Domain-Specitif Development with Visual Studio DSL Tools

The software industry is showing considerable interest in using “domain-specific languages,” an approach to building software that promises to reduce software development costs, especially in large projects. A domain-specific language (DSL) is a language specially geared to working within a particular area of interest: a vertical domain such as telephone design, or a horizontal one like workflow. It may be a programming language or a specification or design language. It may be textual or graphical, or a mixture of both. The language is expressed in terms that are used in a particular domain, such as “connect,” “ringtone,” or “work item,” uncluttered by the details of how those concepts are implemented. Software, configuration files, resources, and other documents can be generated from instances of the language—often many of those artifacts can be generated from one DSL—or the language may be interpreted directly. This makes it much easier to discuss the software at the requirements level, and to make changes in an agile way. In vertical domains, the accessibility of the language to business users helps when discussing requirements with them.

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