Abstract. XIS 1 is a R&D project which main mission is to analyze, develop and evaluate mechanisms and tools to produce information systems from a more abstract, high-level, efficient and productive way than it is done currently. XIS project is influenced by MDA reference model, and is mainly based on three principles: namely high-level models specification; generative programming techniques; and it is component-based architecture-centric. XIS is not a conceptual research plan, it is a working on project with concrete results and produced systems. In this paper we detail the generative programming techniques used in the XIS project as well as the discussions and main decisions tackled on. Finally, we present the main conclusions, the relationship between XIS and MDA, and the work that will be handled in the near future.