Ralf-Detlef Kutsche: On the Relevance of Models in Information Systems Engineering

Model-based software engineering (in analysis, design, construction, testing, etc.) has become a successful strategy in order to save development costs, improve quality and re-usability. Moreover, models encourage participative development with domain experts, using graphical model representations or even DSLs for an easy exchange of ideas in early stages.

Meanwhile, complex modeling tools, including code generation facilities, become more and more mature for industrial applications.

Based on the experiences of two large research projects (BIZYCLE and BIZWARE) in the area of 'Model-based Software & Data Integration' over the past seven years, jointly performed with a group of SMEs from different industrial areas, this presentation will show you, which different kinds of models and methodologies can be applied successfully for industrial benefit in information systems engineering.

In the first phase, 2007-2010, model-based integration was the main topic, in the second phase, 2010-2103, it was the development of DSLs in the business domains of our industrial partners: healthcare, manufacturing/production, finance/insurance, publishing and facility management. The modeling methodology, and the techniques chosen, strongly depend on the characteristics of the domain, and the requirements on the intended applications: deep-level ontologies are very important for the healthcare domain, whereas workflow in conjunction with database code generation was the choice of favour for our facility management partner. Graphical intuition (not even attempting to formally define a DSL) was a key aspect in the production/logistics domain, whereas long Xtext specifications could be applied well in the insurance domain, mainly fitted to the needs of inhouse programmers. Besides the research aspects, and the benefits proven in our industrial partners setting, our work shows the relevance of a very serious and deep modeling education in universities.

"no risk, no fun"  ---  "no models, no fun"  ---  "no models, much risk"

Short bio: Dr. Ralf-Detlef Kutsche has a position as Academic Director in the "Database and Information Management DIMA" group at TU Berlin. At TU chair "Computation and Information Structures CIS", he started building up the focus area "Heterogeneous Distributed Information Systems". At the same time he was scientific coordinator, project leader and member of the board of leaders with the Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering ISST. For an intermediate period of more than 30 months, Dr. Kutsche acted as provisional head of the CIS group. He is advisor of many diploma theses at TU Berlin and (co-)advisor of several Ph.D. dissertations within the Graduate School Distributed Information Systems, at TU Berlin, at Fraunhofer ISST, and at other universities.
His hot topics in teaching and research are model building and modeling methodology, focusing on "model-based semantic integration of heterogeneous information systems". Presently, he is Science Chair of the BIZYCLE initiative, a large-scale project of TU Berlin and industry (SMEs), funded by German BMBF, and the local coordinator at TUB of the IT4BI Erasmus Mundus Master.