Understand your Business Domain

Understand your Business Domain (Metamodels) 31.Oct 2014, Frank H. Ritz, ritz@ritzeng,com Page 1
Understand your Business Domain
Systems design using Metamodels
31.Oct 2014, Frank H. Ritz, ritz@ritzeng.com

Agenda
Foreword
What are Metamodels
What are sysML/UML Metamodels
How they are made
Why they are important

The Trainer
Frank H. Ritz, 57
 Diploma, certifications
 Electrical Engineering
 Electronics, HF Communication
 RUP / CE
 CPRE-FL
 OUCP-F
 HSPTP
 PMI-ACP®
 Methodology & Technology
 C++/Java mission critical apps
 7 companies founded (1988-now)
 1 Son
 Sailor/Skipper, Skier, Photograph
Electrical
Engineer
Experienced
in computer
science
Requirements
Engineer
Project manager
Business consultant
Methodology & value
driven
Do the right things
right = sustainable

What I do when I start a business (new or change of existing)
 You have e.g. already done:
 Vision
 Targets
 Roadmap
 Ideas, Mindmaps, Business Canvas, Boards with notes, etc.
 You have typically not
 Structure
 Model behind this business
 Glossary
 … many other structured, reusable information (requirements, models, visuals)
 I show you today
 to structure
 to define
 to specify
d Models of
your
business
think about:
how to manage your
products and specs
more precise

What is a Model, what is a Metamodel
 Model .vs. Metamodel
A metamodel or surrogate model is a model of a model, i.e. a simplif ied model of an actual model of a
circuit, system, or software like entity.
Metamodel can be a mathematical relation or algorithm representing input and output relations.
A model is an abstraction of phenomena in the real world; a metamodel is yet another abstraction,
highlighting properties of the model itself.
A model conforms to its metamodel in the way that a computer program conforms to the grammar of the
programming language in which it is written.
(Wikipedia EN)
 Metamodel = Foundation ?

A small example: desk model and chair model
 Desk
legs
tabletop
design attributes
 Chair
legs
seat
back
design attributes

Templates, Design Rules: Example of a Chair design
 Chair has
 legs
 seat
 back
 constraints
 legs
 back is also leg
 Design, Rules

Templates, Design Rules: Example of a Desk design
 Desk has
 legs
 tabletop
 constraints
 legs
 Design, Rules

What is the common Metamodel of Desk and Chair
 Desk
 legs
 seat
 back
 constraints
 legs
 Design, Rules
 Chair
 legs
 seat
 back
 constraints
 legs
 Design, Rules
 Common Model: Desk & Chair

Metamodel = Foundation for a model,
or in general: how to perceive and document Requirement essence
 Traditional views of knowledge are
beeing challenged. Views are not
based on real objects behavior.
 An emerging “constrictivist”
perspective, suggests that to a large
degree we construct reality (by
George Kelly).
 Implementation of complex Case –
Management
 Modern views of knowledge are
formal, flexible, testable, extendable,
enhanceable, verifyable, inheritable
 Find the essence and look behind
the things (meta behavior / steering)
 The definition (or language) that
defines about a metadefinition (or
metalanguage), is the accompanying
object definition (or language)
Design
Pattern
Design
Pattern

This is a Meta Pattern
 It's a model for a framework
 describes the Elements of
Requirements Engineering
 it guides which elements to
be used and which
semantics exists (min, max).
 structures Requirements
Engineering on User
Acceptance level
 More details enrich only
 semantics of relationsships
or
 element attributes which are
relevant
 It is not a metamodel
not
complete

What is “meta” modeling, why we are doing that
 We model
 to provide a structure for problem solving
 to express multiple solutions graphically with specification
 to furnish abstractions to manage complexity
 to reduce time-to-market, costs and risks for business solving solutions
 to enable graphics power, reveals text or data (s.a. RUP)
 We model with metamodel
 to structure complex models
 to steer modeling and model construction
 to define an abstract syntax and
a static semantic for models
 to define a model as an instance of a metamodel

Basics for modeling your business domain
 MOF (Meta Object Facility)
 MOF defines the language for defining
meta-models
 MOF concepts are meta-class, meta-
attribute, meta-association, etc.
 OCL (Object Constraint Language)
 OCL structures, expresses constraints
like invariant, pre-/post- conditions
 UML / sysML (Unified / System
Modeling Language)
 graphical language to specify, to
visualize, to construct, to document
artifacts of systems (soft-/hardware)
 UML/sysML metamodel is an instance
of the MOF metamodel

Example:
Passenger Ticket
 Excerpt part of highest
Element level of MOF
 Class
 Operation
 Association
 Package
 Constraints (base for OCL)
 Attribute
Attribute

Metamodel and the Vee-Model
 CIM - Requirements Level Metamodel
 PIM metamodel is the design language for
a PIM design model
 PSM metamodel is the design language
for a PSM design model and implements
the transformation of PIM (that is the
software model for code generation)

Domainmodels are Metamodel
 Domain Specific Language (DSL)
 encapsulate complexity
 lesser models
 simpler understanding
 Templates, Domains of a business
 Feature- and Requirement- models
 Process- and Behavior- models
 Analysis- and Design- models
 Machine readable, reusable
Business Glossary of Objects,
Constraints, Relationships
 abstract syntax = easy to understand
 static semantic = easy to guide
 graphical representation = easy to use
 Implicit validation options against
Models (of M1 level, e.g. for testing)

Business Domain Models – Build a Payment System containing
Business Domain Objects and the Pricing Template

Business Object Modeling - Business Domain Model
 Business Object Modeling
 technique to represent things of
significance to an enterprise
 is a complex technique
 It requires a methodology of
abstraction
 A good Business Object Model
creates and establishes a common
understanding of business semantics
between all involved parties.
 The resulting common "language"
and long term understandable
documentation provide the
"organizational memory" of an
enterprise.
 A Business Object represent the
abstraction of real life objects, a
machine, a value, a person, a place,
a process or a concept.
 A Business Object Model is a
metamodel that contains only
abstractions of objectsPhysical Model
Logical Model
Conceptual Model
Domain Model
Enterprise Model

UML/sysML Elements
which we
use for Metamodels I
 Models are packaged, so we need
to use Package diagrams
 Package diagrams are used to reflect
the organization of packages and their
elements, and provide a visualization
of their corresponding namespaces.
 Partitioning
 Big Picture
 Namespace

UML/sysML Elements
which we use
for Metamodels II
 Class Diagrams capture logical
structure of things
 Static model, describing what
exists, what attributes and their
behavior (operations).
 Relationships between classes
and interfaces.
 Generalizations, aggregations,
associations
 Reflecting inheritance, composition
or usage, and connections,
respectively.
 Classes
 Abstractions (Meta Models)
 Visibility: public, protected, private
 Stereotypes, Tagged Values

Example: GoF Design Pattern Metamodel: Packages and Classes
→ Implementation
in Backup
→ Complete in Backup

GOF Design
Pattern
Packages

Steering Example
Check Embargo
based on EAM-MM
 What belongs to a
good interface
description of a
component
 How must this
modeled
 Which are relevant
Domain Objects

Effects in steering with Metamodels
 Metamodel / Profile is a
 Framework that limits
 Elements you use
 Modeling technique
 Framework that concretes
 Abstraction level
 Focus on needed things
 Self control in the endless space of
modeling
 Framework that enables
 Verify models against Metamodel
 Effectiveness doing the right things
 Efficiency doing the things right
 Traceability to understand parentage
 Lookahead modeling. Sometimes
required so as to reduce overall risk
 Why is steering needed ?
 Modeling without feedback is not worth
the money, because it is not
understood or accepted by the
organization
 Metamodel provides Feedback from the
beginning
 Reduce complexity
 Provide ground for better decisions
 Agile methodology, esp. Agile
Modeling is focused on “just barely
good enough (JBGE)“ artifacts
 Metamodeling can help to understand
“just barely good enough”
 Limits lookahead modeling

Business Domain Models: Example
Service, Product, Tariff – Priceable Pricing Template
 Service = Payments
 Product = SEPA
 PriceComponent = inside EU
 Tariff = Flat = 0.00 CHF
 BusinessDimension =
RegularCustomer
 Priceable is the application interface
 Simple structure of a Service,
Product, Tariff management
 Business Dimension manages the
relation between Product and Price
component
 Flexibility to steer Customers prices
 Flexibility to manage exceptions,
marketing events and else

ICT Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM): Project Effect on
“project changes product” pattern I
 Understand the effect of the
associated elements for a target
(from another diagram next slide)
 Calculate target KPI for all
associated elements
 e.g. calculate the effect of a project on
to the product, the organization unit,
process support, the software system

ICT Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM): Project Effect on
“project changes product” pattern II

Understand your Business Domain

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