Pattern based methodology for UML profiles evolution management

UML profiles are a frequently used alternative to describe the abstract syntax of modeling languages. As any abstract syntax, UML profiles evolve through time. As UML profiles are used for models definition, their evolutions may have a direct impact on them. The adaptation costs of these models may be as important as redefining a complete new model from scratch. In this paper, we deal with reducing the cost of models adaptation fitting the conducted evolution of the UML profiles. We want to offer a pattern-based solution to recurrent evolution problems. So, we specify evolution patterns in four aspects: the sequence of change operations needed to describe an evolution, the classification according to the evolution impact, a reusable solution for each category and, finally, the relations towards other evolution patterns. This paper is illustrated on standard UML profiles used in the automotive domain.