Architecture Driven Modernization - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Architecture-driven modernization is the name of the initiative of the Object Management Group

Object Management Group

Object Management Group is a consortium, originally aimed at setting standards for distributed object-oriented systems, and is now focused on modeling and model-based standards.- Overview :...

(see OMG ADM Task Force website) related to building and promoting standards that can be applied to modernize legacy systems. The objective of this initiative is to provide standard representations of views existing systems in order to enable common modernization activities

Software modernization

Legacy Modernization, or Software modernization, refers to the conversion, rewriting or porting of a legacy system to a modern computer programming language, software libraries, protocols, or hardware platform...

like code analysis and comprehension, and software transformation.

History of ADM

In June 2003, The Object Management Group (OMG) formed a task force to modeling in the context of existing software systems. Initially, the group was called Legacy Transformation Task Force, but then the name was unanimously changed to Architecture-Driven Modernization Task Force (ADM). ADMTF is co-chaired by Djenana Campara, from KDM Analytics and William Ulrich, from Tactical Strategy Group.

In November 2003, the OMG's Architecture-Driven Modernization Task Force recommended, and the Platform Technical Committee issued, the Knowledge Discovery Metamodel Request For Proposal (RFP).

In February 2005, the OMG's Architecture-Driven Modernization Task Force recommended, and the Platform Technical Committee issued, the Abstract Syntax Tree Metamodel (ASTM) Request For Proposal (RFP). This work is still in progress. OMG has not yet adopted this specification.

In May 2006, the Team's submission—the Knowledge Discovery Metamodel—was adopted by the OMG and moved into the finalization stage of the OMG's standards adoption process. The OMG adopted Specification for KDM became publicly available (OMG document ptc/06-06-07).

In September 2006, the OMG's Architecture-Driven Modernization Task Force recommended, and the Platform Technical Committee issued, the Software Metrics Metamodel
Software Metrics Metamodel
The Software Metrics Metamodel is publicly available specification from the Object Management Group . A SMM model describes how metrics can be extracted from a model. It also allows for metric reporting. It is developed by the Architecture Driven Modernization taskforce...

(SMM) Request For Proposal (RFP). This work is still in progress.

In March 2007 the KDM Finalization Task Force finished the finalization stage of the OMG's standards adoption process. The recommended specification KDM 1.0 is available from OMG

Knowledge Discovery Metamodel (KDM)

The foundation of the architecture-driven modernization initiative is the OMG specification Knowledge Discovery Metamodel

Knowledge Discovery Metamodel

Knowledge Discovery Metamodel is publicly available specification from the Object Management Group . KDM is a common intermediate representation for existing software systems and their operating environments, that defines common metadata required for deep semantic integration of Application...

(KDM).
Usually the knowledge obtained from existing software is presented in the form of models to which specific queries can be made when necessary. An entity relationship is a frequent format of representing knowledge obtained from existing software. Knowledge Discovery Metamodel defines an ontology for the software assets and their relationships for the purpose of performing knowledge discovery of existing code. Company KDM Analytics is maintaining an open Portal for the Knowledge Discovery Metamodel (see KDM Portal).

Relationship to MDA

Existing (or legacy) software has been one of biggest obstacles for adoption of a model-driven architecture

Model-driven architecture

Model-driven architecture is a software design approach for the development of software systems. It provides a set of guidelines for the structuring of specifications, which are expressed as models. Model-driven architecture is a kind of domain engineering, and supports model-driven engineering of...

. With some irony, the acronym for architecture-driven modernization, ADM looks like MDA in reverse, where MDA is the acronym for OMG's model-driven architecture, or using modeling to deliver new software. ADM is related to the concept of reverse engineering

Reverse engineering

Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...

. Software modernization

Software modernization

is architecture-driven when there is the need to capture and retool various architectural aspects of existing application environments. This does not preclude source-to-source migrations (where appropriate), but encourages user organizations to consider modernization from an analysis and design based perspective. In doing so, project teams will ensure that obsolete concepts or designs are not propagated into modern languages and platforms. The bottom-line results deliver modernized systems that conform more effectively to current business practices and strategic requirements.

History of ADM

Knowledge Discovery Metamodel (KDM)

Relationship to MDA

See also