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Astract: Service-oriented architectures (SOA) aim at the alignment of business and IT by having a clear business process-centric focus. In order to reach that goal, real-world business processes are captured by business process models. These models serve as the basis for the declarative configuration of a SOA using appropriate deployment artifacts - i.e., XML-based process languages. Consequently, requirements engineering for SOAs must focus on business processes and on their integration into systems using interoperable services, which is not the case for most conventional requirements engineering approaches. In this paper we present a requirements engineering approach specifically designed for the engineering of SOAs. Requirements are captured using a unified process, based on phases and iterations eventually leading to a formalized and unambiguous requirements specification. The final requirements specification can be used in succeeding development phases - i.e. for the model-driven generation of deployment artifacts for SOAs. The presented solution is called [vem:xi:] and is successfully used in the IT department of a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) in Austria. In the highly volatile world of mobile communication the presented approach enables faster application development and faster integration of solutions, thus leading to a competitive advantage over other market participants.

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Astract: In the field of business document standardization a multitude of different standardization efforts exist. Unfortunately, most of the developed standards are designed for a specific application domain or industry and do not consider cross-standard interoperability. This results in several incompatible standard definitions. Without the provision of a common semantical basis for business document definitions, cross-domain interoperability cannot be achieved. In this paper we provide a methodology for building a global reference ontology based on the Core Components Technical Specification (CCTS) and Web Ontology Language (OWL). Using our approach a common semantic business document basis is developed. New document definitions may be derived from this basis and existing document definitions may be aligned to it. Using our 'derivation-by-restriction' mechanism, instances derived from a common semantical basis are interoperable to each other. Thus, mapping mechanisms between different standard definitions may be implemented in an easier and semantically correct manner.

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Astract: Traditionally, models are considered as pretty pictures supporting merely the documentation of a software development project. With the rise of model-driven engineering (MDE) this viewpoint has to be reconsidered. Models become first-class artifacts which yield the basis for the generation of executable program code. In modern university curricula of computer science and related fields this paradigm shift must not be ignored. At the Business Informatics Group (BIG) of the Vienna University of Technology we offer an advanced modeling course called Model Engineering where we elaborate current trends, development, and state-of-the-art techniques necessary to realize the visions of MDE. In this paper we report which concrete concepts and approaches we teach and how we structure and organize a practical hands-on lab where the students have to build their own model-driven development environment consisting of their own modeling languages, certain types of model transformations, and code generation facilities.

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Astract: Approximately 1000 students of computer science and business informatics attend the course Introduction to Object- Oriented Modeling (OOM) offered by the Business Informatics Group (BIG) of the Vienna University of Technology each year in order to learn the basic concepts of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and to obtain a certificate. For finishing the course successfully, the students must pass three small tests where they have to prove their theoretical knowledge about UML concepts as well as their ability to apply this knowledge in practical exercises. In this paper we report our experiences in assessing the modeling knowledge of our students and we reveal how we design the tests.

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Astract: Business documents exchanged in a service-oriented context play a crucial role in the definition of service interfaces. Only if both partners have a common agreement on the data exchanged, automated business interactions are possible. The United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) provides a reliable and interoperable solution for conceptual business document definitions with UN/CEFACT's Core Components Technical Specification. However, document definitions aren't available in a centralized manner to all interested business partners. In order to allow for an easy search and retrieval of core component business document definitions, a registry is needed. Business partners may retrieve service interface definitions from the registry and adapt their software accordingly in order to engage in automated business interactions. We specify a registry meta model on top of ebRIM, registering core component artifacts and defining their inter-dependencies.

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Astract: The electronic exchange of business documents is an often communicated desire by enterprises and the public sector. Electronic business is currently mainly hindered by unresolved interoperability issues and a lack of tool support. Additionally, computer aided document exchange is cost intensive at the beginning and thus discourages small and medium-sized companies to adapt to new technologies. The contribution of this paper is to present suitable tool support and methods to manage the complexity of business document integration. Our modeling tool is based on UN/CEFACT's (United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business) Core Components Technical Specification allowing for platform independent, conceptual business document models. On these models further integration operations can be performed.

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Astract: Model transformation languages, the cornerstone of Model- Driven Engineering, often lack mechanisms for abstraction, reuse and debugging. We propose a model transformation framework providing different abstraction levels together with an extensible library of predefined transformations and a dedicated runtime model in terms of Coloured Petri Nets for transformation execution and debugging.

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Astract: Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) places models as firstclass artifacts throughout the software lifecycle requiring the availability of proper transformation languages. Most of today's approaches use declarative rules to specify a mapping between source and target models which is then executed by a transformation engine. Transformation engines, however, most often hide the operational semantics of the mapping and operate on a considerable lower level of abstraction, thus hampering debugging. To tackle these limitations we propose a framework called TROPIC (Transformations on Petri Nets in Color) providing a DSL on top of Colored Petri Nets (CPNs) to specify, simulate, and formally verify model transformations. The formal underpinnings of CPNs enables simulation and veri fication of model transformations. By exploring the constructed state space of CPNs we show how prede fined behavioral properties as well as custom state space functions can be applied for observing and tracking origins of errors during debugging.

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Astract: In the Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) paradigm the Query/View/Transformation (QVT) standard plays a vital role for model transformations. Especially the high-level declarative QVT Relations language, however, has not yet gained widespread use in practice. This is not least due to missing tool support in general and inadequate debugging support in particular. Transformation engines interpreting QVT Relations operate on a low level of abstraction, hide the operational semantics of a transformation and scatter metamodels, models, QVT code, and trace information across different artifacts. We therefore propose a model-based debugger representing QVT Relations on bases of TROPIC, a model transformation language utilizing a variant of Colored Petri Nets (CPNs). As a prerequisite for convenient debugging, TROPIC provides a homogeneous view on all artifacts of a transformation on basis of a single formalism. Besides that, this formalism also provides a runtime model, thus making the afore hidden operational semantics of the transformation explicit. Using an explicit runtime model allows to employ model-based techniques for debugging, e.g., using the Object Constraint Language (OCL) for simply defining breakpoints and querying the execution state of a transformation.

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Astract: Workflow technology promises an increase in efficiency in the execution of business processes. The technology is widely accepted, but often the high costs exceed the promised benefits. Thus, it is desirable to calculate the profitability prior to investing into workflow technology. After an investment into workflow management systems (WFMS), it has to be verified whether the expected benefits have been realized or not. In this paper we present a method that covers both, the cost-benefit-ratio calculations specially customized for WFMS and the calculation of the realized savings. The profitability analysis is based on simple measurable performance indicators that consider the tangible calculation of costs as well as the quantitative and qualitative benefits. Long time practical experience in implementing and operating workflow management supported the design of the method. The method presented in this paper has been successfully used in the IT company of a banking corporation.