Identification Of Variation Points Using Dynamic Analysis

In this position paper we investigate the use of dynamic analysis to determine commonalities and variation points as a first step to the migration of similar but separate versions of a software system into an integrated product line. The approach detects forks and merges in different execution traces as an indication of variation points. It is illustrated by a simple implementation, which is applied to an academic example. Finally we formulate a number of research issues that need to be investigated further.