M. Strommer, M. Wimmer: A Framework for Model Transformation By-Example: Concepts and Tool Support, 46th International Conference on Objects, Components, Models and Patterns (TOOLS-EUROPE 2008), Zürich; 30.06.2008 - 04.07.2008; in: "Objects, Components, Models and Patterns (TOOLS-EUROPE 2008), B. Meyer, R. Paige (Hrg.), Springer, LNBIP 11 (2008), ISSN: 1865-1348, pages 372 - 391.
Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) is on its way to become the new software development paradigm, where model transformations are considered as key technology. Several model transformation approaches and languages have been developed in the past years. Most of these approaches are metamodel-based and therefore require knowledge of implementation details of the modeling languages, which in contrast are not necessary for defining domain models in concrete syntax. Therefore, Model Transformation By-Example (MTBE) approaches for defining inter-model mappings, that represent semantic correspondences between concrete domain models, have been proposed. However, until today no tool support for MTBE has been developed. The contribution of this paper is the presentation of MTBE concepts, which are necessary to derive general model transformations based on the metamodels from mappings between example models. More specifically, we describe a model and a metamodel mapping language, as well as reasoning algorithms to infer metamodel mappings from model mappings. Furthermore, we report on how these MTBE concepts have been integrated into existing state-of-the-art graphical modeling and model transformation frameworks.