Abstract

Abstract. Model-driven development is a field within software engi-neering in which software artifacts are represented as models in order to improve productivity, quality, and cost effectiveness. In this field, the Meta-Object Facility (MOF) standard plays a crucial role by provid-ing a generic framework where the abstract syntax of different modeling languages can be defined. In this work, we present a formal, algebraic semantics of the MOF standard in membership equational logic (mel). By using the Maude language, which directly supports mel specifica-tions, this formal semantics is furthermore executable, and can be used to perform useful formal analyses. The executable algebraic framework for MOF obtained this way has been integrated within the Eclipse Modeling Framework as a plugin. In this way, formal analyses, such as semantic consistency checks, become available within Eclipse to provide formal support for model-driven development processes. Key words: MOF, model-driven development, membership equational logic, metamodeling semantics, reflection. 1