Graph Transformations on the UML Metamodel

The Unified Modeling Language UML is a rich language so that it seems not feasible to give a single semantics for the complete language in one step. In order to define the semantics, we propose to translate as many UML language features as possible into UML itself. The part of UML which cannot be treated in this way is called the UML core. The semantics of the non-core language features is given by a translation into the core, whereas a differ ent semantics (for example a set-theoretic one or a semantics on the basis graphs) must be given to the UML core. It turns out that for the first step, namely the translation of UML language features into the UML core, graph transformations are an ideal language for expressing the required manipulations and the UML metamodel gives the necessary fundamental vocabulary and notions.