Defining Domain Specific Operational Semantics for Activity Diagrams

Since the major revision 2 of the Unified Modeling Language (UML), activity diagrams have acquired many new features, e.g. hierarchy, data flow and signals. Thus, UML 2 activity diagrams are one of the most versatile formalisms, and can be applied in different domains. Activity diagrams are supported by a number of tools enabling for instance the execution of activity models. Based on the domain these tools have specific requirements and need an adequate interpretation of the informal UML semantics. Wepropose a foundation for a frameworkwhich enables composition of operational semantics out of fundamental semantic constructs. These constructs provide options for domain specific variants. As an example, we introduce two different tool developments based on particular operational semantics composed by our approach. One tool focuses on the modeling of information systems whereas the other tool is aimed at the modeling of reactive systems.