A premodels manager for the simulation model development environment

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a software tool for the Simulation Model Development Environments (SMDE) research project, called the Premodels Manager, which enables information associated with completed simulation studies and models to be reused effectively. This research began by classifying the potential users of a Premodels Manager and determining the various types of information required by these user classes. The required information was then organized into a detailed simulation life-cycle documentation outline and each item of this outline was carefully associated with various user classes. Once the information required by Premodels Manager users was identified, the premodels database was developed to store this information. Evolutionary prototyping was used to uncover the system requirements for the Premodels Manager. An initial prototype administered the tables within the premodels database directly; however, this prototype was unable to accommodate changes to the premodels database. To overcome this inflexibility, a second prototype was developed which administered the premodels database based on table and field classifications. The second prototype provided adequate retrieval capabilities and was easily modified but did not assist with the installation of information into the premodels database. The third and current prototype, referred to as simply the Premodels Manager, provides the flexibility of the second prototype plus additional installation facilities. The Premodels Manager was evaluated from both the perspective of a user and of a software developer. The Premodels Manager ' s user interface is simple and consistent which allows even novice or infrequent users to retrieve pertinent information. Several completed simulation studies have been installed using the Premodels Manager, and information associated with these simulation studies has been retrieved using the various retrieval facilities. The design and implementation of the Premodels Manager is elegant and robust. Carefully planned modules enhance both maintainability and transportability while allowing the full power of underlying software packages to be exploited. The Premodels Manager provides a sound foundation for future work. Future enhancements are anticipated and provided for in the design of the Premodels Manager. The extensive research into the information requirements for various user classifications is applicable to numerous information management systems. Finally, the implementation contains independent modules and functions which have been well tested and can easily be adapted to other programming efforts.