On using Weaving Models to Specify Schema Mappings

Abstract

Weaving models, supported by the ATLAS Model Weaver toolkit within the Eclipse Modeling Framework, has been used for various application scenarios related to model mappings. This paper considers the application of weaving models to specification of data schema mappings. Firstly, a general conceptual framework in the form of an abstract megamodel is introduced. It is used as a reference model which identifies various kinds of models occurring in the context of data schema mappings and precisely defines their roles and mutual mappings. Then, based on the defined conceptual framework, an analysis of the application of weaving models in the context of schema mappings is given. This analysis reveals several issues in the existing approach. The main issue is that weaving models are not enough constrained by their corresponding weaving metamodels and, hence, invalid or semantically meaningless links among schema concepts are allowed. Finally, the paper proposes a solution that overcomes the issues and discusses its advantages and shortcomings.