond to a sound logical, mathematical theory. The theory introduced here consists of a set of notations and theorems and builds a solid basis for scientifically funded, tool-based methods and pragmatic, domain specific processes. For a scientifically grounded method, the concrete syntactic form of a modeling language is far less important than the central modeling theory. A concrete representation of models through textual or graphical notations is undoubtedly an important prerequisite for the practical use of modeling techniques. However, it is only comfortable and replaceable "syntactic sugar".
Translated title of the contribution | Modular hierarchical modeling as basis of software and system development |
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Original language | German |
Pages (from-to) | 3-18 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Informatik-Spektrum |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2007 |