Traceability visualization in metamodel change impact detection
Juri Di Rocco, Davide Di Ruscio, Ludovico Iovino, Alfonso Pierantonio · 2013
In Model-Driven Engineering metamodels are typically at the core of an ecosystem of artifacts assembled for a shared purpose. Therefore, modifying a metamodel requires care and skill as it might compromise the integrity of the ecosystem. Any change in the metamodel cannot prescind from recovering the ecosystem validity. However this has been proven to be intrinsically difficult, error-prone, and labour-intensive. This paper discusses how to generate and visualize traceability information about the dependencies between artifacts in a ecosystem and their related metamodel. Being able to understand how and where changes affect the ecosystem by means of intuitive and straightforward visualization techniques can help the modeler in deciding whether the changes are sustainable or not at an early stage of the modification process.