1. Systematic Mapping Study of Model Transformations for Concrete Problems
Edouard Batot, Houari Sahraoui, Eugene Syriani, Paul Molins and Wael Sboui
Dépt. I.R.O., Université de Montréal
Rather, we focus on some of the exciting and challenging avenues that lie ahead for future work in this rapidly growing research and practitioner community

2. Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Overview
Introduction
Systematic Mapping Process
Selection Process Results
Study Results
Conclusion

3. Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Introduction
Model transformation
Core requirement in MDE
Significantly growing interest in the last decade
Model transformations used in industry and academia
Defining model transformations difficult to classify as a research or practical/development activity?
Study the maturity of model transformations in the MDE community
Do I have any chance to publish a model transformation definition/implementation?
If yes, is there any under-investigated sub-fields?
Rather, we focus on some of the exciting and challenging avenues that lie ahead for future work in this rapidly growing research and practitioner community
As a new PhD in SE, and specifically in MDE, do I have any chance to get my new MM/MT published in conference/journal ?
Or will it fall fatally in the workshop track ?

4. Systematic Mapping study
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Systematic Mapping study
As defined by Petersen et al. in
Systematic mapping studies in software engineering, EASE’08
Definition of
Research Questions
Conduct Search
Screening of Papers
Keywording using Abstracts
Data Extraction and Mapping Process
Review Scope
(Query)
All papers
Relevant Papers
Classification Scheme
Systematic Map
Focus: published model transformations for concrete problems

5. Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Systematic Map
Research questions
RQ1: What are the trends in concrete model transformations?
RQ2: What are the characteristics of these transformations?
From research questions to a query with keywords
A query with “MDE”, “transformation”, “mapping” and their variants and synonyms
Covered publication period
2005 to 2014
Data sources
Automatic search in Scopus database (7M+ papers)
Manual addition of all papers from ECMFA, ICMT, MoDELS, SoSym
Scopus : 58M records
7.2M conf/journal papers
44000 books
Didn’t index papers from Springer, we added manually the 4 main Springer forums specialized in models at large.

6. Flow of information through SMP
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Flow of information through SMP
Search
Screening
591 papers manually added
1135 full papers for screening
1187 documents from Scopus
filters
643 documents
removed

7. Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Screening
Candidate documents are screened (title+abstract) to identify relevant papers
Each candidate paper is screened by two reviewers
Conflict resolution by (1) physical meetings and (2) senior arbitration
Inclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria
About model transformation
Concrete aspect of the transformation mentioned in the abstract
Not a full paper
Not a software engineering paper
Not about model transformation
Not a concrete transformation
Physical meeting, if no consensus, senior arbitration

8. Flow of information through SMP
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Flow of information through SMP
Search
Screening
Classification scheme
591 papers from specialized forums
1135 full papers for screening
95 full papers
82 full papers considered for systematic map
1187 documents from Scopus
Screening & conflict
resolution
Filters
1040 rejected full papers
13 rejected with reason
643 documents
removed
Not a concrete MT
as main contribution

9. Classification Scheme
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Classification Scheme
82 papers included for systematic mapping
Classification scheme constructed from keywording abstracts + prior knowledge
8 classification categories
Intent: under which intent category does the transformation fall ? [1]
Scope: exogenous, outplace or inplace
Transformation kind: does the transformation operate on the structure, mainly the syntax, or on the behavior, mainly the semantics, of the models involved?
Metamodel(s) kind: general-purpose (GPL) vs domain-specific (DSL)
Transformation language: dedicated, programming or another
Model kind: are involved models industrial, publicly available, or toy example?
Orientation: industry or academia
Validation: formal, empiric or none
Meta info: intent/scope/transfo kind
Specification: input/process/output
Context relation: orientation/validation
[1] Lúcio, L et al. (2014). “Model transformation intents and their properties.” Int. J. on Soft. and Systems Modeling.

10. Study Results: General trend
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: General trend
General number of papers
Reach a peack in 2010
General forums
Peak in 2009
Specialized forums
Peak in 2012
Transition
from main
to specialized forums

11. Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
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Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: Intent
Focus on three main intents :
Language translation
Refinement[1]
Semantic definition[2]
Others had been more investigated with other
technics ?
Translation
Refinement : code synthesis (De Marco)
Semantics : semantics of a MM into another one : (Wagelaar et al., 2012)
[1] Di Marco, A. et al (2013). Model-driven approach to Agilla Agent generation. In Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing Conf
[2] Wagelaar, D et al (2012). Translational Semantics of a Co-evolution Specific Language with the EMF Transformation Virtual Machine. In Theory and Practice of Model Transformations

12. Study Results: Scope and transformation kind
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Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: Scope and transformation kind
Mainly exogenous
Mainly structural
“one can manipulate time information just like structural information” [1]
Lack of endogenous/behavioral
studies ?
[1] Gîrba, T. et al (2005). “Using Meta-Model Transformation to Model Software Evolution.” Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, 137(3).

13. Study Results: Metamodel kind and language used
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Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: Metamodel kind and language used
Modeling in a general language
Ecore – XML – PétriNets…
Transforming with a dedicated language
QVT – ATL…
“Other” as an ad-hoc language for one specific transformation[3]
[3] Yue, T. et al. (2012). “Bridging the Gap between Requirements and Aspect State Machines to Support Non-functional Testing: Industrial Case Studies”. In Proc. of the ECMFA

14. Study Results: Validation, Model kind and orientation
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: Validation, Model kind and orientation
Does the study contain a validation ?
Empirical ? Formal ? None ?
Here lays the challenge
to the wide adoption.

15. Study Results: Validation, Model kind and orientation
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: Validation, Model kind and orientation
Here lays the challenge
to the wide adoption.

16. Study Results: Validation, Model kind and Orientation
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: Validation, Model kind and Orientation
Does the study contain a validation ?
Empirical ? Formal ? None ?
What kind of model does the study use
Industrial or Publicly available models or a Toy example ?
Check paper for examples.

17. Study Results: Validation, Model kind and Orientation
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: Validation, Model kind and Orientation
Here lays the challenge
to the wide adoption.

18. Study Results: Validation, Model kind and Orientation
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: Validation, Model kind and Orientation
Does the study contain a validation ?
Empirical ? Formal ? None ?
Does the study use
Industrial or Publicly available models or a Toy example ?
Is the study industrial or academical ?
Empirical studies more common.
Repositories are growing, industrial data still scarce.
Academics use more and more indus data.
Two ways to involve industry: using their data, or their interest (only) (it’s already appealing)
Using data to validate stringly, using interest to show the interest !

19. Study Results: Validation, Model kind and Orientation
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Study Results: Validation, Model kind and Orientation

20. Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Conclusion
Has model transformation community reached a maturity?
Decreasing rate of publication
Focused on structure
Lack of endogenous studies
Use of general purpose metamodels, few DSLs
Increasing number of validations
Is it still relevant to publish papers about model transformation?
Less and less the case
More studies to confirm the trend

21. Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Future work
Are other MDE type of artefacts following the same trend ?
Papers about new metamodel or new UML Profile used to be popular not long ago.
What’s next ?
Is validation relevant w.r.t. the maturity of a field ?

22. Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
28/11/2018
Concrete Model transformation : a Systematic mapping study
Majority of academic ; use toy examples.