A framework for model transformation verification

Lano, Kevin; Clark, Tony; Kolahdouz-Rahimi, Shekoufeh

doi:10.1007/s00165-014-0313-z

Cited by 36 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In [32], a Hoare-style calculus is developed by Stenzel et al in the KIV prover to analyze transformations expressed in (a subset of) QVT Operational. UML-RSDS is a tool-set for developing correct MTs by construction [23]. It chooses well-accepted concepts in MDE to make their approach more accessible by developers to specify MTs.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

CoqTL: a Coq DSL for rule-based model transformation

2019

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In model-driven engineering, model transformation (MT) verification is essential for reliably producing software artifacts. While recent advancements have enabled automatic Hoare-style verification for non-trivial MTs, there are certain verification tasks (e.g. induction) that are intrinsically difficult to automate. Existing tools that aim at simplifying the interactive verification of MTs typically translate the MT specification (e.g. in ATL) and properties to prove (e.g. in OCL) into an interactive theorem prover. However, since the MT specification and proof phases happen in separate languages, the proof developer needs a detailed knowledge of the translation logic. Naturally, any error in the MT translation could cause unsound verification, i.e. the MT executed in the original environment may have different semantics from the verified MT. We propose an alternative solution by designing and implementing an internal domain specific language, namely CoqTL, for the specification of declarative MTs directly in the Coq interactive theorem prover. Expressions in CoqTL are written in Gallina (the specification language of Coq), increasing the possibilities of reusing native Coq libraries in the transformation definition and proof. CoqTL specifications can be directly executed by our transformation engine encoded in Coq, or a certified implementation of the transformation can be generated by the native Coq extraction mechanism. We ensure that CoqTL has the same expressive power of Gallina (i.e. if a MT can be computed in Gallina, then it can also be represented in CoqTL). In this article, we introduce CoqTL, evaluate its practical applicability on a use case, and identify its current limitations.

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Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

CoqTL: a Coq DSL for rule-based model transformation

2019

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“…The fact that hybrid analysis can be applied to compound transformations of any depth paves a new way to the validation of F-Alloy transformations, namely Visualization-Based Validation (VBV), complementing the other existing model transformation validation techniques [18]. Given a transformation f specified in F-Alloy, the VBV of f relies on the definition of a compound transformation called f _viz from f to VLM as depicted in Fig.…”

Section: Visualization-based Validation Of Model Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agile validation of model transformations using compound F-Alloy specifications

Gammaitoni

Kelsen

2018

Science of Computer Programming

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Model transformations play a key role in model driven software engineering approaches. Validation of model transformations is crucial for the quality assurance of software systems to be constructed. The relational logic based specification language Alloy and its accompanying tool the Alloy Analyzer have been used in the past to validate properties of model transformations. However Alloy based analysis of transformations suffers from several limitations. On one hand, it is time consuming and does not scale well. On the other hand, the reliance on Alloy, being a formal method, prevents the effective involvement of domain experts in the validation process which is crucial for pinpointing domain pertinent errors. Those limitations are even more severe when it comes to transformations whose input and/or output are themselves transformations (called compound transformations) because they are inherently more complex. To tackle the performance and scalability limitations, in previous work, we proposed an Alloy-based Domain Specific Language (DSL), called F-Alloy, that is tailored for model transformation specifications. Instead of pure analysis based validation, F-Alloy speeds up the validation of model transformations by applying a hybrid strategy that combines analysis with interpretation. In this paper, we formalize the notion of "hybrid analysis" and further extended it to also support efficient validation of compound transformations. To enable the effective involvement of domain experts in the validation process, we propose in this paper a new approach to model transformation validation, called Visualization-Based Validation (briefly VBV). Following VBV, representative instances of a to-bevalidated model transformation are automatically generated by hybrid analysis and shown to domain experts for feedback in a visual notation that they are familiar with. We prescribe a process to guide the application of VBV to model transformations and illustrate it with a benchmark model transformation.

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“…Inspired by the proof-as-program methodology, there is a line of research which develops the concept of proof-asmodel-transformation methodology [18,42,53,54]. This is the opposite of traditional theorem-proving approaches.…”

Section: Theorem Provingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formalised EMFTVM bytecode language for sound verification of model transformations

2016

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Model-driven engineering is an effective approach for addressing the full life cycle of software development. Model transformation is widely acknowledged as one of its central ingredients. With the increasing complexity of model transformations, it is urgent to develop verification tools that prevent incorrect transformations from generating faulty models. However, the development of sound verification tools is a non-trivial task, due to unimplementable or erroneous execution semantics encoded for the target model transformation language. In this work, we develop a formalisation for the EMFTVM bytecode language by using the Boogie intermediate verification language. It ensures the model transformation language has an implementable execution semantics by reliably prototyping the implementation of the model transformation language. It also ensures the absence of erroneous execution semantics encoded for the target model transformation language by using a translation validation approach.

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A framework for model transformation verification

Cited by 36 publications

References 41 publications

CoqTL: a Coq DSL for rule-based model transformation

CoqTL: a Coq DSL for rule-based model transformation

Agile validation of model transformations using compound F-Alloy specifications

Formalised EMFTVM bytecode language for sound verification of model transformations

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