Creating model-to-model transformations

You can create model-to-model transformations by specifying mapping relationships between elements in models or metamodels.

About this task

Creating model-to-model transformations is a process that is also known as model-to-model transformation authoring. Model-to-model transformation authoring is a model-driven process that enables you to specify source and target models or metamodels, and create one or more mapping declarations that define relationships between the elements in the models or metamodels. Mapping declarations contain mapping rules that define relationships between the features of the elements; these mapping rules can contain detailed implementation information. Working with this level of abstraction enables you to focus on the problem domain instead of the solution domain.

As you define the mapping declarations and mapping rules, you can generate extensible transformation source code that extends the standard transformation framework. The mapping rules are specified using a metamodel of a model, including Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) core (Ecore) metamodels and UML profiles. The code generation process also produces any necessary plug-in infrastructure. You can use the generated transformation code to perform model-to-model transformations.

  • Creating model-to-model transformation mapping projects
    A mapping project is a standard plug-in that specifies a transformation provider, which is the mechanism that defines transformations. A mapping project also contains at least one mapping model. When you create a mapping project, a mapping model is created in the project, based on the input and output models that you specify.
  • Creating mapping models in model-to-model transformation mapping projects
    Mapping models, also called mapping files, are instances of Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) metamodels, also called Ecore models, that contain references to the metamodels that are being mapped. When you create a mapping project, the authoring tools create a mapping model in the project by using the input and output model or models that you specify. A mapping project contains at least one mapping model. Creating multiple mapping models in a project encourages the reuse of maps in other mapping projects.
  • Managing input and output metamodels in mapping models
    In a model-to-model transformation mapping project, the metamodels that you specify in a mapping model determine which input and output objects you can add to the mapping declarations in the mapping model. You can add and remove metamodels from a mapping model. You can also edit the Uniform Resource Indicator (URI) of a metamodel.
  • Managing mapping declarations
    A model-to-model transformation mapping project contains a mapping model, which can contain one or more mapping declarations. A mapping declaration, also called a map, specifies how to create or update an output object for a given input object. The Outline view displays the mapping declarations in the mapping model, the input and output objects in a mapping declaration, and the mapping rules in a mapping declaration.
  • Managing mapping rules in model-to-model transformation mapping projects
    Mapping rules, also called mappings, specify how to assign a value to an attribute of an output object, according to the values of the attributes of an input object.
  • Creating properties in model-to-model transformations
    You can create transformation properties in Eclipse plug-ins that contain model-to-model transformations. Transformation properties refine the output that a transformation generates. You can specify values for these properties when you create or edit a transformation configuration.
  • Specifying custom classes to generate model-to-model transformation source code
    You can refine how the transformation source code, also called implementation code, is generated by overriding the classes in the default transformation authoring framework.
  • Generating transformation source code
    The transformation authoring framework enables you to incrementally add mapping rules and generate implementations for the mapping rules. For each mapping declaration in the mapping model, the transformation authoring framework generates a Java™ class with the name nTransform, where n represents the name of the mapping declaration. Collectively, these Java classes compose the transformation code.
  • Transforming models into models
    After you generate the transformation source code, you can run the generated model-to-model transformation.
Related concepts:
Transformations
Related information:
Tutorial: Create, configure, and run a model-to-model transformation
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