Automated analysis of feature models: challenges ahead

Current tool support for feature models is ad hoc, offering little or no support for debugging feature models or optimizing feature selections. Recent work shows how feature models can be reduced to propositional formulas or to constraint satisfaction problems, for which off-the-shelf tools can validate properties of models (e.g., confirming that a given set of features are incompatible or compatible) or to optimize the selection of features (e.g., performance) [1][2][4]. This opens up new possibilities for next-generation tools for specifying products in software product lines.