Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Model-Driven Development Cuts the Coding

  • By John K. Waters
  • 08/04/08

Want to build custom Web applications without writing a single line of code? That's the promise of Model-Driven Development (MDD), and the objective of Intelliun's MDD-based Virtual Enterprise (VE) toolset.

Intelliun bills its Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE)-based VE as the first development solution to "facilitate end-to-end application development using only visual models." By implementing application logic with MDD, apps built with Virtual Enterprise don't require even one line of code, according to the company.

Essentially, VE is an MDD platform designed to support the rapid development and integration of multi-tiered applications and Web services. It eliminates coding by enabling application development based on fully executable Unified Modeling Language (UML) models.

MDD-style software development employs "models" from which code and other artifacts are generated. A model is a kind of generalized description of a system that highlights specific characteristics -- a model of a building, for example, might emphasize its load-bearing capacity. These models are most often expressed in UML, a language created for visualizing software systems, which provides the visual notation as well as the underlying semantics.

Industry analyst Jason Bloomberg, managing partner at Zapthink, said he considers Intelliun's MDD approach to be innovative because it follows SOA best practices and employs a service-oriented approach that allows the components of an application to be "rapidly and cost-effectively developed into business processes as needed."

In recent ZapNote he wrote: "VE narrows the construction activity to the creation of the abstract design, focusing primarily on the application logic, and relieving the development team from focusing on implementation details. Consequently, VE reduces the number of required skill sets and the overall team size."

VE 6.0, the latest release of the platform, amps the vendor's MDD cred by allowing the development of a wider range of applications and Web services beyond Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE). VE 6.0 also includes a new "after-the-fact, template-based" code generator designed to let developers "generate code to multiple target architectures" any time in the development process, or after development is completed.

Intelliun President and CEO Iyad Jabri said that VE 6.0 will initially support the generation of C#.NET code, "but we will quickly follow it with other target architectures based on market demand."

About the Author

John K. Waters is a freelance journalist and author based in Mountain View, CA.

Featured

  • Digital cyberspace with particles and Digital data

    Report: AI Is Moving Faster than Data Trust

    AI agents are already in use or pilot at most organizations, but data visibility, governance and precision recovery capabilities have not kept pace, according to Veeam's new Data & AI Trust Gap report.

  • Glowing route lines merging into single gold pathway

    Microsoft Merges Copilot Apps Into a Single User Experience

    Microsoft recently announced it is consolidating its consumer Copilot app and Microsoft 365 Copilot app into a single destination, addressing a fragmented product strategy that has required users to navigate separate applications for AI chat and productivity tools.

  • CIS Sandbox Tutor Eli Blouin at Bentley University imagines a future technology learning partner that supports curiosity, critical thinking, feedback, and personalized learning.

    Student Voices: Technology as a Future Learning Partner

    A data analytics and marketing major at Bentley University and a distinguished lecturer at the university explore the future of "technology learning partners" — technologies that participate in the learning process by asking questions and giving feedback, not just information search results.

  • Silhouettes of business professionals stand against a blurred futuristic city skyline at night, with a glowing digital network data connection

    It's Time for Higher Ed to Get Serious About AI Strategy

    Without a coordinated strategy that involves multiple academic and administrative units across the entire campus, colleges risk wasting resources, duplicating efforts, and ultimately failing to deliver on the promise of deploying technology to improve learning and operations.