Type-Safety in EA Model Analysis

Abstract

In this paper, we first describe the tension between type-safety and flexibility in EA analysis tools. We then present a web-based system that combines the benefits of static typing with the flexibility of a dynamic and collaborative meta-modeling platform. In particular, we describe the underlying meta-model, the syntax and semantics of the expression language, and derive an associated type system, including polymorphic types, sub-typing, and limited type inference. We then demonstrate the benefits of static type-safety for enterprise architects, like syntax highlighting, code completion, code navigation, and refactoring, in particular in presence of dynamic meta-model changes. The paper ends with a description of a case study using the tool for the analysis of the application landscape complexity using data from four German banks.