Core model (metamodeling)
A core model is the simple, model-like description of fundamental concepts and relationships that affect a general aspect of technical systems. Core models are special cases of meta models .
The term "core model" is to be understood to include the common core of a large number of system models. The core model is not itself a model of concrete systems. It is characteristic of core models that they can only be implemented exactly in the manner described.
Ideas similar to those of the core model can be found in many technical areas of application, for example design catalogs in mechanical engineering, design samples in software development and architecture, or business models in business administration.
Definition of terms
In contrast to the more general metamodel , if a specific system implements a core model, the description of the core model always fully applies to this system. In this regard, core models can also be distinguished from reference models and design patterns that describe widely recognized patterns but are not fundamentally without alternatives. Reference models are typically limited to smaller application domains than core models.