MDA Distilled: Principles of Model-Driven Architecture

Executable Models

The next logical step is to executable models, which have everything required to produce the desired functionality of a single domain. These models are neither sketches nor blueprints; as their name suggests, models run. This allows us to deliver a running system in small increments in direct communication with customers.

Executable models act just like code, in a sense, though they also provide the ability to interact directly with the customer's domain, which is something code doesn't do well. They're not exactly the same as code, though, because they need to be woven together with other models (for example, a meaningful user interface) to produce a system. This is generally done by a model compiler. As each model is complete ...