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This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the S3E 2023 Topical Area, 24th Conference on Practical Aspects of and Solutions for Software Engineering, KKIO 2023, and 8th Workshop on Advances in Programming Languages, WAPL 2023, as Part of FedCSIS 2023, held in Warsaw, Poland, during September 17–20, 2023. The 6 revised papers presented in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 55 submissions. They focus on new ideas and developments in practical aspects and solutions for software engineering., NODLA Non-Technical Debt in Large-Scale Agile Software Development, KK-foundation

Maintenance of Data Warehouse (DW) systems is a critical task because any downtime or data loss can have significant consequences on business applications. Existing DW maintenance solutions mostly rely on concrete technologies and tools that are dependent on: the platform on which the DW system was created; the specific data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) tool; and the database language the DW uses. Different languages for different versions of DW systems make organizing DW processes difficult, as minimal changes in the structure require major changes in the application code for managing ETL processes. This article proposes a domain-specific language (DSL) for ETL process management that mitigates these problems by centralizing all program logic, making it independent from a particular platform. This approach would simplify DW system maintenance. The platform-independent language proposed in this article also provides an easier way to create a unified environment to control DW processes, regardless of the language, environment, or ETL tool the DW uses.

In the paper, we present a data warehouse system to analyze the unemployment rate in the Republic of Serbia. The goal of our research is to improve the analytical capabilities of the unemployment rate in Serbia by creating a new business intelligence tool and predictive machine learning models. First, we discuss research motives and the unemployment problem, and then we present the development process of the proposed data warehouse system. The Data Warehouse Quality methodology has been deployed to assess the quality of the data. Machine learning algorithms have been utilized to build predictive models and gain insights into the differences in unemployment rates between young and experienced workers. Finally, we have created several reports to visually present the results of the proposed data analyses., U radu predstavljamo sistem skladišta podataka za analizu stope nezaposlenosti u Republici Srbiji. Cilj našeg istraživanja je da unapredimo analitičke mogućnosti stope nezaposlenosti u Srbiji kreiranjem novog alata poslovne inteligencije i prediktivnih modela mašinskog učenja. Prvo razmatramo motive istraživanja i problem nezaposlenosti, a zatim predstavljamo proces razvoja predloženog sistema skladišta podataka. Metodologija kvaliteta skladišta podataka je primenjena za procenu kvaliteta podataka. Algoritmi mašinskog učenja su korišćeni za izgradnju prediktivnih modela i sticanje uvida u razlike u stopama nezaposlenosti između mladih i iskusnih radnika. Konačno, napravili smo nekoliko izveštaja kako bismo vizuelno predstavili rezultate predloženih analiza podataka.

In the paper, we present a data warehouse system to analyze the unemployment rate in the Republic of Serbia. The goal of our research is to improve the analytical capabilities of the unemployment rate in Serbia by creating a new business intelligence tool and predictive machine learning models. First, we discuss research motives and the unemployment problem, and then we present the development process of the proposed data warehouse system. The Data Warehouse Quality methodology has been deployed to assess the quality of the data. Machine learning algorithms have been utilized to build predictive models and gain insights into the differences in unemployment rates between young and experienced workers. Finally, we have created several reports to visually present the results of the proposed data analyses.

Industry 4.0 aims to establish highly flexible production, enabling effective and efficient mass customisation of products. Modelling techniques and simulation of production processes are among the core techniques of the manufacturing industry that facilitate flexibility and automation of a shop floor in the era of Industry 4.0. In this paper, we present an approach to support production process modelling and process model management. The approach is based on Model-Driven (MD) principles and comprises a Domain-Specific Modelling Language (DSML) named Multi-Level Production Process Modelling Language (MultiProLan). MultiProLan uses a set of concepts to specify production process models suitable for automatic instruction generation and execution of the instructions in a simulation or on a shop floor. By using MultiProLan, process designers may create process models independent of the specific production system. Such process models can either be automatically enriched by matching and scheduling algorithms or manually enriched by a process designer via MultiProLan's modelling tool. In this paper, we also present an application of our approach in the assembly industry to showcase its dynamic resource management, generation of production documentation, error handling and process monitoring.

Due to strong competition and rapidly shifting market conditions, it is becoming harder for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to achieve business success. To deal with rising challenges, SMEs form Virtual Organizations (VOs) and seize business opportunities jointly. In this paper, we present an outline of a novel methodological approach that promotes trustworthy collaborative production execution within a non-hierarchical VO. Furthermore, we propose using Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platforms and smart contracts to facilitate VO integration. The approach is based on the MultiProLan Domain-Specific Modeling Language (DSML) extended with concepts required to allow process designers to (i) model collaborative production processes while preserving the confidentiality of private enterprise data and (ii) configure what data should be shared between participants during the collaborative production execution. Designed process models are used to automatically generate smart contracts by following the Model-Driven (MD) principles. Finally, generated smart contracts are stored in a DLT network and used to distribute production data between VO participants and monitor production execution in near real-time. The application of our methodological approach is demonstrated by showcasing the use of the Collaborative Extension of MultiProLan (CE-MultiProLan) modeling language and its concepts for modeling collaborative production processes.

A selection of Computer Science, Informatics or similar study programs for academic studies evidently becomes an emerging choice of a vast number of students in recent years. To address some of the open questions, we performed an empirical study based on a survey, with a goal to find out the main motivating factors directing students to select computer science, informatics or similar programs for studying in a much greater extent. The survey was conducted on a sample of 1517 students from five well established, and most traditional faculties of computer science and informatics at three largest university cities in Serbia: Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Nis. The created sample is representative enough to illustrate the current situation and trends common for many similar societies. Our first analysis shows that the main motivating factor to select computer science or informatics study program at all faculties is the students' motivation to study just that topic, while at management faculty it is significantly less important. However, we also noticed that significant number of students wished to study something else but chose computer science and informatics due to possibility of finding jobs easier and of earning higher salaries in industry. The most important influential factors to choose a computer science or informatics major come from family members, and close relatives. The perceived brand and reputation of a faculty also plays a significant role. Students being examined prevalently tend to be satisfied with the faculty they have chosen. However, many of them see themselves leaving the country in a near or far future.

Enterprises are confronted with a highly competitive and fast-changing business environment resulting in an increasing level of cooperation between organizations. Cross-organizational processes (CBPs) aim to achieve an agreement between organizations at the process level in such an environment. An application of smart contracts and blockchain brings the unprecedented capability to execute CBPs in decentralized multi-peer environments and without central authorities to govern the workflow. However, the application of blockchain introduces various challenges due to the immutable nature of blockchain's transaction data and the specific development and deployment life-cycle of smart contracts. In this position paper, we propose a high-level platform-independent framework for monitoring and validation of smart contracts utilizing process mining techniques. The main purpose of such a framework will be to support process engineers in the detection of nonconforming behavior, resolving detected discrepancies, and improving smart contracts.

Technological advances and increasing customer need for highly customized products have triggered a fourth industrial revolution. A digital revolution in the manufacturing industry is enforced by introducing smart devices and knowledge bases to form intelligent manufacturing information systems. One of the goals of the digital revolution is to allow flexibility of smart factories by automating shop floor changes based on the changes in input production processes and ordered products. In order to make this possible, a formal language to describe production processes is needed, together with a code generator for its models and an engine to execute the code on smart devices. Existing process modeling languages are not usually tailored to model production processes, especially if models are needed for automatic code generation. In this paper we propose a research on Industry 4.0 manufacturing using a Domain-Specific Modeling Language (DSML) within a Model-Driven Software Development (MDSD) approach to model production processes. The models would be used to generate instructions to smart devices and human workers, and gather a feedback from them during the process execution. A pilot comparative analysis of three modeling languages that are commonly used for process modeling is given with the goal of identifying supported modeling concepts, good practices and usage patterns.

The fourth industrial revolution introduces changes in traditional manufacturing systems and creates basis for a lot-size-one production. The complexity of production processes is significantly increased, alongside the need to enable efficient process simulation, execution, monitoring, real-time decision making and control. The main goal of our research is to define a methodological approach and a software solution in which the Model-Driven (MD) principles and Domain-Specific Modeling Languages (DSMLs) are used to create a framework for the formal description and automatic execution of production processes. In that way production process models are used as central artifacts to manage the production. In this paper, we analyze production process modeling domain and present a DSML which can be used to create production process models suitable for automatic generation of executable code. The generated code is used for automatic execution of production processes within a simulation or a shop floor. The language can be used to specify errors that may occur during the process execution and to specify error handling and corrective steps, too. The DSML is evaluated by different groups of users and the evaluation results are presented. Both the DSML and the accompanying modeling tool are still in the prototype phase, as they are created and evaluated in use cases covering just the assembly of goods. To enable wider application of the language and the tool, it is required to have additional use cases from different manufacturing domains.

In recent years, Data Science has become an emerging education and research discipline all over the world. Software industry shows an increasing and even quite intensive interest for academic education in this area. In this paper, we announce main motivation factors for creating a new study program in Data Science at Faculty of Technical Sciences of University of Novi Sad, and discuss why it is important to nurture the culture of interdisciplinary orientation of such program from early beginning of undergraduate studies. Also, we announce how we structured the new study program and addressed the main issues that come from evident industry requirements. The program was initiated in 2017, both B.Sc. and M.Sc. level, and we present in the paper the experiences collected through the first three years of its execution.

Programming is a skill needed across various disciplines and it is becoming more valuable for many job positions. However, students still appear to struggle in introductory programming courses. Academic achievement in programming may be influenced by numerous factors and may vary across countries, as observed in a previous study focused on Portugal and Serbia. In the present study, factors generally related to achievement and attrition, namely student entrance knowledge, expectations, and motivation, were examined as possible reasons behind achievement issues in introductory programming. An anonymous questionnaire that comprised closed-ended items was given to students enrolled in introductory programming courses at technically oriented higher education institutions in Portugal and Serbia. After data cleansing, response data from 678 students were quantitatively analysed to identify overall characteristics of the investigated groups, as well as differences between the groups from the two countries. The students generally had numerous expectations and motives regarding introductory programming, but their reported entrance knowledge of programming was generally at low levels. on average, the groups from the two countries were similar. The main differences include higher entrance knowledge for students from Serbia and slightly higher expectations for students from Portugal. These findings form a basis for further inquiry into causes of previously observed student performance variations between Portugal and Serbia. As there are many commonalities between the students from these countries, we may work on novel instruction methods and tools that would be useful for programming teachers and enrolled students in both countries.

Research on database and information technologies has been rapidly evolving over the last couple of years. This evolution was lead by three major forces: Big Data, AI and Connected World that open the door to innovative research directions and challenges, yet exploiting four main areas: (i) computational and storage resource modeling and organization; (ii) new programming models, (iii) processing power and (iv) new applications that emerge related to health, environment, education, Cultural Heritage, Banking, etc. The 24th East-European Conference on Advances in Databases and Information Systems (ADBIS 2020), the 24th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Digital Libraries (TPDL 2020) and the 16th Workshop on Business Intelligence and Big Data (EDA 2020), held during August 25–27, 2020, at Lyon, France, and associated satellite events aimed at covering some emerging issues related to database and information system research in these areas. The aim of this paper is to present such events, their motivations, and topics of interest, as well as briefly outline the papers selected for presentations. The selected papers will then be included in the remainder of this volume.

The fourth industrial revolution introduces changes in traditional manufacturing systems and creates basis for a lot-size-one production. The complexity of production processes is significantly increased, alongside the need to enable efficient process simulation, execution, monitoring, real-time decision making and control. The main goal of our research is to define a methodological approach and a software solution in which the Model-Driven Software Development (MDSD) principles and Domain-Specific Modeling Languages (DSMLs) are used to create a framework for the formal description and automatic execution of production processes. In that way production process models are used as central artefacts to manage the production. In this paper, we propose a DSML which can be used to create production process models that are suitable for automatic generation of executable code. The generated code is used for automatic execution of production processes within a simulation or a shop floor.

One of the goals of Industry 4.0 is to enable mass customization of products and to satisfy specific needs of customers. This goal is often hard to achieve in traditional manufacturing systems. To enable fast production changes, an automatic and flexible production is needed. In this context we propose a Model-Driven Software Development (MDSD) approach and a Domain-Specific Modeling Language (DSML) to model production processes. The language supports two levels of abstraction. A Master-Level (ML) model is used by a process designer to model process steps. A Detail-Level (DL) model is used by Orchestrator, a cluster of industrial computers that manages production, to fill existing ML models with a specification of production logistic and smart resources. A code generator is used to generate machine-readable or human-readable instructions from DL models. Generated code is used for automatic execution of production processes within a simulation or a shop floor. In this paper we provide an application of a DSML, which is capable of modeling production processes that are ready for automatic code generation.

Previous research studies on introductory programming courses in engineering education in Portugal and Serbia have indicated that although high motivation and high expectations seem to be reported by students, many students may fail the course. This prompted a further inquiry into student attitudes, behavior, and achievement, and it also led to the introduction of C Tutor, a widely known program visualization tool, into courses in both countries. As a result, in the present study, self-reported student achievement (grades), self-reported student progress (knowledge improvement and confidence), and self-reported usage and helpfulness of C Tutor were investigated. Anonymous data about students and their experience in the course, which also included the usage of C Tutor, were collected in a survey in Portugal and Serbia. Quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics, clustering, statistical testing of independence, and partial correlation analysis, were applied in analyses of survey data. The distribution of grades differed between the two countries, but overall attitudes were similar. Various uncovered patterns involving student attitudes and usage of C Tutor may serve as a starting point for new research studies.

Usled delovanja velikog broja neizvesnosti, kao što su faktori rizika, koji potiču iz okruženja stvorila se potreba da se preduzeća posmatraju kao projektne organizacije. Klasifikacija faktora rizika, kao i njihova identifikacija na nivou svake grupe, izvršena je prema seriji standarda BS 6079. Poznato je da su efektivnost realizacije tehničko-tehnoloških projekata i efektivnost preduzeća u pozitivnoj korelaciji. Ocenjivanje tehničko-tehnoloških projekata sa aspekta ranjivosti kao i preduzimanja odgovarajućih mera koje mogu da dovedu do smanjenja ranjivosti projekata istovremeno dovodi i do povećanja efektivnosti preduzeća. Mala i srednja preduzeća u razvijenim zemljama evropske unije ostvaruju prihod koji čini polovinu bruto domaćeg proizvoda te se može zaključiti da poslovanje ove grupe preduzeća usled delovanja faktora rizika može da dovede do velike ranjivosti goto cele privrede. Respektujući sve gore iznete činjenice, problem ocenjivanja ranjivosti tehničkotehnoloških projekata koji se realizuju u malim i srednjim preduzećima, koji je razmatran u ovom doktorskom radu, je poslednjih decenija postao veoma interesantan kako za istraživače tako i za domen prakse. U ovoj doktorskoj disertaciji prateći preporuke iz literature predložena je metodologija procene ranjivosti tehničko-tehnoloških projekata koja integriše izloženost, osetljivost i statički adaptivni kapacitet. Procene ovih faktora ranjivosti postavljen je kao problem grupnog odlučivanja. Donosioca odluka na nivou svakog preduzeća koje predstavlja deo konzorcijuma su procene iskazivali pomoću unapred definisanih lingvističkih iskaza koji su modelirani fazi brojevima. Agregirane vrednosti osetljivosti, izloženosti i stadičkog adaptivnog kapaciteta su izračunate primenom različitih metoda agregacije. Izbor operatora agregacije je izabaran u zavisnosti od prirode razmatranog faktora ranjivosti. Primenom predložene fazi metode može da se izračuna na egzaktan način ranjivost svake faze tehničko-tehnoloških proje, Due to the large number of uncertainties, such as risk factors, which emanate from the environment, there is a need for companies to be regarded as project organizations. Classification of risk factors, as well as their identification at the level of each group, was performed according to the BS 6079 standard series. It is known that the effectiveness of the realization of technical and technological projects and the effectiveness of the company is in a positive correlation. Evaluating technical and technological projects from the point of view of vulnerability and taking appropriate measures that can lead to the reduction of vulnerability of projects simultaneously leads to an increase in the effectiveness of the company it self. Small and medium enterprises in developed countries of the European Union earn income which accounts for half of gross domestic product, and it can be concluded that the ongoing of this group of enterprises due to the effects of risk factors can lead to high vulnerability goto the entire economy. Respecting all the above facts, the problem of assessing the vulnerability of technical and technological projects implemented in small and medium enterprises, discussed in this doctoral thesis, has become very interesting for the researchers and the domain of practice in recent decades. In this doctoral dissertation, following the recommendations from the literature, a methodology for assessing the vulnerability of technical and technological projects has been proposed, which integrates exposure, sensitivity and static adaptive capacity. Estimates of these vulnerability factors were set as a problem of group decision making. The decision-makers, at the level of each enterprise that is part of the consortium, evaluate the estimates using predefined linguistic statements that were modeled with fuzzy numbers. The aggregated values of sensitivity, exposure and static adaptive capacity are calculated using different aggregation methods. The selection

Ова дисертација је настала из потребе теоретског, развојног и практичног решавања проблема пројектовања и коришћења хибридне SQL/NoSQL базе података. Различити типови база података, како је описано у наставку, садрже специфичности које је потребно узети у обзир приликом развоја методолошког приступа за реализацију процеса пројектовања и коришћења. Дисертација је написана као резултат спровођења процеса научног истраживања, прегледа области истраживања, анализе постојећих решења и приступа, развоја нових приступа пројектовања и коришћења (са свим њиховим саставним деловима), примене новоразвијених приступа на примере из праксе, тестирања изабраних аспеката перформанси (по одређеним критеријумима) и компаративне анализе постигнутих резултата хибридне базе података пројектоване применом новог приступа и „традиционално“ пројектоване базе података. Циљ ове докторске дисертације је био развој новог приступа за пројектовање хибридне SQL/NoSQL базе података и интеграцију и униформно коришћење њених компоненти (SQL и NoSQL база података). У докторској дисертацији су анализирани погодни критеријуми за доношење одлуке о оправданости преласка са постојеће SQL базе података на хибридну базу података. Укључивање аспеката пројектовања нових и редизајна постојећих база података у новоразвијени приступ, проширио је опсег његове могуће примене. За потребе приступа развијена је и нова архитектура, која је омогућила да се над целокупном хибридном базом података (и свим базама података које чине њене саставне компоненте) управља мета подацима, правилима интегритета, правилима мапирања и извршавањем наредби као над јединственом логичком базом податка., This dissertation has originated out of the need for theoretical, developmental and practical solving of the issue of the design and integral and uniform usage of hybrid SQL/NoSQL databases. As described in the course of this dissertation, various types of databases contain specificities that have to be taken into account when developing a methodological approach for the realization of aforementioned processes of database design and usage. The dissertation is written based on many activities. It was driven by conducting scientific research, review of research areas, analysis of existing solutions and approaches. Besides that, dissertation included development of new approach for design and usage (with all their integral parts), application of newly developed approach to examples from practice, testing of chosen aspects of performances (based on certain criteria) and comparative analysis of achieved results of hybrid database developed by applying a new approach and ‘traditionally’ designed database. The aim of this doctoral dissertation was the development of a new approach for the design of hybrid SQL/NoSQL database and integration and uniform usage of its components (SQL and NoSQL databases). A criterion for making a decision on the justification of transition from existing SQL database to hybrid database has been defined in this dissertation. Including aspect of new database design, as well as including aspect of existing database redesign expanded the scope of newly developed approach. For the approach needs, a new architecture has also been developed, which enabled managing metadata, integrity rules, mapping rules and statement execution over the entire hybrid database (including all its component databases) as over a unique logical database.

Independent modeling of various modules of an information system (IS), and consequently database subschemas, may result in formal or semantic conflicts between the modules being modeled. Such conflicts may cause collisions between the integrated database schema of a whole IS and the modeled subschemas. In our previous work, we have proposed criteria and algorithms for identifying and resolving such conflicts so as to provide a consolidation of database subschemas with the integrated database schema with respect to various database concepts, such as domains, relation schemes, primary key constraints and referential integrity constraints. In this paper, we propose a new approach and algorithms for identifying conflicts and testing consolidation of subschemas with the integrated database schema against check constraints. The proposed approach is based on satisfiability modulo theory (SMT) solvers. Hereby, we propose the integration of SMT solvers into our MDSD tool, aimed at supporting a database schema integration process.

Industry 4.0 enforces digital revolution in the manufacturing industry by introducing smart devices and knowledge bases to form intelligent manufacturing information systems. One of the goals of the digital revolution is to support an automatic production from product specification to allow faster reaction on the product changes and a lot size one production. In order to make this possible, a formal language to describe production processes is needed, together with a code generator for its models and an engine to execute the code on smart devices. In this paper we propose a research on Industry 4.0 manufacturing using a Model-Driven Software Development (MDSD) approach to model production processes, use the models to generate instructions to smart devices and human workers, and gather a feedback from them during the process execution.

This paper presents an approach to handling frequent variations of modeling languages and models. The approach is based on Domain-Specific Modeling and linking of modeling tools with adaptive Run-Time Systems. The applicability of our solution is illustrated on an example of domain-specific languages for robot control. Special attention was given to the following problems: 1) model-level debugging; 2) performing fast transformation of models to native code for various hardware platforms and operating systems; and 3) specification of views and view-based generation of applications for validation of meta-models, models, and generated code. The feedback for automated refinement of models and meta-models is provided by a custom adaptive Run-Time System. For the purpose of synchronizing models, meta-models, and the target Run-Time System, we introduce action reports, which allow model-level debugging. In order to simplify handling of frequent model variations, we have introduced the linguistic concept of a modifier.

In recent years, Data Science has become an emerging education and research discipline all over the world. Software industry shows an increasing and even quite intensive interest for academic education in this area. In this extended abstract, we announce main motivation factors for creating a new study program in Data Science at Faculty of Technical Sciences of University of Novi Sad, and why it is important to nurture the culture of interdisciplinary orientation of such program from early beginning of B.Sc. studies. Also, we announce how we structured the new study program and addressed the main issues that come from evident industry requirements. The program was initiated in 2017, both B.Sc. and M.Sc. studies, and we collect the new experiences.

Ova disertacija je nastala iz potrebe teoretskog, razvojnog i praktičnog rešavanja problema projektovanja i korišćenja hibridne SQL/NoSQL baze podataka. Različiti tipovi baza podataka, kako je opisano u nastavku, sadrže specifičnosti koje je potrebno uzeti u obzir prilikom razvoja metodološkog pristupa za realizaciju procesa projektovanja i korišćenja. Disertacija je napisana kao rezultat sprovođenja procesa naučnog istraživanja, pregleda oblasti istraživanja, analize postojećih rešenja i pristupa, razvoja novih pristupa projektovanja i korišćenja (sa svim njihovim sastavnim delovima), primene novorazvijenih pristupa na primere iz prakse, testiranja izabranih aspekata performansi (po određenim kriterijumima) i komparativne analize postignutih rezultata hibridne baze podataka projektovane primenom novog pristupa i „tradicionalno“ projektovane baze podataka. Cilj ove doktorske disertacije je bio razvoj novog pristupa za projektovanje hibridne SQL/NoSQL baze podataka i integraciju i uniformno korišćenje njenih komponenti (SQL i NoSQL baza podataka). U doktorskoj disertaciji su analizirani pogodni kriterijumi za donošenje odluke o opravdanosti prelaska sa postojeće SQL baze podataka na hibridnu bazu podataka. Uključivanje aspekata projektovanja novih i redizajna postojećih baza podataka u novorazvijeni pristup, proširio je opseg njegove moguće primene. Za potrebe pristupa razvijena je i nova arhitektura, koja je omogućila da se nad celokupnom hibridnom bazom podataka (i svim bazama podataka koje čine njene sastavne komponente) upravlja meta podacima, pravilima integriteta, pravilima mapiranja i izvršavanjem naredbi kao nad jedinstvenom logičkom bazom podatka., This dissertation has originated out of the need for theoretical, developmental and practical solving of the issue of the design and integral and uniform usage of hybrid SQL/NoSQL databases. As described in the course of this dissertation, various types of databases contain specificities that have to be taken into account when developing a methodological approach for the realization of aforementioned processes of database design and usage. The dissertation is written based on many activities. It was driven by conducting scientific research, review of research areas, analysis of existing solutions and approaches. Besides that, dissertation included development of new approach for design and usage (with all their integral parts), application of newly developed approach to examples from practice, testing of chosen aspects of performances (based on certain criteria) and comparative analysis of achieved results of hybrid database developed by applying a new approach and ‘traditionally’ designed database. The aim of this doctoral dissertation was the development of a new approach for the design of hybrid SQL/NoSQL database and integration and uniform usage of its components (SQL and NoSQL databases). A criterion for making a decision on the justification of transition from existing SQL database to hybrid database has been defined in this dissertation. Including aspect of new database design, as well as including aspect of existing database redesign expanded the scope of newly developed approach. For the approach needs, a new architecture has also been developed, which enabled managing metadata, integrity rules, mapping rules and statement execution over the entire hybrid database (including all its component databases) as over a unique logical database.

In order to automate development of integration adapters in industrial settings, a model-driven approach to adapter specification is devised. In this approach, a domain-specific modeling language is created to allow specification of mappings between integrated technical spaces. Also proposed is the mapping automation engine that comprises reuse and alignment algorithms. Based on mapping specifications, executable adapters are automatically generated and executed. Results of approach evaluations indicate that it is possible to use a model-driven approach to successfully integrate technical spaces and increase the automation by reusing domainspecific mappings from previously created adapters., За потребе повећања степена аутоматизације развоја адаптера за интеграцију у индустријском окружењу, осмишљен је моделом вођен приступ развоју адаптера. У оквиру овог приступа развијен је наменски језик за спецификацију пресликавања између техничких простора који су предмет интеграције. Приступ обухвата и алгоритме за поравнање и поновно искориштење претходно креираних пресликавања са циљем аутоматизације процеса спецификације. На основу креираних пресликавања, могуће je аутоматски генерисати извршиви код адаптера. У испитивањима приступа, показано је да је могуће успешно применити моделом вођен приступ у интеграцији техничких простора као и да је могуће успешно повећати степен аутоматизације поновним искоришћењем претходно креираних пресликавања., Za potrebe povećanja stepena automatizacije razvoja adaptera za integraciju u industrijskom okruženju, osmišljen je modelom vođen pristup razvoju adaptera. U okviru ovog pristupa razvijen je namenski jezik za specifikaciju preslikavanja između tehničkih prostora koji su predmet integracije. Pristup obuhvata i algoritme za poravnanje i ponovno iskorištenje prethodno kreiranih preslikavanja sa ciljem automatizacije procesa specifikacije. Na osnovu kreiranih preslikavanja, moguće je automatski generisati izvršivi kod adaptera. U ispitivanjima pristupa, pokazano je da je moguće uspešno primeniti modelom vođen pristup u integraciji tehničkih prostora kao i da je moguće uspešno povećati stepen automatizacije ponovnim iskorišćenjem prethodno kreiranih preslikavanja.

In order to automate development of integration adapters in industrial settings, a model-driven approach to adapter specification is devised. In this approach, a domain-specific modeling language is created to allow specification of mappings between integrated technical spaces. Also proposed is the mapping automation engine that comprises reuse and alignment algorithms. Based on mapping specifications, executable adapters are automatically generated and executed. Results of approach evaluations indicate that it is possible to use a model-driven approach to successfully integrate technical spaces and increase the automation by reusing domainspecific mappings from previously created adapters., За потребе повећања степена аутоматизације развоја адаптера за интеграцију у индустријском окружењу, осмишљен је моделом вођен приступ развоју адаптера. У оквиру овог приступа развијен је наменски језик за спецификацију пресликавања између техничких простора који су предмет интеграције. Приступ обухвата и алгоритме за поравнање и поновно искориштење претходно креираних пресликавања са циљем аутоматизације процеса спецификације. На основу креираних пресликавања, могуће je аутоматски генерисати извршиви код адаптера. У испитивањима приступа, показано је да је могуће успешно применити моделом вођен приступ у интеграцији техничких простора као и да је могуће успешно повећати степен аутоматизације поновним искоришћењем претходно креираних пресликавања., Za potrebe povećanja stepena automatizacije razvoja adaptera za integraciju u industrijskom okruženju, osmišljen je modelom vođen pristup razvoju adaptera. U okviru ovog pristupa razvijen je namenski jezik za specifikaciju preslikavanja između tehničkih prostora koji su predmet integracije. Pristup obuhvata i algoritme za poravnanje i ponovno iskorištenje prethodno kreiranih preslikavanja sa ciljem automatizacije procesa specifikacije. Na osnovu kreiranih preslikavanja, moguće je automatski generisati izvršivi kod adaptera. U ispitivanjima pristupa, pokazano je da je moguće uspešno primeniti modelom vođen pristup u integraciji tehničkih prostora kao i da je moguće uspešno povećati stepen automatizacije ponovnim iskorišćenjem prethodno kreiranih preslikavanja.

A database management system (DBMS) is based on a data model whose concepts are used to express a database schema. Each data model has a specific set of integrity constraint types. There are integrity constraint types, such as key constraint, unique constraint and foreign key constraint that are supported by most DBMSs. Other, more complex constraint types are difficult to express and enforce and are mostly completely disregarded by actual DBMSs. The users have to manage those using custom procedures or triggers. eXtended Markup Language (XML) has become the universal format for representing and exchanging data. Very often XML data are generated from relational databases and exported to a target application or another database. In this context, integrity constraints play the essential role in preserving the original semantics of data. Integrity constraints have been extensively studied in the relational data model. Mechanisms provided by XML schema languages rely on a simple form of constraints that is sufficient neither for expressing semantic constraints commonly found in databases nor for expressing more complex constraints induced by the business rules of the system under study. In this paper we present a classification of constraint types in relational data model, discuss possible declarative mechanisms for their specification and enforcement in the XML data model, and illustrate our approach to the definition and enforcement of complex constraint types in the XML data model on the example of extended tuple constraint type.

The Dermatology Clinic at the Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia, has actively collected data regarding patients' treatment, health insurance and examinations. These data were stored in documents in the comma-separated values (CSV) format. Since many fields in these documents were presented as free form text or allow null values, there are many data records that are inconsistent with the real-world system. Currently, there is a large need for an analytic system that can analyze these data and find relevant patterns. Since such an analytic system would require clean and accurate data, there is a need to assess data quality. Therefore, a data quality system should be designed and built with a goal of identifying inaccurate records so that they can be aligned with the real-world state. In our approach to data quality assessment, the domain knowledge about data is used to define rules which are then used to evaluate the quality of the data. In this paper, we present the architecture of a data quality system that is used to define and apply these rules. The rules are first defined by a domain expert and then applied to data in order to determine the number of records that do not match the defined rules and identify the exact anomalies in the given records. Also, we present a case study in which we applied this data quality system to the data collected by the Dermatology Clinic.

We investigate the potential of using open data about higher education and research activities as a basis for constructing university rankings at the national level. In our case study, open data from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of Serbia served as a foundation for deriving indicators of university performance and calculating ranks of universities from Serbia. In addition to reviewing notable international rankings of universities, we extracted the international standings of universities from Serbia and discussed the national university rankings that were generated during our investigation.

In this paper we present MicroBuilder, the tool used for the specification of a software architecture that follows REST microservice design principles. MicroBuilder comprises MicroDSL and MicroGenerator modules. The MicroDSL module provides the MicroDSL domain-specific language used for the specification of REST microservice software architecture. In this paper we present MicroDSL meta-model, specified in Ecore, together with textual and graphical concrete syntaxes, specified using Xtext and Sirius frameworks respectively. The MicroGenerator module is used to generate executable program code based on MicroDSL specification. In this paper we also present results of the MicroBuilder tool evaluation, alongside the case study which illustrates a usage of MicroBuilder.

За потребе поређења скупова података осмишљен је приступ поређењу који се заснива на употреби графова. У овом приступу развијене су две врсте графовских представа: представе вредности које описују скуп података и представе разлика које описују разлике између две представе вредности. У испитивањима приступа над синтетичким и реалним скуповима података, показано је да је кроз визуално истраживање представа разлика и примену помоћних поступака обраде могуће уочити корисне обрасце који приказују разлике између представа вредности, а посредно и између скупова података описаних путем ових представа вредности., Za potrebe poređenja skupova podataka osmišljen je pristup poređenju koji se zasniva na upotrebi grafova. U ovom pristupu razvijene su dve vrste grafovskih predstava: predstave vrednosti koje opisuju skup podataka i predstave razlika koje opisuju razlike između dve predstave vrednosti. U ispitivanjima pristupa nad sintetičkim i realnim skupovima podataka, pokazano je da je kroz vizualno istraživanje predstava razlika i primenu pomoćnih postupaka obrade moguće uočiti korisne obrasce koji prikazuju razlike između predstava vrednosti, a posredno i između skupova podataka opisanih putem ovih predstava vrednosti., In order to support data set comparison, a graph-based approach to comparison was devised. In this approach, two types of graph-based representations were introduced: value representations that represent a data set and difference representations that represent differences between two value representations. The results of approach evaluations on synthetic and real data sets indicate that, by visually exploring difference representations and applying auxiliary procedures, it is possible to discover useful patterns which describe differences between two value representations and, consequently, differences between the data sets corresponding to the value representations.

U tezi je razmatrano više problema vezanih za projektovanje i razvoj skladišta podataka, kao što su: - neusaglašenost skladišta podataka sa izvorima podataka, nastala kao rezultat permanentnih promena strukture izvora, - nekompletnost podataka u skladištu podataka, - heterogenost modela izvora i njihova semantička neusaglašenost - nepostojanje standardnog konceptualnog modela i modela strukture skladišta podataka..., Several issues, related to the design and development of data warehouses, are analyzed in this thesis: - inconsistency between the data warehouse and data sources due to the permanent changes in the structure of the data sources, - incompleteness of the stored data, - heterogeneity of data source models and their semantic inconsistency, - absence of standardized conceptual or structural data warehouse models...

За потребе поређења скупова података осмишљен је приступ поређењу који се заснива на употреби графова. У овом приступу развијене су две врсте графовских представа: представе вредности које описују скуп података и представе разлика које описују разлике између две представе вредности. У испитивањима приступа над синтетичким и реалним скуповима података, показано је да је кроз визуално истраживање представа разлика и примену помоћних поступака обраде могуће уочити корисне обрасце који приказују разлике између представа вредности, а посредно и између скупова података описаних путем ових представа вредности., Za potrebe poređenja skupova podataka osmišljen je pristup poređenju koji se zasniva na upotrebi grafova. U ovom pristupu razvijene su dve vrste grafovskih predstava: predstave vrednosti koje opisuju skup podataka i predstave razlika koje opisuju razlike između dve predstave vrednosti. U ispitivanjima pristupa nad sintetičkim i realnim skupovima podataka, pokazano je da je kroz vizualno istraživanje predstava razlika i primenu pomoćnih postupaka obrade moguće uočiti korisne obrasce koji prikazuju razlike između predstava vrednosti, a posredno i između skupova podataka opisanih putem ovih predstava vrednosti., In order to support data set comparison, a graph-based approach to comparison was devised. In this approach, two types of graph-based representations were introduced: value representations that represent a data set and difference representations that represent differences between two value representations. The results of approach evaluations on synthetic and real data sets indicate that, by visually exploring difference representations and applying auxiliary procedures, it is possible to discover useful patterns which describe differences between two value representations and, consequently, differences between the data sets corresponding to the value representations.

A database management system (DBMS) should provide capabilities for defining and enforcing certain integrity constraints that must hold for the data recorded in the database. These constraints are derived from the semantics of the data and from the rules of the system under study (SuS) that database represents. Every DBMS is based on a data model that provides the means to achieve data abstraction and to express database schema. Each data model has a specific set of integrity constraints types. Some of constraint types are common for several data models and some of them are typical for a data model. Beyond well-known constraint types there are more complex ones that are difficult to express and enforce within the data model. In this paper we deal with the extended tuple constraint (ETC) type. It is the extension of tuple constraint that is one of constraint types of relational data model. In this paper we explain the usage of extended tuple constraint in relational data model and its implementation in relational DBMSs. XML data model does not recognize ETC type. We specify the extended tuple constraint in XML data model and propose two techniques for implementation of ETC in XML DBMSs. Each of them depends on the characteristics of a selected XML DBMS. We use XQuery functions in eXist DBMS, and triggers in Sedna DBMS.

Contemporary tools aimed at information system (IS) development often use models to generate system implementation. Starting from an IS model, these tools commonly generate database implementation schema as well as code for generic CRUD operations of business applications. On the other hand, at the level of platform-independent models (PIMs) there is a lack of support for specification of more complex functionalities associated with events. In this paper, we present an approach aimed at specification of events at the level of PIMs. We introduce new concepts to describe context in which an event may occur, while we use our IIS*CFuncLang language to define event business logic. We also developed adequate transformations to generate executable program code from these specifications.

Information system (IS) reengineering process comprises reverse engineering process of an existing IS followed by some form of forward engineering or restructuring. An important phase of a data-oriented software system reengineering is a database reengineering process and, in particular, its sub-process - database reverse engineering process. In this paper we present one of the model-to-model transformations from a chain of transformations aimed at transformation of a generic relational database schema into a domain-specific data model based on form types. The transformation is a step of the data structure conceptualization phase of a model-driven database reverse engineering process that is implemented in IIS*Studio development environment.

The ongoing development of a complex model for power grid networks, based on the Common Information Model (CIM), is dealing with design, operability and exchange of data among various power grid operators. This paper presents a methodological approach to development of a database that supports an easy storing and managing of active CIM instances, as well as their historical versions. To facilitate the implementation of the proposed approach, we apply a paradigm of automatic programming. Our code generator eases the work on developing an API communication layer over the database and allows faster response on CIM changes. Finally, we present a performance cost analysis on test models. By this, our intention is to contribute to a wider acceptance of CIM in power grid networks.

In this paper, we lay the foundation for an adaptation of the teaching process to the personality traits and academic performance of the university students enrolled in applied computer science and informatics (ACSI). We discuss how such an adaptation could be supported by an analytical software solution and present the initial version of this solution. In the form of a case study, we discuss the scores from a personality questionnaire that was administered to a group of university students enrolled in an introductory programming course at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Serbia. During a non-mandatory workshop on programming, the participants completed the 48-item short-scale Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQR). By using various exploratory and analytical techniques, we inspect the student EPQ-R scores and elaborate on the specificities of the participating student group. As part of our efforts to understand the broader relevance of different student personality traits in an academic environment, we also discuss how the EPQ-R scores of students could provide information valuable to the process of improving student learning and performance in university courses in ACSI.

The concept of open data is becoming more popular and better recognized in Serbia. The open data offered by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological development provide a good opportunity to investigate the current state of higher education in Engineering and Technology, as the needed data were generally difficult to obtain outside of the official institutions. In this descriptive study, we look into the number and representation of studies and higher education institutions devoted to Engineering and Technology.

Ova doktorska teza analizira problem rešavanja karakterističnih jednačina, koje se koriste prilikom rešavanja jednačina svojstvenih oblika, definisanih kroz harmonijski spojen metod konačnih traka. U slučaju složenijih graničnih uslova pokazano je da greške određivanja korenova karakteristične jednačine rastu gotovo eksponencijalno sa svakim narednim modom, usled prirode sâmih karakterističnih jednačina. Tako dobijeni korenovi karakteristične jednačine značajno i nepovoljno utiču na tačnost rešavanja jednačina svojstvenih oblika, izračunavanja određenih integrala, kao i celokupnih proračuna. Predstavljena je hibridna metoda putem koje se na pouzdan nacin određuju korenovi karakterističnih jednačina, rešavaju jednačine svojstvenih oblika i izračunavaju određeni integrali. Razvijen je prototip referentne Open Source implementacije hibridne metode, uz podsistem za automatsku verifikaciju koji rigorozno verifikuje karakteristike hibridne metode i njene referentne implementacije, za sve navedene granične uslove i integrale., This PhD thesis analyzes the problem of solving the characteristic equations of the basic functions, as defined by the harmonic coupled finite strip method. It’s found that with each increasing mode the characteristic equation root-finding error grows exponentially for all but the most trivial edge boundary conditions, due to the hyperbolic functions involved. These large rootfinding errors will lead to severe accuracy issues when computing basic functions and their integrals, especially for higher modes. A hybrid method for accurately solving characteristic equations and obtaining the required integrals is presented, along with its reference Open Source implementation. An extensive test suite has been developed to verify the hybrid method and its implementation for all the presented boundary conditions and integrals.

Ova disertacija se bavi problemom specifikacije aspekata interoperabilnosti u metodološkim pristupima za razvoj informacionih sistema. U uslovima opšte globalizacije i savremene saradnje se umesto čvrste integracije teži ka slabom povezivanju organizacionih sistema. Način na koji heterogeni, slabo-povezani sistemi mogu da ostvare efikasne inter-organizacione veze je jedna od aktuelnih tema istraživanja oblasti interoperabilnosti informacionih sistema. Na osnovu analize relevantne literature, imajući u vidu preporuke Advanced Technologies for Interoperability of Heterogeneous Enterprise Networks and their Application (ATHENA) referentnog modela za konceptulnu integraciju, odabrana su tri relevantna aspekta za specifikaciju interoperabilnosti: aspekt procesa, servisa i informacija. U disertaciji se definiše nov specifičan pristup za specifikaciju aspekata interoperabilnosti u metodološkim pristupima za razvoj informacionih sistema. Predloženi pristup je baziran na principima opšteg sistemsko teorijskog modela životnog ciklusa softvera koji ima tri osnovne faze: identifikaciju, realizaciju i implementaciju. Za svaku od faza su precizno definisani opšti koraci i date su preporuke za njihovu primenu. U fazi identifikacije se predlaže da se za specifikaciju inter-organizacionih poslovnih procesa pored funkcionalnog uključi i procesni pogled. U prvom koraku se identifikuju zahtevi za interoperabilnošću koji podrazumevaju specifikaciju: esencijalnih interoperabilnih poslovnih funkcija i poslovnih partnera koji učestvuju u kolaboraciji. Za reprezentaciju kolaborativnog poslovnog procesa je odabrana Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) notacija. U drugom koraku se definišu opšti dijagrami konverzacije i kolaboracije, dok se u trećem koraku predlaže detaljna specifikacija njihove javne i privatne reprezentacije. U poslednjem koraku faze identifikacije se vrši kreiranje nove ili izbor postojeće referentne ontologije, koja predstavlja osnovu za nedvosmislenu interpretaciju, This thesis addresses the problem of specification of interoperability aspects in methodological approaches to information system development. Under the conditions of general globalization and modern cooperation, instead of firm integration there is a tendency towards weak linking of organizational systems. The manner in which weakly linked systems may achieve efficient inter-organizational connections is one of the up-to-date research topics in the information systems' interoperability domain. Based on the analysis of relevant literature and bearing in mind recommendations of the Advanced Technologies for Interoperability of Heterogeneous Enterprise Networks and their Application (ATHENA) reference model for conceptual integration, three relevant aspects were selected for the specification of interoperability, namely: process, service and informations aspects. This thesis defines a new specific approach to specification of interoperability aspects in methodological approaches for informations systems' development. The proposed approach is based on the „System-Theoretic life cycle“ having three fundamental phases: identification, realization and implementation. For each of these phases general steps have been precisely defined and recommendations for their application given. As for the identification phase, for specification of the inter-organizational business processes it is proposed to include the process view in addition to the functional one. The first step identifies interopebability requirements implying specification of the following: essential interoperable business functions and business partners participating in the collaboration. For representation of the collaborative business process Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) has been selected. The second step defines general conversation and collaboration diagrams, while the x third step proposes a detailed specification for their private and public representation. The last step in the identification

The last decades have seen the emergence of truly complex, designed systems, known as Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). Engineering such systems requires integrating physical, software, and network aspects. To date, neither a unifying theory nor systematic design methods, techniques and tools exist to meet this challenge. Individual engineering disciplines, such as mechanical, electrical, network and software engineering offer only partial solutions. Multi-Paradigm Modelling (MPM) proposes to model every part and aspect of a system, including development processes, explicitly, at the most appropriate level(s) of abstraction, using the most appropriate modelling formalism(s). Modelling language engineering, including model transformation, and the study of their semantics, are used to realize MPM. MPM is seen as an effective answer to the challenges of designing Cyber-Physical Systems. Research on modelling CPS is typically based on national activities with loose international interaction. To establish an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional platform for scientific information exchange, consensus building, and collaboration, the COST Action MPM4CPS, funded by the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, has been initiated. MPM4CPS aims to develop and share foundations, techniques, and tools related to Multi-Paradigm Modelling for Cyber-Physical Systems (MPM4CPS) and to provide educational resources. In this paper we describe the overall MPM4CPS approach and its current status.

An important phase of a data-oriented software system reengineering is a database reengineering process and, in particular, its subprocess a database reverse engineering process. In this paper we present one of the model-to-model transformations from a chain of transformations aimed at transformation of a generic relational database schema into a form type data model. The transformation is a step of the data structure conceptualization phase of a model-driven database reverse engineering process that is implemented in IIS*Studio development environment.

In the era of Internet, high connectivity and openness introduced an opportunity for a new kind of approach to healthcare information system integration. Such an approach may utilize semantic-based technologies to represent and communicate knowledge between these systems. Resource Description Framework (RDF) in conjunction with Web Ontology Language (OWL) can be considered as a de facto standard when it comes to semantic web and linked data technologies, and represents a foundation for defining healthcare ontologies. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview and critical review of existing healthcare ontologies and approaches to healthcare IS integration, focusing on OWL/RDF based solutions. With this review we want to show that although a lot work is done in this area, no universal or omnipresent solution has surfaced to allow automatic or at least semi-automatic integration of healthcare ISs. As there is a large number of established and emerging ontologies covering this subject our review will not provide an exhaustive collection of all the references in the area, but present the most notable standards, ontologies, taxonomies, and integration approaches.

Assessing risk for early childhood caries (ECC) is a relevant task in public health care and an important activity in fulfilling this task is increasing the knowledge about ECC. Discovering important information from data and sharing it in an understandable format with both experts and the general population could be beneficial for advancing and spreading the knowledge about this disease. After having experimented with association rule mining, we investigate the possibility of using decision trees as readable models in risk assessment. We build various decision trees using different algorithms and splitting criteria, favouring compact decision trees with good predictive performance. These decision trees are compared to the previous ECC models for the same analyzed population, namely a logistic regression model and an associative classifier, as well as to decision trees for caries from other studies. The results indicate flexibility and usefulness of decision trees in this context.