to be held in conjunction with the
16th International Conference on Conceptual Modeling (ER'97)
Los Angeles, California, USA
3 - 6 November 1997
OVERVIEW
Conceptual models are not just for databases any more. From its genesis
in
data modeling, the field of conceptual modeling has broadened to include
behavioral constructs. The advent of technologies such as object
orientation,
active databases, triggers in relational databases, and so-called
"universal"
DBMS (to name just a few) has placed greater emphasis on the need to
model
behavioral aspects of systems, in addition to structural aspects. The
literature reflects an increasing interest in conceptual models that
cover
both system structure and system behavior.
The problem of how to design a database system based on a semantic data
model
is well understood. The focus of traditional design is on issues such
as
constraint satisfaction, information redundancy, access times, etc. We
apply
well-studied information-preserving transformations (such as
normalization or
denormalization) to arrive at a database with the characteristics we
desire.
However, when we add behavior to the conceptual model, we introduce
additional
design challenges that are less well understood, such as controlling the
amount
of concurrency, optimizing communications between active components,
ensuring
correct synchronization of active components, satisfying real-time
constraints,
etc.
Researchers are devoting increasingly more energy to the problems of
behavioral
modeling in conjunction with traditional conceptual data modeling.
Behavioral
modeling is not new, but its tighter integration with traditional
conceptual
modeling has opened new questions and opportunities. ER'97 provides an
ideal
forum for gathering interested researchers to discuss challenges and
progress,
and to share ideas in this important area.
TOPICS
The goal of this workshop is to better understand theoretical aspects of
behavioral models and use that understanding to suggest transformations
that
would be helpful in the design of active systems. To this end, we will
explore two major questions:
1. What constitutes a "good" behavioral model?
2. Given a "good" behavioral model, what issues related to design
transforma-
tions should we explore so that our understanding of behavioral
design will
be as good as our understanding of more traditional structural
design?
Some topics related to question 1 include:
o What are the essential characteristics of a behavioral model?
- How close to the "real world" must a behavioral model be?
- Is intra-object concurrency necessary or desirable?
- Should the basic unit of behavioral transition be instantaneous?
- etc.
o How do we formally compare different behavioral models?
- How do we measure power in a behavioral model?
- Is computational completeness adequate?
- When does one model subsume another?
- Is a formal definition necessary or desirable?
- Are there issues of notational expressiveness we should consider?
Some topics related to question 2 include:
o What are the desirable properties of a behavioral model design?
o Are there useful canonical/normal forms for behavioral models?
o Can we identify any meaningful behavior patterns that seem to recurr
frequently?
o How do we measure quality in a behavioral model?
o How do interface definitions impact the quality of a behavioral model?
o What design transformations are necessary or desirable?
o How do we guarantee information preservation in our transformations?
o Should behavioral design be independent of the implementation
platform?
- Are there useful design transformations that are platform
independent?
- Are there useful design transformations that are platform dependent?
- Should design assume complete independence from the eventual
implementation
platform, should it be totally dependent on the platform, or should
we use
something in between?
o How does the inclusion of behavior in the conceptual model impact
structural
aspects of the model?
- Are there subtle interactions between structural and behavioral
constructs
that we need to consider?
- Are the transformations used in the absence of behavioral constructs
still
information-preserving and otherwise effective in the presence of
behavioral constructs?
o How do designers know when a particular design is "done"? Can this
question only be answered on a project-by-project basis, or even
worse,
must it be answered on a module-by-module basis?
These lists are not intended to be comprehensive. However, this
workshop will
focus on conceptual modeling and design issues, and not on
implementation
method or methodology issues. Questions related to actual
implementation
of behavioral designs are outside the scope of this workshop.
PAPER SUBMISSION
Researchers interested in participating in the workshop may submit
either a
full paper (maximum 5,000 words) describing completed research, or a 1-3
page
position statement describing their interest in the workshop theme.
Submis-
sions should be sent as e-mail attachments (PostScript files, Word
documents,
WordPerfect documents, or plain ASCII text), or three printed copies, to
the
workshop chair (see below).
A copy of the workshop proceedings will be made available to all
participants.
Submissions should include email and postal addresses of contact
authors,
and should be received by July 31, 1997.
Potential participants are encouraged to email the workshop chair to
discuss
the suitability of specific research projects to the workshop theme.
Workshop participants must register for the ER'97 conference and pay an
additional $50 workshop fee.
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Stephen W. Clyde (Utah State University, USA)
Stephen W. Liddle (Brigham Young University, USA) (chair)
Scott N. Woodfield (Brigham Young University, USA)
WORKSHOP CHAIR
Stephen W. Liddle
School of Accountancy and Information Systems
Marriott School of Management
Brigham Young University
540 TRNB, BYU
Provo, UT 84602-3068 USA
email: liddle@byu.edu
phone: 801-378-8792
fax: 801-378-5933
IMPORTANT DATES
Submission Deadline: 31 July 1997
Notification: 31 August 1997
Workshop: 6-7 November 1997
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