A Tool for Debugging Unsatisfiable Integrity Constraints in UML/OCL Class Diagrams

Abstract

Software models are the basis of the Model-Driven Engineering paradigm. The most popular modeling notation is UML class diagrams, which can be annotated with OCL predicates to describe complex integrity constraints. When creating and managing UML/OCL models, a challenge for domain engineers is diagnosing faults. Problems like inconsistencies among integrity constraints can render a model useless. While existing verification tools provide ample support for detecting faults, users have less support when trying to understand and fix them. In this paper, we present a tool aimed at helping domain engineers locate, understand and fix faults in UML/OCL class diagrams. This tool is built as a plug-in within an existing UML modeling tool, the UML Specification Environment (USE).