Developing Applications Using Model-Driven Design Environments

TLDR

Software development has historically prioritized tools for system creation over tools that aid system composition and integration, leaving a gap between standard development tools and those needed for composing and testing complete systems, which has led developers to rely on ad hoc methods. The authors aim to demonstrate that model‑driven development can address the challenges of composing and integrating large‑scale systems by leveraging component‑based middleware. The approach uses component‑based middleware such as Enterprise Java‑Beans, Microsoft .NET, and the CORBA Component Model, combined with model‑driven development techniques, to provide automated tools for composing, analyzing, and testing large‑scale systems.

Abstract

Historically, software development methodologies have focused more on improving tools for system development than on developing tools that assist with system composition and integration. Component-based middleware like Enterprise Java-Beans (EJB), Microsoft .NET, and the CORBA Component Model (CCM) have helped improve software reusability through component abstraction. However, as developers have adopted these commercial off-the-shelf technologies, a wide gap has emerged between the availability and sophistication of standard software development tools like compilers and debuggers, and the tools that developers use to compose, analyze, and test a complete system or system of systems. As a result, developers continue to accomplish system integration using ad hoc methods without the support of automated tools. Model-driven development is an emerging paradigm that solves numerous problems associated with the composition and integration of large-scale systems while leveraging advances in software development technologies such as component-based middleware. MDD elevates software development to a higher level of abstraction than is possible with third-generation programming languages.