Systems and methods for graphically developing rules for transforming models between description notations

A computerized method, comprising:

• receiving a source model represented in a source description language;
• retrieving a source pattern represented in the source description language;
• retrieving a target pattern represented in a target description language, the target pattern describing how to convert the source pattern into the target description language;
• identifying a source fragment in the source model that matches the source pattern;
• and
• generating a target model fragment in the target description language based on the target pattern.

A computer readable medium comprising instructions for causing a computer to execute a method for graphically developing at least one transformation rule for transforming a source description notation into a target description notation, the method comprising:

• providing a source group of graphical constructs in a database, the source group of graphical constructs including symbols available in the source description notation;
• providing a target group of graphical constructs in the database, the target group of graphical constructs including symbols available in the target description notation;
• providing a source pattern area for a user to construct a source pattern in the source description notation using the source group of graphical constructs;
• providing a target pattern area for a user to construct a corresponding target pattern in the target description notation using the target group graphical constructs;
• arranging, based on user input, the source graphical constructs in the source pattern area according to user instructions to construct the source pattern;
• arranging, based on user input, the target graphical constructs in the target pattern area according to user instructions to construct the corresponding target pattern;
• sending the source pattern and the corresponding target pattern to a transformation engine, whereby the transformation engine stores the source pattern and the corresponding target pattern as a transformation rule and subsequently uses the transformation rule to transform a source model in the source description notation into a target model in the target description notation.

A computer readable medium comprising instructions for causing a computer to execute a method, the method comprising:

• receiving a source model represented in a source description language;
• retrieving a source pattern represented in the source description language;
• retrieving a target pattern represented in a target description language, the target pattern describing how to convert the source pattern into the target description language;
• identifying a source fragment in the source model that matches the source pattern;
• and
• generating a target model fragment in the target description language based on the target pattern.

An apparatus for enabling a user to graphically develop at least one transformation rule for transforming a model in a source description notation into a new model in a target description notation, the apparatus comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• model creation software that executes the following steps on the processor:
• providing a source group of graphical constructs in a database, the source group of graphical constructs including symbols available in the source description notation;
• providing a target group of graphical constructs in the database, the target group of graphical constructs including symbols available in the target description notation;
• providing a source pattern area for a user to construct a source pattern in the source description notation using the source group of graphical constructs;
• providing a target pattern area for a user to construct a target pattern in the target description notation using the target group graphical constructs;
• arranging, based on user input, the source graphical constructs in the source pattern area according to user instructions to construct the source pattern;
• arranging, based on user input, the target graphical constructs in the target pattern area according to user instructions to construct the target pattern;
• sending the source pattern and the target pattern to a transformation engine;
• and
• accessing at least one transformation rule provided by the transformation engine, the at least one transformation rule being based on the source pattern and the target pattern.

An apparatus comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a transformation engine that executes the following steps on the processor:
• receiving a source model represented in a source description language;
• retrieving a source pattern represented in the source description language;
• retrieving a target pattern represented in a target description language, the target pattern describing how to convert the source pattern into the target description language;
• identifying a source fragment in the source model that matches the source pattern;
• and
• generating a target model fragment in the target description language based on the target pattern.