computer science

Software Metrics Metamodel

Software Metrics Metamodel is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Software Metrics Metamodel rather than just read about it. In short: The OMG Structured Metrics Metamodel (SMM) specification defines a standard Metrics Metamodel. It is a publicly available specification from the Object Management Group (OMG).

Key takeaways

Software Metrics Metamodel belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Software Metrics Metamodel to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Software Metrics Metamodel from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The OMG Structured Metrics Metamodel (SMM) specification defines a standard Metrics Metamodel. It is a publicly available specification from the Object Management Group (OMG). SMM specifies a metamodel for defining, representing and exchanging both measures and measurement information related to any structured information model, such as the OMG Meta Object Facility (MOF™) standard, defining an XMI interchange format between metric extraction tools. It is used to maintain metrics by a number of other OMG specifications such as the Knowledge Discovery Metamodel and the Value Delivery Metamodel.

Key concepts The SMM standard includes elements representing the concepts to express a wide range of diversified measures:

Measures denote the re-usable definitions of how measurements are calculated. Measurements are the results of applying measures, via observations. Libraries maintain measures and their related information, such as characteristics and units-of-measure, providing re-use in different contexts.

Measures SMM specifies the representation of measures without detailing the representation of the entities measured. SMM defines representations for:

Direct measures that are taken directly against a measurand. Examples include counts and named measures such as McCabe’s cyclomatic complexity (a software complexity metric) or gross domestic product. Values may be imported or queried via SMM operations. Aggregate measures that are calculated from base measurements on features of a measurand. SMM operations specify the feature retrieval. Vote totals, volumes, and net profits can be defined as aggregate measures. Transmuting measures that rescale, grade or rank base measurements of a measurand. Fahrenheit to Celsius is a rescaling; clothes sizes of small, medium and large are grades; and customer satisfaction units derived from delivery time is a ranking.

Measurement The process of extracting metrics, requires a SMM tool to apply the measures to an observation scope that hold one or more models. This tool will produce a graph containing measurements, that maps to the measure graph. On this graph every node corresponds to the result of a measure on a measurand. Therefore, measures are mapped to 0 or more measurements where 0 indicates that no measurands corresponding to the scope of the measure were found.

Observations The SMM allows for multiple measurement graphs to be stored. Whenever a measurement graph is produced, it is associated to an observation that is dated and tagged with information describing the tool used to extract the metrics. Observations exist to be passed to metric reporting tools that can provide additional features like visualization and statistical control.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Software Metrics Metamodel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Software Metrics Metamodel claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Software Metrics Metamodel before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Software Metrics Metamodel ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Software Metrics Metamodel

In research: Software Metrics Metamodel appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Software Metrics Metamodel in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Software Metrics Metamodel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Software metrics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Software Metrics Metamodel outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Software Metrics Metamodel in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Software Metrics Metamodel means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Software Metrics Metamodel out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Software Metrics Metamodel in simple terms?

The OMG Structured Metrics Metamodel (SMM) specification defines a standard Metrics Metamodel. It is a publicly available specification from the Object Management Group (OMG).

Why does Software Metrics Metamodel matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Software Metrics Metamodel?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Software Metrics Metamodel.