Skip to main content

GeRoMe: A Generic Role Based Metamodel for Model Management

  • Conference paper
Book cover On the Move to Meaningful Internet Systems 2005: CoopIS, DOA, and ODBASE (OTM 2005)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 3761))

Abstract

The goal of Model Management is the development of new technologies and mechanisms to support the integration, evolution and matching of models. Such tasks are to be performed by means of a set of model management operators which work on models and their elements, without being restricted to a particular metamodel (e.g. the relational or UML metamodel).

We propose that generic model management should employ a generic metamodel (GMM) which serves as an abstraction of the features of particular metamodels while preserving the semantics of its different elements. A naive generalization of the elements of concrete metamodels in generic metaclasses would loose some of the specific features of the metamodels, or yield a prohibitive number of metaclasses in the GMM. To avoid these problems, we propose the Generic Role Based MetamodelGeRoMe in which each model element is decorated with a set of role objects that represent specific properties of the model element. Roles may be added to or removed from elements at any time, which enables a very flexible and dynamic yet accurate definition of models.

Roles constitute to operators different views on the same model element. Thus, operators concentrate on features which affect their functionality but may remain agnostic about other features. Consequently, these operators can use polymorphism and have to be implemented only once using GeRoMe, and not for each specific metamodel. We verified our results by implementing GeRoMe and a selection of model management operators using our metadata system ConceptBase.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Atzeni, P., Torlone, R.: Management of Multiple Models in an Extensible Database Design Tool. In: Apers, P.M.G., Bouzeghoub, M., Gardarin, G. (eds.) EDBT 1996. LNCS, vol. 1057, pp. 79–95. Springer, Heidelberg (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bachman, C.W., Daya, M.: The Role Concept in Data Models. In: Proc. VLDB Conf., Tokyo, pp. 464–476 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bernstein, P.A.: Applying Model Management to Classical Meta Data Problems. In: 1st Biennial Conf. on Innovative Data Systems Research (CIDR 2003), Asilomar, CA (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bernstein, P.A., Halevy, A.Y., Pottinger, R.: A Vision for Management of Complex Models. SIGMOD Record 29(4), 55–63 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Bernstein, P.A., Melnik, S., Petropoulos, M., Quix, C.: Industrial-Strength Schema Matching. SIGMOD Record 33(4), 38–43 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Bertino, E., Guerrini, G.: Objects with Multiple Most Specific Classes. In: Olthoff, W. (ed.) ECOOP 1995. LNCS, vol. 952, pp. 102–126. Springer, Heidelberg (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Elmasri, R.A., Navathe, S.B.: Fundamentals of Database Systems, 3rd edn. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hernández, M.A., Miller, R.J., Haas, L.M.: Clio: A Semi-Automatic Tool For Schema Mapping. In: Proc. ACM SIGMOD Conf., Santa Barbara, CA (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hull, R., King, R.: Semantic Database Modeling: Survey, Applications, and Research Issues. ACM Computing Surveys 19(3), 201–260 (1987)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. ISO/IEC. Information technology – Information Resource Dictionary System (IRDS) Framework. Tech. Rep. ISO/IEC 10027:1990 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Jeusfeld, M.A., Jarke, M., Nissen, H.W., Staudt, M.: ConceptBase – Managing Conceptual Models about Information Systems. In: Bernus, P., Mertins, K., Schmidt, G. (eds.) Handbook on Architectures of Information Systems, pp. 265–285. Springer, Heidelberg (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jeusfeld, M.A., Johnen, U.A.: An Executable Meta Model for Re-Engineering of Database Schemas. In: Loucopoulos, P. (ed.) ER 1994. LNCS, vol. 881, pp. 533–547. Springer, Heidelberg (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Melnik, S., Rahm, E., Bernstein, P.A.: Rondo: A Programming Platform for Generic Model Management. In: Proc. ACM SIGMOD Conf., San Diego, pp. 193–204 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mylopoulos, J., Borgida, A., Jarke, M., Koubarakis, M.: Telos: Representing Knowledge About Information Systems. ACM Transactions on Information Systems 8(4), 325–362 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Pottinger, R., Bernstein, P.A.: Merging Models Based on Given Correspondences. In: Proc. VLDB, Berlin, pp. 862–873 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Richardson, J., Schwarz, P.: Aspects: extending objects to support multiple, independent roles. In: Proc. ACM SIGMOD Conf., Denver, pp. 298–307 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Wong, R.K., Chau, H.L., Lochovsky, F.H.: A Data Model and Semantics of Objects with Dynamic Roles. In: Proc. ICDE, Birmingham, UK, pp. 402–411 (1997)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Kensche, D., Quix, C., Chatti, M.A., Jarke, M. (2005). GeRoMe: A Generic Role Based Metamodel for Model Management. In: Meersman, R., Tari, Z. (eds) On the Move to Meaningful Internet Systems 2005: CoopIS, DOA, and ODBASE. OTM 2005. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 3761. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/11575801_18

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/11575801_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-29738-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-32120-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics