The Impact of Program Transformations on Static Program Analysis

Semantics-preserving program transformations, such as those carried out by an optimizing compiler, can affect the results of static program analyses. In the best cases, a transformation increases precision or allows a simpler analysis to replace a complex one. In other cases, transformations have th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inStatic Analysis Vol. 11002; pp. 306 - 325
Main Authors Namjoshi, Kedar S., Pavlinovic, Zvonimir
Format Book Chapter
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2018
Springer International Publishing
SeriesLecture Notes in Computer Science
Subjects
Abstract Domain
Bisimulation Analysis
Bisimulation Relation
Induced Transition System
Program Transformation
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Summary:Semantics-preserving program transformations, such as those carried out by an optimizing compiler, can affect the results of static program analyses. In the best cases, a transformation increases precision or allows a simpler analysis to replace a complex one. In other cases, transformations have the opposite effect, reducing precision. This work constructs a theoretical framework to analyze this intriguing phenomenon. The framework provides a simple, uniform explanation for precision changes, linking them to bisimulation relations that justify the correctness of a transformation. It offers a mechanism for recovering lost precision through the systematic construction of a new, bisimulating analysis. Furthermore, it is shown that program analyses defined over a class of composite domains can be factored into a program transformation followed by simpler, equally precise analyses of the target program.
ISBN:3319997246
9783319997247
ISSN:0302-9743
1611-3349
DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-99725-4_19