The document summarizes a study on the interoperability between 20 meta-modeling tools. It found that while some tools support importing models from Microsoft Visio, there is no common structure or format for general model exchange between tools. Only a few tools support transformation-based exchange using simple mappings, and just two tools allow exchange at the language level by importing Visio models along with their stencils. Overall, the degree of interoperability between the meta-modeling tools is low. The study concludes more work is needed to develop mapping-based exchange of models between meta-modeling tools.

1. Study of Interoperability between
Meta-Modeling Tools
Heiko Kern
University of Leipzig
Third Workshop on Model Driven Approaches in System Development
Warsaw, Poland, 08.09.2014

2. Motivation for Interoperability
 Replacement of tools: Reuse of models
 Development of tool chains: Combination of model processing
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Interoperability
Commercial License Open source
Version 7.2 Maturity level Version 2.6
Business Process Management Application domain Universal
Software AG, SAP Ecosystem Eclipse
Strategy, Design, Implementation,
Tools
Controlling Platform
GMF, CDO, Epsilon, ATL, XText,
BPMN, UML

3. Objective of the Study
 Interoperability
 Focus is on the exchange of models and meta-models
Migration of models between different tools
 Research: State of the art in the area of model exchange
What is the degree of interopability?
What are the approaches to realize interoperability?
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4. Design of the Study

5. Scope of the Study
Unification
Mechanism
Common Structure Transformation
Modeling
Level
Model Level Language Level
Topology Point-to-Point Complex Topology
Integration
Layer
Data Function Presentation
Presentation
Function
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Data
Presentation
Function
Data
Presentation
Function
Data

6. Tool Selection
 Initial tool search
 Meta-modeling tool,
meta-case tool,
modeling tool,
 Maturity level
 Installable and usable
 Concrete syntax
 Graphical modeling
 Modeling domain
 Universal/general,
 Software development
 Buisness processes
 Data modeling
 Meta-modeling
 Heavyweight
 63 tools and 20 meta-modeling
tools
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Name
Meta-modeling
(light/heavy)
Incl.
Agilian ●/● ●
Altova UModel ●/-
ArgoUML ●/-
Archi -/-
ARIS Business Arch. ●/● ●
ARIS Express -/-
Artisan Studio ●/-
Astah ●/-
AToM3 -/● ●
bflow Toolbox -/-
Bizagi Process Modeler -/-
BOUML -/-
Business Process VA -/● ●
Cadifra UML Editor -/-
CaseComplete -/-
ConceptDraw -/● ●
Cubetto Toolset -/● ●
Database Design Tool -/-
DB Wrench -/-
dbConstructor -/-
DbSchema -/-
Dia -/● ●
Edraw Max -/● ●
Enterprise Architect -/● ●
ER Creator -/-
ER/Studio Software Arch. ●/-
ER/Studio Business Arch. -/-
GME -/● ●
Gliffy -/-
Grapholite -/-
iGrafix Process -/● ●
Intalio BPMS Designer -/-
Name
Meta-modeling
(light/heavy)
Incl.
Lucidchart -/● ●
MagicDraw ●/-
Maram Meta-Tools -/● ●
MetaEdit+ -/● ●
Microsoft Visio -/● ●
Modelio ●/-
NClass -/-
Objecteering ●/-
objectiF ●/-
Open ModelSphere ●/-
ORM Designer -/-
Poseidon for UML -/-
Papyrus ●/-
PowerDesigner ●/● ●
Process Modeler -/-
RISE -/-
Select Architect ●/-
SemTalk -/-
Signavio Process Editor -/-
SmartDraw -/-
Topcased ●/-
UML Lab ●/-
UMLet -/-
ViFlow -/● ●
Violet UML Editor -/-
Visual Paradigm for UML ●/● ●
Visual Use Case -/-
Visualization and Modeling
-/● ●
SDK
WinA&D -/-
Xcase -/-
yED -/● ●

7. Tool Analysis
 Installation
 User interface
 Documentation
 Export and import
capababilities
 Save and load
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8. Results of the Study

9. Unification Mechanism
 Common structure
Tool-specific formats for saving and loading
 GXL, GRAPHML, ARIS DB, XML
Language-specific format for exchange
 BPMN-XML, XPDL, UML-XMI
 Depends on the modeling domain
Some tools support a common format for exchnage
 Visio (VDX), XMI
 XMI is used in context of MOF, EMF and UML
 Result: No common structure
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10. Unification Mechanism
 Transformation-based
Two tools support a transformation-based approach
 Visual Paradigm
 Visio import
 Mapping between
model elements
 ARIS Business Architect
 Visio import
 Mapping between
meta-model elements
 Result: Simple mappings, not comparable with
M2M-transformations
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<mapping>
<model id="EPC" aristype="13">
<symbols>
<symbol uniquename="Event" aristype="1"/>
<symbol uniquename="Function" aristype="335"/>
</symbols>
<connections>
<cxn arissrctype="Function"
aristrgtype="Function" cxntype="118" />
</connections>
</model>
</mapping>

11. Modeling Level
 Model level
Language-specific format for exchange
 Depends on the modeling domain, e.g. BPMN, XPDL, …
Generic format for the exchange of each model independent of a
specific language
 MetaEdit – GXL-adaption
 ARIS – ARIS DB
 …
 Import of Visio models excluding their languages
 Visual Paradigm
 ARIS Buisness Architect
 Edraw Max
 Lucidchart
 Dia
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12. Modeling Level
 Language level
Two tools allow the exchange of modeling languages and models
conforming to these languages
 (1) ConceptDraw and (2) iGrafix
 Visio import
 Stencil import via model import
 iGrafix uses the clipboard
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Microsoft Visio ConceptDraw iGrafix

13. Degree of Interoperability
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+ model level □ language level
380 possibilities (20 x 20 - 20)
30 x exchange → 7.9%
27 x specific language → 7.1%
3 x each language → 0.8%

14. Summary
 Investigation of 20 meta-modeling tools
 Unification mechanism
Common structure
 No common structure/format for exchange
 Maybe Microsoft Visio
Transformation-based: Simple mappings
 Modeling level
Model level: Import of Visio models without their stencils
Language level: Import of Visio models and their stencils
 Low degree of interopability between tools
 Future work
Mapping-Based exchange of models between meta-modeling tools
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15. Thank You.
Questions?