Abstract
The information technology (IT) industry has been moving so fast that companies implementing complex distributed software solutions hardly complete a system deployment on a given network middleware before either they are offered a newer version of the middleware technology, or a competing and alleged superior technology appears.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Metamodel: The model of a modeling language.
Meta Object Facility (MOF): A standard for the definition of metamodels in an MDA approach.
Model-Driven Architecture (MDA): A set of standards that enable the specification of models and their transformation into other models and complete systems.
Platform Specific Model (PSM): A PIM adapted to a specific technological platform.
Unified Modeling Language (UML): A standardized visual language for modeling software systems.
Model: A representation, for a specific purpose, of certain aspects of a real system.
Model-Driven Engineering (MDE): An emerging technique in software, system, and data engineering, based on the systematic use of models considered as first class entities. MDA is a special case of MDE.
Modeling Language: A notation for expressing models.
Platform Independent Model (PIM): A model that contains no reference to the underlying technological platform.