Requirements-Driven Testing of Domain-Specific Core Language Models Using Scenarios

Abstract

Abstract-In this paper, we present an approach for the scenario-based testing of the core language models of domainspecific modeling languages (DSML). The core language model is a crucial artifact in DSML development, because it captures all relevant domain abstractions and specifies the relations between these abstractions. In software engineering, scenarios are used to explore and to define (actual or intended) system behavior as well as to specify user requirements. The different steps in a requirements-level scenario can then be refined through detailed scenarios. In our approach, we use scenarios as a primary design artifact. Non-executable, human-understandable scenario descriptions can be refined into executable test scenarios. To demonstrate the applicability of our approach, we implemented a scenario-based testing framework based on the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) and the Epsilon model-management toolkit.

Natural-language Scenario Descriptions for Testing Core Language Models of Domain-Specific Languages

“…To validate core language models against these descriptions in a systematic and automated manner, they must be transformed into executable test cases by the DSML engineer using step definitions. Scenario-based testing approaches (Strembeck, 2011;Sobernig et al, 2013) provide the necessary abstractions (e.g., test cases, test scenarios, preand post-conditions, setup and cleanup sequences) to represent scenario descriptions directly as executable tests. For our proof-of-concept implementation, we use our scenario-based testing framework published in as test-execution platform.…”

“…In the step of platform integration, instance models of the requirements metamodel (see Figure 6) are transformed into executable scenario tests supported by this test framework. Table 2 shows the exemplary correspondences between the metamodel concepts, the scenario-based testing domain concepts (Strembeck, 2011), and the syntactical equivalents as provided by the test-execution platform (Kolovos et al, 2013;Sobernig et al, 2013). Note that integration with alternative validation platforms for the scenario descriptions (e.g., an OCL engine, a modeltransformation engine) can be achieved by providing a dedicated set of step definitions.…”

“…Our software prototype implements an EGLbased (Epsilon Generation Language) transformation from requirements-level scenarios into executable tests deployable in our extended EUnit testing framework (Kolovos et al, 2013;Sobernig et al, 2013). The transformation evaluates step definitions (Listing 4) against the requirements specification (Listing 3).…”

Comparing Three Notations for Defining Scenario-Based Model Tests: A Controlled Experiment

“…To ensure such high quality models, the predominantly code-centric testing strategies must be complemented with approaches for testing at the model-level. Such model-level tests help detect errors at an early development stage (see, e.g., [3], [4]). …”

“…In MDD, scenario specifications can be used to test models for compliance with corresponding domain requirements (see, e.g., [3], [4], [8]). Different approaches have been proposed to provide notations for specifying scenarios, for example in a table-based layout, as message sequence charts, or via formal methods (see, e.g., [7], [9], [10]).…”