Towards Domain Refinement for UML/OCL Bounded Verification

Correctness of UML class diagrams annotated with OCL constraints can be checked using bounded verification, e.g. SAT solvers. Bounded verification detects faults efficiently but, on the other hand, the absence of faults does not guarantee a correct behavior outside the bounded domain. Hence, choosing suitable bounds is a non-trivial process as there is a trade-off between the verification time (faster for smaller domains) and the confidence in the result (better for larger domains). Unfortunately, existing tools provide little support in this choice. This paper presents a technique that can be used to (i) automatically infer verification bounds whenever possible, (ii) tighten a set of bounds proposed by the user and (iii) guide the user in the bound selection process. This approach may increase the usability of UML/OCL bounded verification tools and improve the efficiency of the verification process.