A broad and general term indicating (1) a less detailed model that conforms to (defines a subset of the properties of) another model, and (2) the process through which a less detailed but conforming model is made, that is, the process of removing details that are not relevant to the purpose of the model.
Abstraction Level
The inverse of the (relative) amount of details that are in a model.
See also [High]
See also [Low Abstraction Level]
Communication Bridge
An implementation or model of communication between two parts of a system. Mostly used in a context where the parts of the system are realized using different technologies.
Coarse Grained Component
Components that have infrequent interaction with a relatively high amount of data in each interaction.
Diagram
A visible graphical rendering of (a part of) a model.
Fine Grained Component
Components that have frequent communication with a low amount of data in each interaction.
High Abstraction Level
A (relatively) low amount of details.
Language
In this book we use the word language as a synonym for Well-Defined Language.
Low Abstraction Level
A (relatively) high amount of details.
Mapping
The constraining relationship between the structure of the source and target language in a transformation definition.
Mapping Rule
Synonym for Transformation Rule .
Metalanguage
The language used to define languages.
Metamodel
A description or definition of a well-defined language in the form of a model.
Model
A description of (part of) a system written in a well-defined language. Equivalent to Specification.
Model Driven Software Development
The process of developing software using different models on different levels of abstraction with (automated) transformations between these models.
Model Generation
A process that creates a model from another model according to some transformation rules.
Platform
A specific software implementation technology and/or specific hardware that constitutes the execution environment of a system.
Platform Independent Model ( PIM )
A model that contains no details that have meaning only within a specific platform.
Platform Specific Model ( PSM )
A model that contains details that have meaning only within a specific platform.
Semantics
The meaning of a model that is well- formed according to the syntax of a language.
Source Language
The Language that is the input of a transformation definition.
Source Model
The model that is the input of a transformation.
Syntax
A set of rules that define which models are well-formed in a specific language.
System
A part of the world that is the subject of a model, communication, or reasoning. In the context of this book the word system is most commonly used for a software system.
Target Language
The language that is the result of a transformation definition.
Target Model
The model that is the result of a transformation.
Transformation
The automatic generation of a target model from a source model, according to a transformation definition. Equivalent to Mapping .
Transformation Definition
A set of transformation rules that together describe how a model in the source language can be transformed into a model in the target language.
Transformation Definition Language
The language in which the transformation definitions are written.
Transformation Parameter
Part of a transformation definition that enables the tuning of a transformation. Transformation parameters typically add information that cannot be found in the source model but is necessary to produce the target model.
Transformation Rule
A description of how one or more constructs in the source language can be transformed into one or more constructs in the target language.
Transformation Tool
A (software) tool that is able to execute a transformation definition.
Well-Defined Language
A language with well-defined form (syntax) and meaning (semantics), which is suitable for automated interpretation by a computer.
