Aspect-Oriented Modeling with Integrated Object Models

With the advent of aspect-oriented programming, the need for adequate techniques for handling aspect-oriented artifacts in the early phases of the software engineering process has emerged. In this paper, we present an aspect-oriented lan- guage extension for an integrated modeling language based on object models. We present the way aspect constructs can be handled in requirements and architectural models, and identify the impact on existing modeling languages and models. Aspect-oriented software development (AOSD) propagates the application of aspect-ori- ented techniques to artifacts of the software engineering process in other stages than the implementation phase, namely to the requirements and architectural phases. This reduces the impedance mismatch between the traditional paradigms used in the early phases of the software process and the aspect-oriented paradigm used during the implementation. Furthermore, the advantages outlined above can also be gained from these early phases. Additionally, an early separation of crosscutting concerns facilitates the traceability of crosscutting software artifacts, which is especially important for the requirements phase. Hence, we aim at an early identification and separation of crosscutting concerns and a weaving of the crosscutting concerns and the core concerns as late as possible.