Device, system and method for accelerated modeling

• US 7,823,120 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2005
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metaphor Vision, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Metaphor Vision, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kazakov, Michael, Kazakov, Evgeny, Peleg, Eran
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, CHIH CHING
• Application Number:
  US10/591,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20070180424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,064 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104, 717/120
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

Briefly, embodiments of the invention provide, for example, devices, systems and methods for accelerated modeling. A method may include, for example, defining a domain-specific language (100) usable in a modeling environment (700) and having a dynamic component and a static component, the dynamic component able to affect a behavior of the static component.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

defining, by a language builder module executed by a processor of a language builder station, a domain-specific language usable in defining a modeling environment and having a dynamic component and a static component, wherein behavior definitions of said static component are modifiable by said dynamic component; and

applying on a modeling environment, by a language runtime module executed by a processor of a modeling station, modification by said dynamic component of behavior definitions of said static component, so as to change definitions of modeling process, wherein said dynamic component is a domain-specific language definition applied on said static component; and

the domain-specific language definition is built via a DSL builder station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said domain-specific language comprises:

defining said dynamic component and said static component in accordance with Unified Modeling Language constructs and semantics.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said domain-specific language comprises:

defining a customized Unified Modeling Language meta-modeling profile which supports definitions of said dynamic component and said static component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said domain-specific language comprises:

defining said domain-specific language based on custom meta-modeling constructs, said constructs in accordance with a Unified Modeling Language meta-modeling profile and defining said dynamic component and said static component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said domain-specific language comprises:

importing a definition of an element of said domain-specific language from a previously-defined domain-specific language.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said domain-specific language comprises:

validating said domain-specific language in accordance with a validation rule defined in a meta-modeling language.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said domain-specific language comprises:

generating an eXtensible Markup Language output representing at least one definition of said domain-specific language.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said domain-specific language comprises:

defining a custom action available for execution, on an element of an application model compliant with said domain-specific language, in response to an invocation request in accordance with said domain-specific language.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said domain-specific language comprises:

defining at least one language information item of said domain-specific language;

defining at least one language term of said domain-specific language; and

defining at least one data type of said domain-specific language.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein defining said domain-specific language further comprises:

defining a relationship between said at least one language term and another language term of said domain-specific language.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein defining said domain-specific language further comprises:

defining a constraint associated with one or more elements of said domain-specific language to be used during validation of said one or more elements of said domain-specific language.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein defining said domain-specific language further comprises:

defining an aspect able to affect an element selected from a group consisting of;

said at least one language term, a property of said at least one language term, and a relationship between said at least one language term and another language term.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying said domain-specific language to said model during execution of a modeling process of said model.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

creating one or more elements of a model in accordance with at least one language term defined in said domain-specific language.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein creating comprises:

generating a recommended modeling process to be used during creation of said one or more elements of said model in accordance with a mentor modeling definition of said domain-specific language wherein the modeling definition may include at least one of a list consisting of;

modeling process, modeling activities, modeling transitions, modeling artifacts, progress criteria, process-sensitive help items, step-by-step wizards, next activity prompts, estimation of modeling progress, working point sensitive helps, checking model status, detecting conflicts, providing warning message about detected conflicts, suggesting activities to be performed, estimating percentage of tasks executed, phase-sensitive helps and methodology guiding.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein creating comprises:

executing a custom action defined in said domain-specific language on at least one of said one or more elements of said model.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein creating comprises:

converting a domain-specific model artifact of said domain-specific language into an application artifact usable during execution of said modeling process.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing said domain-specific model artifact in a metadata database able to provide access to said domain-specific model artifact.

19. A system for accelerated modeling, the system comprising:

a language builder station running on a processor for executing a language builder module to define a domain-specific language usable in defining a modeling environment and having a dynamic component and a static component, wherein behavior definitions of said static component are modifiable by said dynamic component said dynamic component; and

a modeling station running on a processor for executing a language runtime module to apply on a modeling environment modification by said dynamic component of behavior definitions of said static component so as to change definitions of modeling process, wherein said dynamic components is a domain-specific language definition applied on said static component, wherein said dynamic component is a domain-specific language definition applied on said static component; and

the domain-specific language definition is built via a DSL builder station.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said language builder module is able to import a definition of an element of said domain-specific language from a previously-defined domain-specific language.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said language builder module comprises a validator to validate said domain-specific language in accordance with a validation rule defined in a meta-modeling language.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said language builder module comprises a generator to generate an eXtensible Markup Language output representing at least one definition of said domain-specific language.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein said language builder module comprises an action editor to define a custom action available for execution on a model in accordance with said domain-specific language in response to an invocation request in accordance with said domain-specific language.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein said language builder module is able to define at least one language information item of said domain-specific language, to define at least one language term of said domain-specific language, and to define at least one data type of said domain-specific language.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said language builder module is able to define a relationship between said at least one language term and another language term of said domain-specific language.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein said language builder module comprises a constraint editor to define a constraint associated with said data type to be used during validation of one or more elements of said domain-specific language.

27. The system of claim 19, comprising a mentoring module to generate a recommended modeling process available during creation of one or more elements of a model in accordance with a mentor modeling definition of said domain-specific language.

28. The system of claim 19, comprising a generator able to create one or more elements of a model in accordance with a process defined in said domain-specific language.

29. The system of claim 28, comprising a language runtime module to apply said domain-specific language to said model during execution of a runtime process of said model.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said language runtime module comprises a validator to validate said model based on a validation rule defined in said domain-specific language.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein said language runtime module comprises an action executor to execute a custom action defined in said domain-specific language on at least one of said one or more elements of said model.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein said language runtime module comprises a process mentor module to ensure that a modeling process is executed in accordance with a process definition of said domain-specific language.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein said language runtime module comprises a generator to generate an eXtensible Markup Language output representing said model based on said domain-specific language.

34. The system of claim 29, comprising a converter to convert a domain-specific model artifact based on said domain-specific language into an application artifact usable during execution of said runtime process.

35. The system of claim 34, comprising a database to store said domain-specific model artifact and to provide access to said domain-specific model artifact during execution of said runtime process.

36. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:

defining a domain-specific language usable in defining a modeling environment and having a dynamic component and a static component, wherein behavior definitions of said static component are modifiable by said dynamic component; and

applying on a modeling environment modification by said dynamic component of behavior definitions of said static component so as to change definitions of modeling process, wherein said dynamic component is a domain-specific language definition applied on said static component, wherein said dynamic component is a domain-specific language definition applied on said static component; and

the domain-specific language definition is built via a DSL builder station.

37. The machine-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the instructions result in:

defining said dynamic component and said static component in accordance with Unified Modeling Language constructs and semantics.

38. The machine-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the instructions result in:

defining a customized Unified Modeling Language meta-modeling profile which supports definitions of said dynamic component and said static component.

39. The machine-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the instructions result in:

defining said domain-specific language based on custom meta-modeling constructs, said constructs in accordance with a Unified Modeling Language meta-modeling profile and defining said dynamic component and said static component.