Transformation rules based on meta-modeling

In this paper, we describe how meta-modeling techniques can be used to define rules for model transformation. A meta-model describes the ontology (the semantics) of a model, and the transformation rules between models can be described using the terms defined in both meta-models of these models. The example presented in this paper is a transformation from an object model, described using the UML semantics, to a new one described using a relational paradigm. Both models are represented in a formalism based on semantic nets and called sNets [Bezivin 1995]. This work can be compared to graph rewriting techniques as used in PROGRES (Programmed Graph Replacement Systems (Schurr, 1997)) and hypergenericity as presented by Desfray (1998).