A Feature Model and Benchmark for Model Version Management in Collaborative Modeling Environments

ABSTRACT In engineering, iterative modeling is a cornerstone of system development. Effective model version management is essential to track changes, maintain consistency, and ensure traceability across evolving model variants. This study proposes a comprehensive feature model that synthesizes and analyzes the current state of versioning systems for modeling artifacts. Additionally, we introduce BenchmarV , a novel benchmark designed for evaluating such tools. Our study is based on a systematic review of existing literature and tools. We analyze and categorize the features of current systems for model version management, with particular emphasis on model versioning and model branching, which are core components of model merging. This analysis serves as the foundation for our next goals which are identifying common challenges and defining a benchmark for systematic evaluation. Our findings revealed several pressing challenges that must be addressed to support efficient and reliable parallel development of model artifacts. In addition, the evaluation demonstrated that BenchmarV can be applied systematically across heterogeneous tools and discriminates between systems based on their versioning and branching capabilities. The benchmark provided transparent, interpretable metrics directly linked to observed tool behavior. This work addresses a significant gap in the field by offering a structured understanding of model version management and introducing a practical and extensible benchmark. Our contributions are intended to support both researchers and practitioners in advancing collaborative modeling tools and practices.