Constraint Modularization Within Multi-level Meta-modeling

Traditional meta-modeling strictly differentiates between internal and external constraints attached to the meta-models. While for example cardinality and annotations are usually considered existential parts of the meta-modeling techniques, OCL expressions are treated as an independent layer of constraint mechanism. The result is a patchwork because the external constraint notation will not become part of the meta-model, its semantics is only referentially integrated, and thus meta-levels are to be harmonized. In comparison, multi-level meta-modeling may enable a uniform self-contained interpretation of the constraint semantics by encapsulating the constraint modeling constructs into the fabric of the multi-level meta-modeling framework. In this paper, we describe such a modular constraint modeling technique that has been formalized in Dynamic Multi-Layer Algebra (DMLA), an algebraic multi-level meta-modeling method. The paper first describes our constraint modeling approach and then elaborates on the concept of cardinality and its trivial generalization to regular expression patterns. As motivated by one of the interface modeling languages of network management, the approach is also demonstrated on a simple YANG language construct.

Authors and Affiliations

1. evopro Innovation Ltd., Hauszmann Alajos u. 2, Budapest, 1116, Hungary

   Zoltán Theisz

2. Department of Automation and Applied Informatics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, Budapest, 1117, Hungary

   Dániel Urbán & Gergely Mezei

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zoltán Theisz .

Editors and Affiliations

1. Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania

   Robertas Damaševičius

2. Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania

   Vilma Mikašytė

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