Patterns are used as building blocks for design and construction in many fields such as architecture, music, literature, etc. Researchers and practitioners in the information systems area have been exploring patterns and using them in system analysis and design. Patterns found in the analysis stage, when analysts create conceptual models to abstractly represent domain reality, are call business patterns or analysis patterns. Although various business patterns were proposed in previous studies, we found that business semantics were missing in these patterns. These business patterns failed to show functionalities that is essential to patterns in general. Most of these patterns were also not capable of describing business activities, the dynamic aspect of business. This study is conducted to address these issues. In this thesis, we provide a brief literature review on business patterns, and discuss the major problems we found in these studies. Then we introduce our research approach and the major outcomes. We propose a new definition of business patterns with business semantics, which enables us to recover the missing functionality in business patterns. We suggest the key elements to represent business patterns, and propose a two-level template (functional and operational) to describe these elements. Based on theR²M approach, we propose a modeling method with graphical notations to describe the operational level of patterns, where business activities can be modeled. Examples and a case study are provided in this thesis to demonstrate how to use the modeling method and how to use business patterns in practice.

Patterns are used as building blocks for design and construction in many fields such as architecture, music, literature, etc. Researchers and practitioners in the information systems area have been exploring patterns and using them in system analysis and design. Patterns found in the analysis stage, when analysts create conceptual models to abstractly represent domain reality, are call business patterns or analysis patterns. Although various business patterns were proposed in previous studies, we found that business semantics were missing in these patterns. These business patterns failed to show functionalities that is essential to patterns in general. Most of these patterns were also not capable of describing business activities, the dynamic aspect of business. This study is conducted to address these issues. In this thesis, we provide a brief literature review on business patterns, and discuss the major problems we found in these studies. Then we introduce our research approach and the major outcomes. We propose a new definition of business patterns with business semantics, which enables us to recover the missing functionality in business patterns. We suggest the key elements to represent business patterns, and propose a two-level template (functional and operational) to describe these elements. Based on theR²M approach, we propose a modeling method with graphical notations to describe the operational level of patterns, where business activities can be modeled. Examples and a case study are provided in this thesis to demonstrate how to use the modeling method and how to use business patterns in practice.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-29T15:33:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_8885_JohnMScThesis[final]20150703-110844.pdf: 2078817 bytes, checksum: b7867cf01fac04ad68223c7eeca3fe68 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-28 / Conceptual models often capture the invariant aspects of the phenomena we perceive. These invariants may be considered static when they refer to structures we perceive in phenomena at a particular point in time or dynamic/temporal when they refer to regularities across different points in time. While static invariants have received significant attention, dynamics enjoy marginal support in widely-employed techniques such as UML and OCL. This thesis aims at addressing this gap by proposing a technique for the representation of dynamic invariants of subject domains in UML-based conceptual models. For that purpose, a temporal extension of OCL is proposed. It enriches the ontologically well-founded OntoUML profile and enables the expression of a variety of (arbitrary) temporal constraints. The extension is fully implemented in the tool for specification, verification and simulation of enriched OntoUML models.

Patterns are used as building blocks for design and construction in many fields such as architecture, music, literature, etc. Researchers and practitioners in the information systems area have been exploring patterns and using them in system analysis and design. Patterns found in the analysis stage, when analysts create conceptual models to abstractly represent domain reality, are call business patterns or analysis patterns. Although various business patterns were proposed in previous studies, we found that business semantics were missing in these patterns. These business patterns failed to show functionalities that is essential to patterns in general. Most of these patterns were also not capable of describing business activities, the dynamic aspect of business. This study is conducted to address these issues. In this thesis, we provide a brief literature review on business patterns, and discuss the major problems we found in these studies. Then we introduce our research approach and the major outcomes. We propose a new definition of business patterns with business semantics, which enables us to recover the missing functionality in business patterns. We suggest the key elements to represent business patterns, and propose a two-level template (functional and operational) to describe these elements. Based on theR²M approach, we propose a modeling method with graphical notations to describe the operational level of patterns, where business activities can be modeled. Examples and a case study are provided in this thesis to demonstrate how to use the modeling method and how to use business patterns in practice. / Business, Sauder School of / Management Information Systems, Division of / Graduate

This thesis deals with the design and implementation of an object-oriented simulator for conceptual graphs. Conceptual graphs are a means of representing information and knowledge. In particular, they may be used to represent the behavior of mechanisms. Conceptual graph simulation provides the means for verifying that the conceptual graph model of the system is a proper representation of the mechanism. The motivation for the design of this simulator is to help a conceptual graph model designer overcome the imprecision and ambiguity inherent in the English language. When a person translates an English language specification of a system to a conceptual graph model, the model may be incomplete, owing to semantic gaps in the English language specification. The simulator attempts to help the designer fill in these gaps by pointing out missing concepts and relations needed to simulate the model. This thesis covers the issues involved in designing such a simulator, and the implementation of the simulator in Java. The working of the simulator is demonstrated by simulating sample conceptual graphs. Also, a set of action procedures, and a small library of device schema graphs are created, so that devices may be effectively modeled. / Master of Science

Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-02T00:04:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_10529_foundations_for_ontology_based_multi_level_conceptual_modeling_2012 - victorio.pdf: 6142526 bytes, checksum: 3e3483b04f4e9b86ab648e66104ac1e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-16 / Considerando que modelos conceituais são produzidos com o objetivo de representar certos aspectos do mundo físico e social de acordo com uma conceituação específica e que ontologias buscam descrever conceituações, tem havido crescente interesse no uso de ontologias para fornecer uma base teórica sólida para a disciplina de modelagem conceitual. Esse interesse deu origem a uma área de pesquisa denominada modelagem conceitual baseada em ontologias, com avanços significativos na modelagem conceitual nas últimas décadas. Apesar desses avanços, a modelagem baseada em ontologias não provê suporte adequado à modelagem de domínios que exigem a representação de categorias de indivíduos e de categorias de categorias (ou tipos de tipos). A representação de entidades de vários "níveis" de classificação tem sido o foco de uma área de pesquisa distinta denominada modelagem multi-nível. As iniciativas em modelagem multi-nível visam a contornar as limitações impostas pelo paradigma convencional de modelagem em dois níveis. Apesar das contribuições relevantes das áreas de modelagem multi-nível e de modelagem conceitual baseada em ontologias, a combinação dessas duas áreas ainda não recebeu a devida atenção. Este trabalho explora essa lacuna propondo o uso combinado de teorias formais para a modelagem multi-nível e de ontologias de fundamentação para apoiar o que chamamos de modelagem conceitual multi-nível baseada em ontologias. Para fornecer uma abordagem bem fundamentada à modelagem conceitual multi-nível, desenvolvemos uma teoria chamada MLT. MLT caracteriza formalmente a natureza dos níveis de classificação e define precisamente as relações que podem ocorrer entre elementos de diferentes níveis de classificação. A fim de aproveitar os benefícios do uso de ontologias de fundamentação na modelagem de domínios que abrangem vários níveis de classificação, combinamos MLT com uma ontologia de fundamentação. Essa combinação resulta em uma abordagem de modelagem que apoia a construção de modelos conceituais multi-níveis em um espectro de níveis de especificidade, desde ontologias de fundamentação até modelos conceituas de domínios específicos. Para demonstrar a aplicabilidade da nossa abordagem de modelagem conceitual multi-nível baseada em ontologias, a empregamos para desenvolver uma ontologia núcleo para estruturas organizacionais, um domínio que abrange vários níveis de classificação. Além disso, mostramos como MLT pode ser usada como uma teoria de referência para esclarecer a semântica e aumentar a expressividade de UML no que diz respeito à representação de modelos de multi-níveis. O perfil UML produzido viabiliza a aplicação prática de MLT pela comunidade de modelagem conceitual.

Databases are a critical part of Information Technology. Following a rigorous methodology in the database lifecycle ensures the development of an effective and efficient database. Conceptual data modeling is a critical stage in the database lifecycle. However, modeling is hard and error prone. An error could be caused by multiple reasons. Finding the reasons behind errors helps explain why the error was made and thus facilitates corrective action to prevent recurrence of that type of error in the future. We examine what errors are made during conceptual data modeling and why. In particular, this research looks at expertise-related reasons behind errors. We use a theoretical approach, grounded in work from educational psychology, followed up by a survey study to validate the model. Our research approach includes the following steps: (1) measure expertise level, (2) classify kinds of errors made, (3) evaluate significance of errors, (4) predict types of errors that will be made based on expertise level, and (5) evaluate significance of each expertise level. Hypotheses testing revealed what aspects of expertise influence different types of errors. Once we better understand why expertise related errors are made, future research can design tailored training to eliminate the errors.

In the present work we analyze the algorithm that was introduced in [4]. The algorithm performs a translation of a conceptual schema to an XML schema expressed in the XML Schema language. We look for limitations of the algorithm and try to discover parameters that can be potentially used to influence its behavior. We propose solutions to the most serious limitations. Also, we introduce a concept of a translation profiling. The concept is based on a configuration that contains a set of parameters. We modify the algorithm to use the user requirements specified in the configuration. Thanks to the improvements, the new algorithm works with the concept of XML Namespaces, uses XML Schema designs and also, focuses on an elimination of redundancy. The elimination of redundancy in an output of the algorithm is an important part of this work and we create a formal model that helps us to solve this task.

In the present work we study possibilities in the area of automatic construction of Schematron schemas from a conceptual model for XML and possibilities in reverse-engineering of Schematron schemas. The work introduces the reader to conceptual schemas for XML and to rule-based validation of XML documents. Existing techniques for mutual conversions between XML schema languages and conceptual model are also included. The main part of the work is a design and implementation of a new method for deriving Schematron schemas from conceptual schemas for XML. This method allows to get XML schemas, which in some respects outperforms the possibilities of other popular schema languages.The work also discusses the issue of Schematron schema reverse-engineering and shows possibilities in the area and establishing basis for further research.

In the present work we study conceptual modeling of business ar- tifacts and their implementation in Active XML. Business artifacts are key con- ceptual entities of business processes that develop in their lifecycle during these processes. There are several possible methods for definition of artifact lifecycles. In this work, we make use of emerging method called Guard-Stage-Milestone meta- model and we study the question on how to appropriately use and extend current framework for conceptual modeling of XML schemas in order to support modeling of business artifacts. We also deal with the issue of design of suitable represen- tation of business artifacts using Active XML. Last but not least, we study the question how to translate defined model into proposed Active XML representation, so that it was possible to immediately use and demonstrate functionality of defined model. Important part of this work is an implementation of proposed extension and a prototype implementation of system for execution of Active XML repre- sentations of translated models. The present work also introduces the reader in individual used concepts and describes similar existing approach for Active XML representation of business artifacts. 1