Automotive system design demands frequent exchange of data between different parties and tools. In order to improve the interoperability, standardization bodies and partnerships have put high effort in defining XML based languages for system descriptions.
However, the mere existence of a standardized XML based data exchange format doesn’t guarantee seamless interoperability. The validation possibilities given by XML DTD or Schema are not sufficient. Additionally, the maintenance of XML formats for the growing complexity of today’s systems is an increasing challenge.
This paper describes the experiences with the model-driven approach taken by the automotive initiative AUTOSAR. It illustrates the limitations of designing data exchange formats in XML and shows how a higher level of abstraction increases the interoperability between tools. A powerful concept for mapping a metamodel to XML schema allows for integrating legacy XML formats.
Furthermore, current activities on improving interoperability by automatically generating a tool framework for AUTOSAR and other automotive tools are explained.