Comparing ABAP development process with Model Driven Architecture concept

My Background
I am a postgraduate student writing a Masters Degree Dissertation titled An Investigation into how compatible ERP Development Process is with Model Driven Development Philosophy: A SAP R/3 Case Study.
The aim of this project is to compare ERP system development process with Model Driven Development (MDD) and to identify whether and how they can be used together. Model Driven Architecture (MDA) is Object Management Groups (OMG) flavour of the MDD philosophy and is the paradigm that will be used here.
I have chosen SAP R/3 as my case study in order to narrow the research and want to explore the development processes/cycle involved in using ABAP/4 to reconfigure/customize SAP R/3 system during implementation.
An overview of the MDA concept according to OMG is given below. Following this, Ive provided some questions that are open to discussions.
Overview of the MDA Concept
The Model Driven Architecture (MDA) is an approach to software systems development that separates the specification of system functionality from the specification of the implementation of the functionality on a specific technology platform. The MDA concept provides an open, vendor-neutral approach to system interoperability.
A recent study by the Middleware Company summarizes MDA paradigm as a development process that makes use of the following steps:
1.     Secure business requirements for an application.
2.     Develop UML diagrams for the domain model, independent of any particular technology (J2EE, Microsoft .NET, CORBA, etc). This UML model represents the core business services and components. This UML model is called Platform Independent Model (PIM) because it is completely technology-independent and will be the same regardless of whether you decided to use J2EE or .NET. You develop this UML model using UML modelling capabilities of an MDA-specific modelling tool.
3.     Build UML diagrams for the application, specific to a particular technology (J2EE, for example). This UML model will have design patterns. This UML model is called Platform Specific Model (PSM). You can build this manually, or you can generate much of it using an MDA tool and hand-tune only pieces of it that require customisation.
4.     Finally, generate the application code using an MDA tool. That is to say, instead of writing the application by hand based on the UML model, you generate the majority of it from the UML diagrams.
To develop an application using MDA, it is necessary to first build a PIM of the application, then transform this, using a standardised mapping into a PSM, and, finally, map the latter into the application code.
A mapping is a set of rules and techniques used to modify one model in order to get another model. In MDA, mappings are used for transforming:
1)     PIM to PIM. This transformation is used when models are enhanced, filtered or specialized during the development lifecycle without needing any platform dependent information. One of the most obvious mappings is the analysis to design models transformation. PIM to PIM mappings, are generally related to model refinement.
2)     PIM to PSM. This transformation is used when the PIM is sufficiently refined to be projected to the execution infrastructure. The projection is based on the platform characteristics. Describing these characteristics should be done using UML description. Going from a logical component model to a commercial existing component model is a kind of PIM to PSM mapping.
3)     PSM to PSM. This transformation is needed for component realization and deployment. PSM to PSM mapping are generally related to platform dependent model refinement.
4)     PSM to PIM. This transformation is required for abstracting models of existing implementations in a particular technology into a platform-independent model. This procedure often resembles a mining process that is hard to be fully automated. It may be supported by tools, though. Ideally, the result of this mapping will match the corresponding PIM to PSM mapping.
Questions/Discussions
1.     What specific stages are involved in development using ABAP/4? (e.g., requirements gathering, analysis, design, coding, etc)
2.     Do these stages fit into any traditional software development lifecycle? (e.g. waterfall model, v-model, etc)
3.     Which of the stages in (1) above best describes the Platform Independent Model (PIM) of the MDA concept above?
4.     Which of the stages in (1) above best describes the Platform Specific Model (PSM) of the MDA concept above?
5.     How does the Accelerated SAP roadmap relate to the MDA concept above?
6.     Assuming theres a change in business requirements of a company that could lead to reconfiguring/customizing the R/3 system, how is this achieved? For instance, if a model has earlier been developed for that particular process, how does the change in the model affect coding/modification?
7.     How is coding achieved with respect to the reconfiguration of the business models or reference models?
8.     Are all coding manually done or are there tools in the ABAP Workbench that enable codes to be generated automatically from the models of the system?
9.     How much time is spent in coding compared to developing business models like EPC models?

I've also read about the SAP Composite Application Framework (CAF).
But it seems that it's only for Java development....

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Hi,
What you need to install is the ABAP stack. This would be on your Netweaver installation CDs. Please have a look at service.sap.com/instguides for more in-depth installation instructions.
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Hello
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RK

You should be able to achieve what you want with an explicit criteria filter on your entity.
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<annotation name="ServerProperties" ServerType="LCDS"/>
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MDA (Model Driven Architecture) Discussion

This is a topic that's been rearing its ugly head recently, and since this is the new home of ALT ...
What do people think about MDA? I heard a developer the other day claim it was "the only way software engineering can mature as a branch of traditional engineering". Basically, this is the way to mass produce consistent (high) quality software. I think this is crap, but there you go ...
The problems I have with MDA are:
1. Are diagrams really the best representation of logic?
2. Those people that claim MDA is a "silver bullet".
3. The idea that an "architect" (i.e. probably me or you) will do the initial design and generate the framework, then any monkey with a keyboard can do the rest.
Anyone got any thoughts on the matter? Any first hand experiences?

I agree with you to the extent that I dont believe there to be one single methodology which can guarantee anything - all methodologies are afterall only as good as the people implementing them.
In response to
1) I would say that diagramming allows us to communicate the abstract ideas which form the basis of the early design of a system, and provides an excellent mechanism for charting, and justifying, changes in design. I would ask, what would you have in the place of diagrammatic models? I've worked on a few projects where the only design documentation was huge reams of narrative, extremely difficult to work from and maintain.
2) Nothing is a magic bullet to producing robust, maintainable software (unless its test-driven development...), but models help us to share a common representational language for complex problems.
3) I dont think thats the point - the best architects leave a great leeway to the individual developer in terms of implementation of the model (conversely, or course, $hit architects dont, but then, any project is ohly as good as its team members), and work closely during the development, so that the design model is not seen as something which is immutable, but is the reference point for kicking off development, and will undergo change as you work through iterations.
Personally, having worked on projects with modelling, and those without, I'd rather work on those where there is extensive modelling going on.
Just my sixpenn'orth...

How to restrict the generated constraint name with Model Driven Development

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thanks

You should be able to achieve what you want with an explicit criteria filter on your entity.
In the Modeler Design view, select your entity and add a filter. You'll see that there is a an "Order By" field in the Properties view.
Enter the value you want there and then save and redeploy your model. When you don't enter anything in the "Criteria" field, you create a getAll fill.
Here's an example of an entity created with this type of filter; it is sorted by price in ascending order:
<entity name="Product" persistent="true">
<annotation name="ServerProperties" ServerType="LCDS"/>
<annotation name="DMS" Table="PRODUCT"/>
<annotation name="RDS" introspectedColumns="PRODUCTID,DESCRIPTION,PRICE,PRODUCTNAME"/>
<annotation name="VisualModeler" width="115" height="110" x="364" y="203"/>
<id name="productid" type="integer">
<annotation name="DMS" ColumnName="PRODUCTID"/>
</id>
<property name="description" type="string" length="255">
<annotation name="DMS" ColumnName="DESCRIPTION"/>
</property>
<property name="price" type="float">
<annotation name="DMS" ColumnName="PRICE"/>
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<annotation name="DMS" ColumnName="PRODUCTNAME"/>
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Model Driven Architecture

Hi,
Does SAP support the MDA approach of the OMG (aka Object Management Group)?
If so, which UML modelling tool / code generation tool is provided?
Regards
Oliver

Pran,
thanks for your reply.
I'm not quite sure if Together is a mda tool. Mda is a little bit more than UML roundtrip engineering, and mda is not mentioned on the borland site.
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Regards
Oliver

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Read the responses in your other posts of the same question.

Compare Merge Model problems with models from different connections

Hi all,
I've experienced a problem while using the compare/merge model funcion under tools.
Just to put in place:
I've 4 model, one for each enviroment that I have: DEV, INT, TEST, PROD(*each model imported from different connections*). Because I haven't found any reliable way to keep them sincronyzed, using DLL deltas. Is there a way to do that?
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Edited by: morfeo8marc on 14-mar-2012 11:17

I shall try to explain what is happening here.
When you import objects from TEST data dictionary, their source information (see Summary info in Properties dialog) will refer to TEST.
The relational model for TEST will contain source information (see Summary info in Properties dialog) for the connection to TEST.
Similarly, imported objects from PROD will refer to the PROD data dictionary, and the PROD relational model will hold connection details for PROD.
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The TEST model will be updated to include connection details to PROD.
When you synchronize a model, if it only has one source connection, it uses that.
If it has more than one, it will prompt you to decide to which data dictionary it should synchronize.
In your case, for the TEST data dictionary, it will synchronize all objects that have source information for TEST (i.e. those imported from TEST).
It will also compare any new objects (i.e. those not imported from a data dictionary).
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This supports the scenario where a model consists of objects imported from more than one data dictionary, and where the data dictionaries are maintained separately.
We may need to review the above strategy in light of your experience and development process.
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The resulting Compare Models dialog should show all objects (i.e. those from TEST and PROD).
You may need to set the Swap Models option to generate DDL with which to update your TEST data dictionary.
Thank you for raising this matter.
Regards,
Tony Rose

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Refer to this link
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/EN/6e/fb9442047b0831e10000000a1550b0/frameset.htm
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start-of-selection.
get pernr.
perform get_it0001 using wtab.
perform get_it0002 using wtab.
perform get_it0003 using wtab.
append wtab to itab.
end-of-selection.
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 i_structure_name = 'itabstructure'
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Hello Lee
I assume that the routines GET_ITnnnn are written by yourself. For reading infotypes ABAP Objects provides us with same very helpful classes as shown below:
* define data
DATA:
 gif_employee type ref to if_pt_employee,
 go_employee type ref to cl_pt_employee,
 gt_infotypes TYPE tim_tmw_itlist_tab,
 go_control TYPE REF TO if_pt_td_control,
 go_data TYPE REF TO if_pt_td_base,
 go_pnnnn TYPE REF TO if_pt_td_itnnnn,
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 gt_p0002 TYPE TIM_P0002_TAB,
 gt_p0003 TYPE TIM_P0003_TAB.
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* EX_I0007 =
* EX_I0008 =
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Regards
Uwe

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Hello Experts
I am Atush Rohan, I have done my "SAP Certified Development Associate - ABAP with SAP NetWeaver 7.0" on 3rd April 2009.
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hi,
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I want to know if this architecture is only for forms?.
I want to implement for a event like when a hyper link is clicked then some method in my Java class is invoked and the result displayed on JSP.
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I want to know if this architecture is only for forms?.Forms are irrelevant.
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Comparing ABAP development process with Model Driven Architecture concept

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