Content Is Capricious: A Case for Dynamic System Generation

Database modeling is based on the assumption of a high regularity of its application areas, an assumption which applies to both the structure of data and the behavior of users. Content modeling, however, is less strict since it may treat one application entity substantially differently from another depending on the instance at hand, and content users may individually add descriptive or interpretive aspects depending on their knowledge and interests. Therefore, we argue that adequate content modeling has to be open to changes, and content management systems have to react to changes dynamically, thus making content management a case for dynamic system generation. In our approach, openness and dynamics are provided through a compiler framework which is based on a conceptual model of the application domain. Using a conceptual modeling language users can openly express their views on the domain’s entities. Our compiler framework dynamically generates the components of an according software system. Central to the compiler framework is the notion of generators, each generating a particular module for the intended application system. Based on the resulting modular architecture the generated systems allow personalized model definition and seamless model evolution. In this paper we give details of the system modules and describe how the generators which create them are coordinated in the compiler framework.