Applied Research Notes (July-August 2011)

Peter Liu's Applied Research Activity (July - August 2011)

The goal of my research activity is to create a knowledge base at CDOT-Seneca such that new research students can go through a shorter learning curve in working with the huge code base of NexJ Model Server Express. The knowledge base will also benefit the open source community of developers who want to make contributions to the NexJ code base. UML modelling is the foundation of the NexJ approach to model-driven engineering [1] and UML diagrams are concept maps [2]. Thus the focus of my research is to develop a conceptual understanding of the huge code base of NexJ Model Server Express. It is envisioned that some concept maps will be constructed to visualize the architectural aspect of the NexJ code base.

Documents Provided by NexJ

• Introduction To NexJ Studio Express (open sourced, available on Open Health Tools Platform)
• NexJ Studio Fundamentals (confidential and proprietary)
• Working with NexJ Express Source Code (open sourced, available on Open Health Tools Platform)
• NexJ Studio - Integration Fundamentals (confidential and proprietary)

Current Findings

Question: Where should one start if one wants to get a conceptual understanding of the code base of NexJ Model Server Express?

One can download Introduction To NexJ Studio Express from the Open Health Tools Platform. It's useful for getting familiar with NexJ Studio Express. However, one must read NexJ Studio Fundamentals and identify the concepts as a result. Presently this document in not open sourced.

This document has useful clues for one to understand how the Persistence engine and the Integration engine are organized in the NexJ Framework (at the source code level).

• In particular, one should understand how Class Persistence Mapping is done with the NexJ Studio Express.
• Also one must learn the NexJ-Scheme language.

As for understanding the concepts implemented by the Integration Engine, one must read NexJ Studio - Integration Fundamentals. Presently this piece of document is not open sourced.

Conceptual Comprehension of the Code Base

• Goal: Understand the architecture design of NexJ Framework, especially the Persistence Engine and the Integration Engine.
• Research Question: What concepts have been implemented in the code base?

References

• Concept Map Based Software Engineering (2007) [3] [4]
• Research on the Application of the Concept Map to Software Engineering Teaching (2009) [5]
• Using Concept Mapping to Facilitate Students Understanding Software Testing [6]
• Are concept-mapping tools useful for software analysis and design? [7]
• TOWARDS AUTOMATIC ESTABLISHMENT OF MODEL DEPENDENCIES USING FORMAL CONCEPT ANALYSIS (University of Waterloo) [8]