Developing and applying component-based model-driven architectures in KobrA

Component-based software engineering is widely expected to revolutionize the way in which software systems are developed and maintained. However, companies who wish to adopt the component paradigm for serious enterprise software development face serious migration obstacles due to the perceived incompatibility of components with traditional, commonly used development approaches. This perception is reinforced by contemporary methods and component technologies, which typically view components as merely "binary-level" modules with little relevance beyond the implementation and deployment phases of development. The authors present a method known as KobrA that embraces the component concept at all phases of the software life-cycle, and allows high-level components (described in the UML) to be implemented using conventional software development approaches, as well as the latest component technologies (e.g. JavaBeans, CORBA, COM). The approach therefore provides a practical vehicle for applying the component paradigm within the context of a model driven architecture. After explaining the noteworthy features of the method, the paper briefly presents an example of its use in the development of an enterprise resource planning system.