Highly efficient tools for software behavioral analysis

Abstract

In order to guarantee good software quality, it is necessary to use techniques that analyze software behavior, detecting possible problems and ideally proposing solutions. The cost associated with this type of assurance tools is high, mainly due to the high complexity of today’s software systems. For this reason it is essential to use techniques that allow to reduce the cost associated to the use of these tools without penalizing their effectiveness. There are different techniques that allow this reduction and that we are able to apply in different areas of analysis. Abstract interpretation or symbolic or partial representations are examples of these techniques and have the advantage of being designed to guarantee the reliability of the results obtained. Thus, by using these reduction/compaction techniques, we are able to mitigate the problem of the high cost (time and memory) of algorithms and tools that analyze and test the behavior of software systems.

Scientific officer

Villanueva García Alicia

Stakeholders

Applications

  • Optimization of verification tools.
  • Optimization of debugging tools.
  • Optimization of static analysis of programs.
  • Optimization of software testing.

Technical advantages

  • Faster tool execution.

Benefits it provides

  • More competitive software analysis and verification software applications in terms of response time and reliability.

Relevant experience

The ELP group, created in 1989, is identified in the registry of consolidated research groups of the Generalitat Valenciana since October 2000 (key GR-00143). The group’s activity has been mainly related to multi-paradigm programming languages and rigorous methods for software development, focusing on rule-based programming and the use of abstract interpretation techniques and transformation techniques for the optimization of program execution. Rule-based languages have also been the basis for inductive programming and for the representation of complex but understandable models resulting from the extraction of knowledge from data (data mining). The ELP group has participated in more than 30 competitive projects financed with European, national and community funds. Its research activity has often been developed in connection with related groups based in foreign universities, including Germany (RWTH Aachen, U. of Kiel), Australia (Monash U.), Austria (Technische Universitat Wien), United States (U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, National Research Laboratory, Portland State U., Washington, Stanford), France (- U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, National Research Laboratory, Portland State U., Stanford University), France (- U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, National Research Laboratory, Portland State U, Washington, Stanford), France (-‘Ecole Polytechnique, U. Grenoble, U. Nice, U. de Paris Sud), Italy (U. di Pisa, U. di Siena, U. di Udine) and United Kingdom (U. Bristol). The group has participated in several projects with companies where the group’s knowledge has been transferred or specific technology has been developed. The range of sectors in which the group has worked includes, logically, IT and consulting companies, but also companies ranging from distribution to hospital management. // The group ELP, created in 1989, was recognized as a consolidated group of the Valencian Government in October 2000 (reference GR-00143). The group’s activities have mainly focused on multi-paradigm programming languages and rigurous methods for software development, with particular focus on rule–based programming, and the use of abstract interpretation and program transformation techniques for the optimization of program execution. Rule-based languages have been also used for inductive programming and complex model representation that are also comprehensible as a result of knowledge discovering (data mining). The ELP group has participated in more than 30 competitive research projects funded by the EU, the Spanish Research Funding Agency, and other European foundations. The group keeps a good record of international collaborations. Including Germany (RWTH Aachen, U. Kiel), Australia (Monash U.), Austria (Technische Universit-“at Wien), USA (U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, National Research Laboratory, Portland State U., Washington, Stanford), France (-‘Ecole Polytechnique, U. Grenoble, U. Nice, U. Paris Sud), Italy (U. di Pisa, U. di Siena, U. di Udine) and UK (U. Bristol). The Group also keeps a good record of collaboration with industry, including IT companies as well as hospital management and distribution companies.