Dual deep modeling: multi level modeling with dual potencies and its formalization in F Logic
An enterprise database contains a global, integrated, and consistent representation of a company's data. Multi level modeling facilitates the definition and maintenance of such an integrated conceptual data model in a dynamic environment of changing data requirements of diverse applications. Multi level models transcend the traditional separation of class and object with clabjects as the central modeling primitive, which allows for a more flexible and natural representation of many real world use cases. In deep instantiation, the number of instantiation levels of a clabject or property is indicated by a single potency. Dual deep modeling (DDM) differentiates between source potency and target potency of a property or association and supports the flexible instantiation and refinement of the property by statements connecting clabjects at different modeling levels. DDM comes with multiple generalization of clabjects, subsetting/specialization of properties, and multi level cardinality constraints. Examples are presented using a UML style notation for DDM together with UML class and object diagrams for the representation of two level user views derived from the multi level model. Syntax and semantics of DDM are formalized and implemented in F Logic, supporting the modeler with integrity checks and rich query facilities.
Software Systems Modeling