Data Model Transformation for Supporting Interoperability

One of the main barriers for interoperability today, is the proliferation of different standards and proprietary formats for the exchange of information among the organizations willing to interoperate. But how can the different standards and formats be reconciled? Traditionally, code based mapping techniques have been performed to reconcile standards and formats, but recently a new approach has appeared for dealing with this situation; it is known as model transformation. Model transformation techniques support the engineer in the definition of formal translation rules which allow communication between incompatible components. This paper presents two of these techniques, MTF (model transformation framework) and ATL (Atlas transformation language) and compares them with the traditional approach