Mining Frequent Structures in Conceptual Models

Software and Systems Modeling. pages 1--29 2025.

Adopting modeling patterns offers an effective structural approach for designing conceptual models. Patterns, in this context, refer to generalizable, recurring structures that provide solutions to common design problems. They significantly enhance both the understanding and improvement of the modeling process. Numerous experimental studies have demonstrated the undeniable value of using patterns in conceptual modeling. Despite this, the task of identifying patterns in conceptual models remains highly complex, and there is currently no systematic method for pattern discovery. To address this gap, this paper proposes a general approach for discovering frequent structures in conceptual modeling languages as a means to support pattern identification. Specifically, we focus on uncovering recurring structures that reflect the usage patterns of a given conceptual modeling language. As proof of concept, we implement our approach by focusing on two widely used conceptual modeling languages. This implementation includes an exploratory tool that integrates a frequent subgraph mining algorithm with graph manipulation techniques. The tool processes multiple conceptual models and identifies recurrent structures based on various criteria. We validate the tool using two state-of-the-art curated datasets: one consisting of models encoded in OntoUML and the other in ArchiMate. The primary objective of our approach is to provide a support tool for language engineers. This tool can be used to identify both effective and ineffective modeling practices, enabling the refinement and evolution of conceptual modeling languages. Furthermore, it facilitates the reuse of accumulated expertise, ultimately supporting the creation of higher-quality models in a given language.

@article{SoSyM-2025,
   title = "Mining Frequent Structures in Conceptual Models",
   year = "2025",
   author = "Mattia Fumagalli and Prince Sales, Tiago and Pedro Paulo F.
Barcelos and Giovanni Micale and Philipp-Lorenz Glaser and Dominik Bork
and Vadim Zaytsev and Diego Calvanese and Giancarlo Guizzardi",
   journal = "Software and Systems Modeling",
   pages = "1--29",
   doi = "10.1007/s10270-025-01295-0",
}