Knowledge base approach to consistency management of UML specifications

Abstract

The use of the Unified Modelling Language (UML) during systems development has been growing in scale and complexity, often resulting in inconsistent specifications. We present a knowledge base goal-driven approach for consistency management of UML specifications represented as axioms which define goals. We propose an inference procedure as a flexible pattern-based abduction used to build and morph paths based on the specifications. The approach involves a two-step interaction process between the specifications: observation and comparison. Prototypes of the knowledge base engine and of a tool to map UML specifications in XMI format (eXtensible Metadata Interchange) to the knowledge base have been developed to demonstrate and evaluate the approach.