A META-MODEL OF INFORMATION-SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT REVERSE ENGINEERING

Maintenance of large information systems typically suffers from a failure to fully understand both the software and the broader context in which it operates. In particular, effective maintenance requires knowledge of not only the source code, but also user documentation, system design and the business goals and objectives the system aims to support. The Esprit DOCKET project seeks to develop an integrated set of tools, and supporting method of use, to enable software maintainers to gain a richer understanding of a software system and its components. This is achieved by enhancing traditional, reverse engineering tools with other sources of knowledge, such as test cases, documentation and user expertise, in order to provide a more comprehensive picture of a system. Underpinning the DOCKET toolset is an organizational meta-model called the Global System Model. This model seeks to represent all aspects of an information system, necessary for system understanding and software maintenance, at different levels of abstraction. This paper presents the Global System Model and discusses its benefits to the software maintenance process. The associated issues and characteristics of the model are also examined.