In: Journal of Systems and Software, Vol. 31, No. 1, pages 33-43. 1995.
Abstract: Conceptual modeling aims at establishing the conceptual knowledge necessary for proper communication between a development team and users. This article presents an executable visual formalism for object-oriented modeling of information systems. This formalism is an integration of the entity-relationship approach, Petri nets, relational calculus, and time temporal logic. It supports integrated and encapsulated modeling of the structural and behavioral aspects of objects, and object evolution. The formalism has textual and graphical representations, allows formal analysis of model properties, and supports rapid prototyping. An environment and a methodology for conceptual modeling also are described.
Keywords: Petri nets, conceptual modeling, object-oriented modeling, relational calculus, temporal logics, visual formalisms.