Consistent Extra-Functional Properties Tagging for Component and Connector Models

We present a model-driven approach for adding extra-functional properties to component and connector (C&C) models. The approach is based on a tagging mechanism that allows non-invasive extensions of existing languages and their models, here C&C models, with attributes for extra-functional properties. Importantly, our language extension provides means for integrated formal analyses of the consistency of tagged values. Consistency ranges from type-safety and units of quantitative measures to complex dependencies across component hierarchies as well as between component definitions and their instances. We provide a framework for defining and checking rich consistency rules of extra-functional property values based on selection, aggregation, and comparison operators. Our work allows for independent definition and organization of tagged properties to support reuse across models and development stages. The approach is implemented within the MontiCore framework for the C&C architecture description language MontiArc.