SMM11 — Create new root class that attribute and annotation can extend

This issue deals with the fact that the SMM didn’t provide any real root class in its model and that everything started with SmmElement.

Discussion:
The architecture board as recommended that we add a new root class that can be used as the direct extension for attribute and annotation. In turn, SmmModel and SmmRelationship also now extends this new Element class.

Summary of change:
• Add Element class, a model root class
• Modify SmmElement class
o Change from model root class to class being a generalization of Element
• Modify SmmModel class
o Change generalization from SmmElement to Element
• Modify SmmRelationship class
o Change generalization from SmmElement to Element
• Modify Attribute class
o Change generalization from SmmElement to Element
• Modify Annotation class
o Change generalization from SmmElement to Element

• Create new separate diagram for Core

• Re-arranged content of Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 of Specification
o Renamed chapter 8 to “Core Base Classes”
o Move Figure 2 Core Classes Diagram to Figure 3 and rename to Metrics Core Classes
o Move Figure 3 Core Relationship Classes to Figure 4
o Insert Core Classes from above to Figure 2
o Add following description for Element class under 8.1:
Element Class (Abstract)
An Element constitutes an atomic constituent of a model. In the meta-model, Element is the top class in the hierarchy. Element is an abstract class.
Semantics
Element is the common parent from all meta-model elements of SMM. Most subclasses of Element can own annotations and user-defined attributes through standard extension mechanisms.

o Added Superclass info to SmmElement
o Modified Superclass info of SmmModel from SmmElement to Element
o Modified Superclass info of SmmRelationship from SmmElement to Element
o In chapter 9, remove the figure that only depicted the extensions, now shown in figure 2 as seen above.
o Added chapter 10 as “Core Metrics Classes”
o Moved description of class MeasureLibrary from chapter 8 to 10
o Moved description of class MeasureCategory from chapter 8 to 10
o Moved description of class CategoryRelationship from chapter 8 to 10

Discussion:
Rejecting keeps SMM more aligned with the design used in KDM and VDML.
Disposition: Closed, no change