Improving product line architecture design and customization by raising the level of variability modeling

Jiayi Zhu, Xin Peng, Stan Jarzabek, Zhenchang Xing, Yinxing Xue, Wenyun Zhao

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

    Abstract

    Product Line Architecture (PLA) plays a central role in software product line development. In order to support architecture-level variability modeling, most architecture description languages (ADLs) introduce architectural variation elements, such as optional component, connector and interface, which must be customized during product derivation. Variation elements are many, and design and customization of PLA at the level of individual variation elements are difficult and error-prone. We observed that developers usually perceive architecture variability from the perspective of variant features or variant design decisions that are mapped into groups of architecture variation elements. In the paper, we describe heuristics to identify configurations of variation elements that typically form such groups. We call them variation constructs. We developed an architecture variability management method and a tool that allow developers to work at the variation construct level rather than at the level of individual variation elements. We have applied and evaluated the proposed method in the development and maintenance of a medium-size financial product line. Our experience indicates that by raising variability modeling from variation element to construct level, architecture design and customizations become more intuitive. Not only does our method reduce the design and customization effort, but also better ensures consistent configuration of architectural variation elements, avoiding errors
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
    Place of PublicationPohang
    PublisherConference Organising Committee
    Pages151-166
    EditionTo be checked
    ISBN (Print)9783642213465
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2011
    Event12th International Conference on Software Reuse, ICSR 2011 - Pohang
    Duration: 1 Jan 2011 → …

    Conference

    Conference12th International Conference on Software Reuse, ICSR 2011
    Period1/01/11 → …
    Other13 June 2011 through 17 June 2011

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