Domain-Specific Conceptual Modeling

This chapter presents the Horus Method for business process engineering, which is divided into four phases. These four phases consist of (1) an initial project preparation phase; (2) a strategy and architecture phase for the definition of strategic aspects as well as enterprise and system architecture; (3) a business process analysis phase; and (4) an application phase for the actual usage of models, thereby covering essential aspects of business process engineering. A formal conceptualization of the Horus Method is provided using the FDMM formalism, which is used for tool specification for the ADOxx platform. Thereby, the focus is on the formalization of XML nets, a special variant of high-level Petri Nets, for the modeling of interorganizational business processes in the field of e-commerce. Finally, a real-life case study is described which highlights the capabilities of the Horus Method for successful business process engineering projects.

This chapter discusses the evaluation of business processes in terms of semantics. For this purpose, a method providing a set of semantic process evaluation patterns is described. In order to make these patterns operational, the SeMFIS platform for engineering semantic annotations of conceptual models is used as a foundation. SeMFIS not only features a software platform based on the ADOxx metamodeling platform but also an open framework for the development of semantic information systems. SeMFIS is thus able to support the semantic process evaluation patterns on a technical level. In particular, the querying and scripting functionality contained in SeMFIS as well as its semantic annotation facilities are used together with business process models in BPMN notation, which are part of the SeMFIS standard distribution. As a proof of concept, a case study from the area of risk management is described in order to illustrate the practical application of SeMFIS when working with the semantic process evaluation patterns.

In order to help organizations in providing similar services without the need to structure each of them separately, this chapter presents a modeling notation that supports variability for Business Process modeling. Variability is particularly relevant for Public Administration institutions where different offices organize the provisioning of services to citizens following similar rules, and adapting them to the characteristics of the different offices. The notation and the approach are inspired to feature modeling techniques, whereas in this case features are used to represent activities of a process family that can be differently implemented and connected. The proposed approach facilitates the development of a partially specified process model in terms of a set of fragments that in a subsequent step can be connected in order to fully specify the desired control flow. The notation and the approach were implemented on the the ADOxx platform.

Conceptual database modeling is supported by many languages, e.g., the higher order entity-relationship modeling (HERM) language. The model should be the basis for a logical and later a physical realization. There are many tools that provide a graphical support. There are, however, rather few tools that provide a direct translation of the conceptual model into a logical one. Moreover, most of the translators follow an interpreter approach and oblige the modeler to later correction, normalization and optimization of the translated model. We show that the schemata developed in the HERM language on the basis of ADOxx can be properly translated into a relational logical language. Therefore, the database structuring can evolve, be maintained and integrated through the conceptual model instead of recoding.

This chapter introduces tool support for the semantic object model (SOM). The conceptual design of a multi-view modeling tool is presented after describing the core concepts of the SOM method and laying the corresponding methodological foundation. The chapter foremost addresses the modeling enthusiast, interested in how to utilize the SOM method with the ADOxx modeling tool.

In many circumstances, enterprise management requires diverse information which concerns distinct domains like company strategy, business processes and IT-systems. Enterprise models provide management with essential information, and, therefore, they are considered almost indispensable. However, the creation and maintenance of an encompassing enterprise model have proven to be a challenging task. Fundamental are the diversity of influencing factors, coupled with the long time required both for creating and using such a model. Therefore, a dedicated framework to control enterprise modeling was developed based on the concept of evaluation chains. As the assessment involves a number of people and the controlling process spans over a number of years, a modeling tool was implemented in the ADOxx metamodeling platform to ease the practical usage of evaluation chains in organizational settings.

This chapter describes the ways to use ADOxx in addressing complex issues in wicked environments. Solutions here usually begin with gathering stakeholders’ stories from different perspectives to make sense of the emerging stories and then identify major themes of concern to the stakeholders. These themes are often stated in terms of frames or perspectives, which are then used to identify specific problems and propose solutions. Melca provides ways to develop models to support the frames commonly used in addressing problems in complex environments. This paper describes the generic concepts used to define these frames and illustrates with examples.

User story mapping (USM) for domain modeling is a method derived from the software functionality definition domain, which puts the end-user and his perspective in focus. The domain of interest is defined through the collection of user activities, which indirectly gathers all actors, resources, processes and overall dynamics of the domain. USM is a manual procedure that is conducted between the semantics expert and the domain expert, and can sometimes require a number of time-consuming iterations. The ADOxx metamodeling platform facilitated the development of a USM digital tool which provides enhanced performance and visual environment.

Modeling and modeling methods are crucial for information systems engineering but are seldom seamlessly integrated into all phases of development and operation: Practitioners challenge the benefits of modeling and complain about the confusing variety of concepts with overlapping semantics, symbols and syntactic rules of today’s standardized, “universal” modeling languages. Therefore, domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) are gaining increasing popularity: they are lean and convenient, support the productivity of modeling, and help to increase model quality and comprehensibility. There are, however, few approaches to embedding a DSML into a domain-specific modeling method (DSMM) that provides guidelines about how to use a given DSML and to evaluate related models. This chapter aims to make a contribution towards filling that gap by discussing, as an example and proof of concept, a domain-specific modeling method for the human cognitive modeling language HCM-L, a DSML for the domain of active and assisted living. As a modeling language without tool support has no chance to be used in practice, we are conducting that discussion on the basis of HCM-L modeler, a tool that was implemented using the metamodeling platform ADOxx and can be accessed via OMiLAB, the Open Models Laboratory for modeling method engineering. HCM-L modeler is component of an ambient assistance system for supporting elder persons in mastering their daily life activities.