Domain-specific Multimodeling

Domain-specific multimodeling is a software development paradigm where each view is made explicit as a separate domain-specific language (DSL).

Successful development of a modern enterprise system requires the convergence of multiple views. Business analysts, domain experts, interaction designers, database experts, and developers with different kinds of expertise all take part in the process of building such a system. Their different work products must be managed, aligned, and integrated to produce a running system. Every participant of the development process has a particular language tailored to solve problems specific to its view on the system. The challenge of integrating these different views and avoiding the potential cacophony of multiple different languages is the coordination problem.

Domain-specific multimodeling is promising when compared to more traditional development paradigms such as single-language programming and general-purpose modeling. To reap the benefits of this new paradigm, we must solve the coordination problem. This problem is also known as the fragmentation problem in the context of Global Model Management.

One proposal to solve this problem is the coordination method. This is a three-step method to overcome the obstacles of integrating different views and coordinating multiple languages. The method prescribes how to (1) identify and (2) specify the references across language boundaries, that is the overlaps between different languages. Finally, the method offers concrete proposals on how to (3) apply this knowledge in actual development in the form of consistency, navigation, and guidance.

Read more about Domain-specific Multimodeling:  Motivating Example, Coordination Problem, Coordination Method, See Also