Year of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Computer Science

Department or School/College

Department of Computer Science

Committee Chair

Joel Henry

Commitee Members

John Bardsley, Min Chen

Keywords

Executable UML, iUML, MDA, Model Driven Architecture, Software, Software Engineering, SQA, Testing, Unified Modeling Language, xUML

Abstract

Model Driven Architecture (MDA) is a relatively new and completely different approach to developing software in which diagrams and formal specifications are written and then translated into executable programs. Development using this approach takes longer than using traditional software engineering approaches, but results in products that more correctly meet user requirements and take less maintenance effort. While there is considerable information available regarding development using MDA, the implications for testing have not been fully explored or measured. In order to investigate this facet of MDA, a traditional C++ program which had previously been tested was rebuilt as an MDA model. Metrics for unit, integration, and system testing on the two systems were then gathered and compared. The MDA model proved to be moderately easier to test than a traditional system; tools are provided to assist testers, allowing testing to potentially be accomplished earlier in the life cycle of a project. Additionally, the MDA approach may make it possible to create a reusable model which could be used for testing many widely different applications with minimal effort required to adapt the model between programs. Results indicated that developers could expect unit and integration testing of iUML systems to take slightly less time than testing traditional systems. System testing of the MDA model is likely to be more expensive in the short term, but payoff over time. While developing in MDA necessitates overcoming several hurdles and may prove to be too expensive to be practical, ease of testing is not one of MDA’s shortcomings.

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© Copyright 2008 Dylan O. Flaherty