A GENERAL EXPLANATION COMPONENT FOR CONCEPTUAL MODELING IN CASE ENVIRONMENTS

In information systems engineering, conceptual models are constructed to assess existing information systems and work out requirements for n ew ones. As these models serve as a means for communication between cu stomers and developers, it is paramount that both parties understand t he models, as well as that the models form a proper basis for the subs equent design and implementation of the systems. New CASE environments are now experimenting with formal modeling languages and various tech niques for validating conceptual models, though it seems difficult to come up with a technique that handles the linguistic barriers between the parties involved in a satisfactory manner. In this article, we dis cuss the theoretical basis of an explanation component implemented for the PPP CASE environment. This component integrates other validation techniques and provides a very flexible natural-language interface to complex model information. It describes properties of the modeling lan guage and the conceptual models in terms familiar to users, and the ex planations can be combined with graphical model views. When models are executed, it can justify requested inputs and explain computed output s by relating trace information to properties of the models.