On extending single-variant model transformations for reuse in software product line engineering

Abstract

Software product line engineering (SPLE) aims at increasing productivity by following the principles of variability and organized reuse. Combining the discipline with model-driven software engineering (MDSE) seeks to intensify this effect by raising the level of abstraction. Typically, a product line developed in a model-driven way is composed of various kinds of models, like class diagrams and database schemata. To automatically generate further necessary representations from a initial (source) model, model transformations may create a respective target model. In annotative approaches to SPLE, variability annotations, which are boolean expressions over the features of the product line, state in which products a (model) element is visible. State-of-the-art single-variant model transformations (SVMT), however, do not consider variability annotations additionally associated with model elements. Thus, multi-variant model transformations (MVMT) should bridge the gap between existing SPLE and MDSE approaches by reusing already existing technology to propagate annotations additionally to the the target. The present contribution gives an overview on the research we conduct to reuse SVMTs in model-driven SPLE and provides a plan on which steps are still to be taken.