Authors:
Christof Tinnes
1
;
Uwe Hohenstein
1
;
Wolfgang Rössler
2
and
Andreas Biesdorf
1
Affiliations:
1
T SSP ADM, Siemens AG, Otto-Hahn-Ring 6, 81730 Munich, Germany
;
2
SMO RS EN CCIP AR, Siemens AG, Siemenspromenade 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Keyword(s):
Model-driven Approach, MagicDraw, Graph Database, Neo4j.
Abstract:
This paper reports on our experience of using a graph database to efficiently compare very large models in an industrial model-driven engineering project. The need for a comparison results from the fact that architectural models are reused. They conform to a common domain-specific language but diverge as they belong to different products managed in separate branches of a repository in the sense of a clone-and-own approach. In the presented industry project, huge models are developed and reside in the commercial tool MAGICDRAW. In fact, unlike many other tools, MAGICDRAW turned out to be capable to handle those huge models in industrial environments. In this context, there is a strong necessity to detect and judge relevant differences between models in different branches in order to avoid a model drift and loosing reuse opportunities across the products. Indeed, MAGICDRAW has a built-in difference tool, which however exposes an excessive number of differences, only a fraction of which
are really relevant for certain tasks. We show that the capabilities of the graph database NEO4J can be leveraged to reduce the differences to relevant ones. The expressiveness of NEO4J turned out to be sufficient, just as the performance did.
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