Eine formale Semantik für die Verknüpfung von Verhaltensbeschreibungen in der UML 2

Abstract

Software development should proceed continuously from requirements through specification to implementation, using an integrated formalism, method and tool set. A state-of-the-art proposal aiming at such an integrated approach is to use Model Driven Software Development (MDSD) as the method and the Unified Modelling Language (UML) as the formalism. While the UML can be profitably used to describe requirements and specifications, one of its shortcomings is the lack of a precise semantics. This has been addressed in recent years by research formalizing the semantics of state diagrams, activity diagrams, sequence diagrams and use case diagrams. The frameworks used include Abstract State Machines, graph transformations and basic formalisms such as relations and traces. Hence the current state is that formal semantics have been separately defined for the various kinds of diagrams specifying behaviour. What is notably missing, however, is a semantics describing their combined use. In this thesis we define a formal semantics of the language units common behaviours, actions, activities, state machines, interactions and use cases of UML 2 using Abstract State Machines (ASMs). The behaviour of software models can henceforth be specified by composing activity, state and sequence diagrams, choosing the most adequate formalism at each level of abstraction. We also give a formal semantics of communication between these diagrams. We thus achieve an integrated semantics of UML behaviour.