10.2.2 Useful Categories of Modeling Concept Sources
Domain concepts often resemble each other since many of them originate from the
same source. Finding one good candidate often leads to ?¬?nding other similar ones. The
sources we have found useful for ?¬?nding language concepts can be categorized as
follows:
. Physical product structure
. Look and feel of the system
. Variability space
. Domain (expert) concepts
. Generation output
In practice, you often need to look at more than one category, but each offers a clear
strategy with which start. We will discuss each category in more detail and provide
some examples.
Physical Structure Physical structures usually provide a good starting point for
the language de?¬?nition, as they are relatively easy to identify and clearly restricted.
For example, a language for developing automation systems for a paper factory or
power plant could be based on problem domain concepts like valves, motors, sensors,
and controls. A valve will have attributes like size and direction and rules on how it
may relate to motors and sensors. By analyzing the physical structure of the product,
other candidate concepts could be identi?¬?ed. Although a language may specify only
software, many aspects of the software are closely connected to hardware. For
example, the language concept valve needs to represent not the actual device or
hardware but its controller or interface.
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