Improving Quality in Conceptual Modelling by the Use of Schema Transformations

The quality of the results produced in the early phases of systems development is a major factor in determining the overall quality of an information system. Therefore, an important task for research in conceptual modelling and requirements engineering is to clarify the concept of quality and develop methods for improving the quality of conceptual schemas. In this paper, we propose an approach for improving schema quality, which is based on a systematic use of schema transformations to incrementally restructure schemas. We introduce a number of schema transformations as well as a set of quality criteria for conceptual schemas, and we show how the transformations affect these quality criteria.