A generic in-place transformation-based approach to structured model co-evolution

In MDE not only models but also metamodels are subject to evolution.
More specifically, they need to be adapted to correct errors, support new and/or
update language features. The direct consequence of such evolutionary steps comprises
the problem of managing the co-evolution of existing model instances, which
may no longer conform to the new metamodel version. This model migration is
intrinsically complex and results in a time-consuming and error-prone process if no
adequate support is provided. For tackling this problem, we introduce a new technique
to guide the user in solving migration issues in a step-wise manner. The aims
are manifold, notably the simplification of the migration specification, the reduction
of the effort for the evolver, the control of user intervention, and the optimization
of the migration execution itself by allowing in-place adaptation of the existing instances.