An Algebraic Semantics for MOF

Model-driven development is a field within software engineering in which software artifacts are represented as models in order to improve productivity, quality, and cost effectiveness. In this field, the Meta-Object Facility (MOF) standard plays a crucial role by providing a generic framework where the abstract syntax of different modeling languages can be defined. In this work, we present a formal, algebraic semantics of the MOF standard in membership equational logic (mel). By using the Maude language, which directly supports mel specifications, this formal semantics is furthermore executable, and can be used to perform useful formal analyses. The executable algebraic framework for MOF obtained this way has been integrated within the Eclipse Modeling Framework as a plugin. In this way, formal analyses, such as semantic consistency checks, become available within Eclipse to provide formal support for model-driven development processes.