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The concern-oriented software architecture analysis method

Scholten, F.B. (2007) The concern-oriented software architecture analysis method.

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Abstract:Software architecture evaluation methods aim to predict the quality of a software system before it is built. Depending on the results of these evaluations, the software architecture can be transformed to improve its quality. In general, processes of transformation of software architecture designs are implicitly defined in existing software architecture evaluation methods. Additionally, these methods use scenarios and do not treat concerns as first-class entities. The explicit representation of concerns enables explicit reasoning and identification of crosscutting concerns. Crosscutting concerns may cause scattering and tangling of code fragments, which have a negative impact on the maintainability and complexity of software implementations. The Concern-Oriented Software Architecture Analysis Method (COSAAM) is an iterative method for evaluating and transforming software architectures. COSAAM uses and extends various existing approaches to create a method to systematically transform software architectures. COSAAM inspired by the Aspectual Software Architecture Analysis Method (ASAAM), which is a scenario-based analysismethod for identifying architectural aspects. Additionally, it uses Design Structure Matrices (DSMs) for concern identification and dependency analysis of architectural modules and Domain Mapping Matrices (DMMs) to measure scattering and tangling. DSMs and DMMs are general purpose system analysis tools that have been applied in project management, product design and more recently, software architecture design. COSAAMprovides transformation rules to systematically transforma candidate software architecture. COSAAM is demonstrated by a case study of a window manager software architecture. The window manager software architecture is transformed in eight iterations and is extended with several aspects. After the end of the evaluation, the scattering and tangling in the window manager software architecture is eliminated. However, this is offset with added complexity due to interacting aspects. This thesis is concluded with an overview of lessons learned during the development of COSAAM and provides suggestions for further work and tool support.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
Subject:54 computer science
Programme:Computer Science BSc (56964)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/57831
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