[Paper Review] Message Structures: a Modelling Technique for Information Systems Analysis and Design.

Arturo Luque González, Marcela Ruiz+2 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jan 1, 2011

Service-Oriented Architecture and Web Services8 references13 citations

TL;DR

This paper introduces Message Structures, a communication-oriented modelling technique that bridges analysis and design in information systems by specifying interactions between the system and its environment. It enables technology-agnostic abstraction during analysis and supports systematic derivation of class diagrams and UI patterns during design, enhancing model-driven development across stages.

ABSTRACT

Despite the increasing maturity of model-driven development (MDD), some research challenges remain open in the field of information systems (IS). For instance, there is a need to improve modelling techniques so that they cover several development stages and they facilitate the transition from analysis to design. This paper presents Message Structures, a technique for the specification of communicative interactions between the IS and its environment. This technique can be used both in analysis and in design. During analysis, it allows abstracting from the technology that will support the IS, and to complement business process modelling with the specification of communicational needs. During design, Message Structures serves two purposes: (i) it allows to systematically derive a model of the IS memory (e.g. a UML class diagram), (ii) and it allows to reason the user interface design using abstract patterns. The technique is part of Communication Analysis, a communication-oriented requirements engineering method, but it can also be used in combination with other modelling techniques (e.g. Business Process Modeling Notation, Use Cases). Two supporting tools are presented: one uses the Xtext technology, and the other uses the Eclipse Modelling Framework.

Motivation & Objective

• Address the gap in model-driven development where existing techniques fail to support smooth transitions from analysis to design.
• Improve communication modelling in information systems by abstracting from implementation technologies during requirements analysis.
• Facilitate systematic derivation of system memory models (e.g., UML class diagrams) and user interface designs from communicative interactions.
• Integrate with established methods like Business Process Modeling Notation and Use Cases to enhance interoperability and practical adoption.

Proposed method

• Define Message Structures as a formalism to model communicative interactions between the information system and its environment, independent of implementation technology.
• Use Message Structures during analysis to capture communication needs without committing to technical details, complementing business process models.
• During design, apply Message Structures to derive a UML class diagram representing the system’s persistent data structures.
• Leverage Message Structures to guide user interface design through abstract interaction patterns, ensuring consistency with system semantics.
• Implement the technique using two tools: one based on Xtext for language definition and editing, and another using the Eclipse Modelling Framework for model transformation and integration.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can communicative interactions between an information system and its environment be modelled in a way that supports both analysis and design phases?
• RQ2 To what extent can Message Structures enable technology-agnostic specification during analysis while preserving design traceability?
• RQ3 Can Message Structures systematically support the derivation of UML class diagrams from communication requirements?
• RQ4 How can Message Structures guide the design of user interfaces through abstract interaction patterns?

Key findings

• Message Structures successfully decouples communication modelling from implementation technology, enabling consistent abstraction during analysis.
• The technique allows for the systematic derivation of a UML class diagram from Message Structures, ensuring alignment between communication needs and data models.
• Message Structures support the design of user interfaces by providing abstract patterns derived from interaction semantics, improving consistency and reusability.
• The integration of Message Structures with existing methods like Business Process Modeling Notation and Use Cases enhances methodological flexibility and adoption potential.