Thales ATM experience in using MDE

1. ECMDA Workshop From code centric to model centric software engineering Bilbao 11 July 2006 Thales ATM experience in using MDE ECMDA workshop

2. Thales ATM presentation • Thales ATM provides Air Traffic Control systems that are: • Large software systems • Have a lifetime of more than 20 years The issue to solve is: • High cost of development and maintenance ECMDA workshop

3. Why the MDE approach in Thales ATM • Improve the productivity by: • Automating the model check, the document generation, the update of the traceability links. • Reducing the number of problems identified during the system integration phase • Providing support by automation to the safety analysis. • Facilitate the product line management with the appropriate level of quality, safety and reliability ECMDA workshop

4. Classical system specification, architecture and design activities restricted to functional analysis A code centric SW development. Manual verification activities System specification, architecture and design activities enhanced with the end user view (use cases) and the information view (data model) A model centric SW development Automated verification activities Traditional approach compared to MDE approach Traditional approach MDE approach The system architecture and design uses MDSysE method and tools ECMDA workshop

5. Specification Integration/ Validation SW Development Req. MDE Approach System Design CCM engineering Context CCM Architecture System Integration tests Logical Architecture CCM deployment SSDD C++ Java SSS UR System Validation tests ICD IRS Physical Architecture IDL XML Verification activities Model Check Tests generation Test procedures Transversal activities Safety Analysis Traceability Traces ECMDA workshop

6. MDSysE in the MDE Approach • MDSysE presents 4 views of the system to perform the system Architecture and Design: • The Contextual view which presents the system, its actors and the interfaces between the actors and the system • The Logical view that breaks up the system into Logical Components (LC) • The Physical view that breaks up the system into Physical Components (PC). A Physical Component implements one Logical Component or implement generic function like communication • The End Product Breakdown Structure that enables to organize the system development into Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI) ECMDA workshop

7. System context view Logical Architecture Physical view Logical view <<implement>> <<implement>> Physical Architecture Product Breakdown Structure Organisational view The 4 views of MDSysE ECMDA workshop

8. Verification activities • In order to increase the productivity and limit as much as possible the possibility of human errors, the verification activities are automated: • The modeling rules • Automatic generation of tests (yet under study) • The traceability links updated • The safety analysis is facilitated and help is provided to: • Check that the safety requirements are implemented • Check that the safety requirements implementation does not jeopardize the project budget balance • Check that the system after implementation of new features still complies to the safety requirements ECMDA workshop

9. Miscellaneous activities • Collateral activities need to be dealt with: • The Change Management : • The specific issue of MDE related to Change Management is to be able to manage parallel version of a system model • The metrics • The tracking metrics • The quality of the model metrics ECMDA workshop

10. Tools environment • What needs to be guaranteed by the tools of the MDE tool chain: • Substitutability to guarantee the tools lifetime appropriate to the product line need • Interoperability to guarantee that we will be able to increase the productivity by automating our activities ECMDA workshop

11. DOORS Objecteering - MDSysE Objecteering – CCM Tool Requirements System Design CCM engineering Integration/Validation Req. Context CCM Architecture CCM deployment Logical Architecture Physical Architecture CardamomRuntime Test Procedures TATM library ICD, SSDD, SRS, IRS SSS XML IDL C++/Java ModelBus Traceability Traces Tests generation Safety Analysis Model Check Reqtify UPM Tool IBM Tool OCL Tool MDE Tool chain ECMDA workshop

12. Results of the project • Today the project allowed Thales ATM to solve some important aspects frequently raised as obstacles to adopt a MDE approach: • An effective and practical instantiation of the MDE process • Selection of a tools chain with necessary adaptations • And last but not least the team composition ECMDA workshop

13. Results of the project • The positive aspects of the use of MDE at this stage of the project are: • Consistent view of the system • Benefit from the model transformations • Have different views of the system • Make all the project actors work on the same input We assume that generating the interface classes of the project components will ensure the consistency of those interfaces. This will be known in 2 years time ECMDA workshop

14. Potential improvements • Test generation from use cases • Model rule checking • Metrics to be graded for the project environment • Communication of the design • Reduction of the system complexity  ECMDA workshop

15. Return on Investment • The Return Of Investment expected by Thales ATM will be obtained at the end of the system integration only • The major savings expected from the automation of the development tasks and the maintenance costs reduction allowed by the use of the model • Significant ROI expected from the reuse of the project production through the product line approach facilitated by MDE ECMDA workshop