TOTEM: Reconciling multi-level modelling with standard two-level modelling

Abstract

Model driven Engineering (MDE) advocates the active use of models throughout the different software development phases. In MDE, models are described using meta-models, one meta-level above. This approach effectively leaves developers with one single meta-level to create their models. However, there are scenarios where the use of multiple meta-levels results in simpler models with less accidental complexity. Hence, to simplify modelling in these cases, several multi-level modelling approaches and tools have recently emerged to increase the flexibility in modelling. While they provide advanced primitives to simplify modelling, there are possibilities to improve interoperability with mainstream two-level modelling approaches based on the Meta-Object Facility (MOF) standard of the Object Management Group (OMG), and achieve wider adoption. For this purpose, we first characterise the design space of multi-level modelling approaches using a feature model. On such a basis, we provide a detailed comparison of existing multi-level modelling tools, identifying gaps and research opportunities. As a result of this gap analysis, we propose a new approach to multi-level modelling that embeds multiple meta-levels within one meta-model (i.e., encoding objects as classes, and instantiation as inheritance), and a tool – called TOTEM – which implements these concepts. The tool capabilities and its benefits in terms of interoperability with mainstream, standard modelling frameworks are illustrated through an example, as well as with empirical and analytical evaluations