Data Schema Evolution for the Self‐Adaptive Software Domain: A Systematic Mapping Study

Context Self‐adaptive Software (SaS) is a special category of software systems that enables adaptation at runtime to address new user requirements or changes in its execution environment. This article focuses on a specific category of SaS named SaS2DB, which encompasses systems that require the storage of data in a database. In short, a SaS2DB must understand the changing needs and implement a strategy to execute the evolution of its data schema. The evolution of data schema is a complex issue that encompasses data schema migration, data migration, and other non‐functional requirements. Motivation Despite the importance of this research topic, there is a lack of understanding of how the design of data schema evolution for the SaS domain has been conducted. Objective The main purpose of this article is to provide an overview of data schema evolution for the SaS domain based on 19 relevant studies. Methods To do so, a Systematic Mapping Study (SMS) was conducted, following the guidelines proposed by Petersen et al. Results This SMS offers a comprehensive overview of the aforementioned research area, presenting key evidence on the main non‐functional attributes, data models, application domains, and migration strategies adopted in the design of data schema evolution for SaS. Conclusion Moreover, this SMS presents the main findings and several open challenges, highlighting a deep relationship between the design of a SaS and the choice of a suitable solution to support the evolution of its data schema.