The Unified Modeling Language

THE UNIFIED MODELING LANGUAGE
The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a standard visual modeling language intended
to be used for modeling business and similar processes, analysis, design, and
implementation of software-based systems
UML is a common language for business analysts, software architects and developers used
to describe, specify, design, and document existing or new business processes, structure
and behavior of artifacts of software systems.
UML can be applied to diverse application domains (e.g., banking, finance, internet,
aerospace, healthcare, etc.) It can be used with all major object and component software
development methods and for various implementation platforms (e.g., J2EE, .NET).
UML is a standard modeling language, not a software development process. UML 1.4.2
Specification explained that process:
provides guidance as to the order of a teams activities,

specifies what artifacts should be developed,
directs the tasks of individual developers and the team as a whole, and
offers criteria for monitoring and measuring a projects products and activities.
UML is intentionally process independent and could be applied in the context of different
processes. Still, it is most suitable for use case driven, iterative and incremental
development processes. An example of such process is Rational Unified Process (RUP).
UML is not complete and it is not completely visual. Given some UML diagram, we can't be
sure to understand depicted part or behavior of the system from the diagram alone. Some
information could be intentionally omitted from the diagram, some information represented
on the diagram could have different interpretations, and some concepts of UML have no
graphical notation at all, so there is no way to depict those on diagrams.
For example, semantics of multiplicity of actors and multiplicity of use cases on use case
diagrams is not defined precisely in the UML specification and could mean either concurrent
or successive usage of use cases.
Name of an abstract classifier is shown in italics while final classifier has no specific
graphical notation, so there is no way to determine whether classifier is final or not from the
diagram.
VERSIONS OF UML
The current version of UML is UML 2.4.1, released in August 2011 [UML 2.4.1 Specification].
The first versions of UML were created by Three Amigos -Grady Booch (creator of Booch
method), Ivar Jacobson (Object-Oriented Software Engineering, OOSE), and Jim
Rumbaugh (Object-Modeling Technique, OMT). UML specification (standard) is updated
and managed by the Object Management Group (OMG) OMG UML.
UML DIAGRAMS OVERVIEW
A UML diagram is a partial graphical representation (view) of a model of a system under
design, implementation, or already in existence. UML diagram contains graphical
elements (symbols) - UML nodes connected with edges (also known as paths or flows) that represent elements in the UML model of the designed system. The UML model of the
system might also contain other documentation such as use cases written as templated
texts.
The kind of the diagram is defined by the primary graphical symbols shown on the
diagram. For example, a diagram where the primary symbols in the contents area are
classes is class diagram. A diagram which shows use cases and actors is use case
diagram. A sequence diagram shows sequence of message exchanges between lifelines.
UML specification does not preclude mixing of different kinds of diagrams, e.g. to combine
structural and behavioral elements to show a state machine nested inside a use case.
Consequently, the boundaries between the various kinds of diagrams are not strictly
enforced. At the same time, some UML Tools do restrict set of available graphical elements
which could be used when working on specific type of diagram.
CLASSIFICATION OF UML DIAGRAMS

UML
specification
defines
two
diagrams and behavior diagrams.
major
kinds
of
UML
diagram: structure
Structure diagrams show the static structure of the system and its parts on different
abstraction and implementation levels and how they are related to each other. The elements
in a structure diagram represent the meaningful concepts of a system, and may include
abstract, real world and implementation concepts.
Behavior diagrams show the dynamic behavior of the objects in a system, which can be
described as a series of changes to the system over time.
UML diagrams could be categorized hierarchically as shown below. Note, items shown in
blue are not part of official UML 2.5 taxonomy of diagrams.
UML STRUCTURE DIAGRAMS

Structure diagrams show static structure of the system and its parts on different
abstraction and implementation levels and how those parts are related to each other. The
elements in a structure diagram represent the meaningful concepts of a system, and may
include abstract, real world and implementation concepts.
Structure diagrams are not utilizing time related concepts, do not show the details of
dynamic behavior. However, they may show relationships to the behaviors of the classifiers
exhibited in the structure diagrams.
Diagram
Class
diagram
Purpose
Shows structure of the designed system,
subsystem or component as related
classes and interfaces, with their
features, constraints and relationships associations, generalizations,
dependencies, etc.
Elements
class, interface, feature,constr
aint, association,generalizatio
n, dependency.
Object
diagram
Instance level class diagram which shows instance

instance specifications of classes and
specification, object,slot, link.
interfaces (objects), slots with value
specifications, and links (instances of
association).
Object diagram was defined in now
obsolete UML 1.4.2 Specification as "a
graph of instances, including objects and
data values. A static object diagram is an
instance of a class diagram; it shows a
snapshot of the detailed state of a
system at a point in time." It also stated
that object diagram is "a class diagram
with objects and no classes."
UML 2.5 specification simply provides no
definition of object diagram.
Package
diagram
Shows packages and relationships

between the packages.
package, packageable
element,dependency, element
import,package
import, package merge.
Model
diagram
UML auxiliary structure diagram which

model, package, packageable
shows some abstraction or specific view element, dependency.
of a system, to describe architectural,
logical or behavioral aspects of the
system. It could show, for example,
architecture of a multi-layered (aka multitiered) application - see multi-layered
application model.
Composite
structure
diagram
Diagram could be used to show:

Internal structure of a classifier
A behavior of a collaboration
Internal
structure
diagram
Shows internal structure of a classifier - a structured

decomposition of the classifier into its
class, property,part, port, conn
properties, parts and relationships.
ector, usage.
Collaboration Shows objects in a system cooperating

use diagram with each other to produce some
behavior of the system.
collaboration, property,connec
tor, part, dependency.
Component
diagram
component, interface,provided
interface, required
interface, class, port,connecto
r, artifact, component
realization, usage.
Shows components and dependencies

between them. This type of diagrams is
used forComponent-Based
Development (CBD), to describe
systems with Service-Oriented
Architecture (SOA).
Manifestation While component diagrams show

diagram
components and relationships between
components and classifiers,
and deployment
diagrams - deployments of artifacts to
deployment targets, some missing
intermediate diagram is manifestation
diagram to be used to
showmanifestation (implementation)
of components by artifacts and internal
structure of artifacts.
Because manifestation diagrams are
not defined by UML 2.5 specification,
manifestation of components by artifacts
could be shown using either component
diagrams or deployment diagrams.
manifestation, component,artif
act.
Deployment
diagram
deployment, artifact,deployme
nt
Shows architecture of the system

as deployment (distribution) of
software artifacts todeployment

targets.
Note, that components were directly
deployed to nodes in UML 1.x
deployment diagrams. In UML
2.x artifacts are deployed to nodes, and
artifacts could manifest (implement)
components. Components are deployed
to nodes indirectly through artifacts.
Specification level deployment
diagram (also called type level) shows
some overview
ofdeployment of artifacts to deploymen
t targets, without referencing specific
instances of artifacts or nodes.
Instance level deployment
diagram shows deployment of instances
of artifacts to specific instances
of deployment targets. It could be used
for example to show differences in
deployments to development, staging or
production environments with the
names/ids of specific build or deployment
servers or devices.
target, node,device, execution

environment, communication
path, deployment
specification,
Network
architecture
diagram
Deployment diagrams could be used to

show logical or physical network
architecture of the system. This kind of
deployment diagrams - not formally
defined in UML 2.5 - could be called
network architecture diagrams.
node, switch, router, load

balancer, firewall,communicati
on path, network
segment, backbone.
Profile
diagram
Auxiliary UML diagram which allows to

profile, metaclass, stereotype,
define custom stereotypes, tagged
extension, reference, profile
values, and constraints as a lightweight application.
extension mechanism to the UML
standard. Profiles allow to adapt the UML
metamodel for different
platforms (such as J2EE or
.NET), or
domains (such as real-time or
business process modeling).
Profile diagrams were first introduced in
UML 2.0.
UML BEHAVIOR DIAGRAMS

Behavior diagrams show the dynamic behavior of the objects in a system, which can be
described as a series of changes to the system over time.
Diagram
Use case diagram
Purpose
Describes a set of actions (use cases) that
some system or systems (subject) should or
can perform in collaboration with one or
more external users of the system (actors)
to provide some observable and valuable
results to the actors or other stakeholders of
the system(s).
Note, that UML 2.4.1 specification (see
"16.4 Diagrams") stated that Use Case
Elements
use
case, actor, subject,
extend, include, ass
ociation.
Diagrams are a specialization of Class

Diagrams such that the classifiers shown are
restricted to being either Actors or Use
Cases. Class diagrams are structure
diagrams.
Information flow
diagram
Shows exchange of information between

information
system entities at some high levels of
flow, information
abstraction. Information flows may be useful item, actor, class.
to describe circulation of information through
a system by representing aspects of models
not yet fully specified or with less details.
Activity diagram
Shows sequence and conditions for

coordinating lower-level behaviors, rather
than which classifiers own those behaviors.
These are commonly called control
flow and object flowmodels.
State machine
diagram
Used for modeling discrete behavior through

finite state transitions. In addition to
expressing the behavior of a part of the
system, state machines can also be used to
express the usage protocol of part of a
system. These two kinds of state machines
are referred to as behavioral state
machines and protocol state machines.
Behavioral state
machine diagram
Shows discrete behavior of a part of

designed system through finite state
transitions.
behavioral
state, behavioral
transition, pseudost
ate.
Protocol state
machine diagram
Shows usage protocol or a lifecycle of

some classifier, e.g. which operations of the
classifier may be called in each state of the
classifier, under which specific conditions,
and satisfying some optional postconditions
after the classifier transitions to a target
state.
protocol
state, protocol
transition, pseudost
ate.
Interaction
diagram
Interaction diagrams include several

different types of diagrams:
sequence diagrams,
communication diagrams (known
as collaboration diagrams in UML 1.x),
timing diagrams,
interaction overview diagrams.
activity, partition, act

ion,object, control, a
ctivity edge.
Sequence diagram Most common kind of interaction diagrams

which focuses on the message interchange
betweenlifelines (objects).
lifeline, execution
specification, messa
ge,combined
fragment,interaction
use, state
invariant, destructio
n occurrence.
Communication
diagram (a.k.a.Coll
aboration
diagram in UML 1.x)
Focuses on the interaction

between lifelines where the architecture of
the internal structure and how this
corresponds with the message passing is
central. The sequencing of messages is
given through a sequence
numbering scheme.
lifeline, message.
Timing diagram
Shows interactions when a primary purpose
lifeline, state or
Interaction
overview diagram
of the diagram is to reason about time.

Timing diagrams focus on conditions
changing within and among lifelines along a
linear time axis.
condition
timeline, destruction
event,duration
constraint, time
constraint.
Defines interactions through a variant

of activity diagrams in a way that promotes
overview of the control flow. Interaction
overview diagrams focus on the overview of
the flow of control where the nodes are
interactions or interaction uses. The
lifelines and the messages do not appear at
this overview level.
initial node, flow

final node,activity
final node, decision
node, merge
node, fork node,join
node, interaction,int
eraction
use, duration
constraint, time
constraint.

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THE UNIFIED MODELING LANGUAGE

provides guidance as to the order of a teams activities,

CLASSIFICATION OF UML DIAGRAMS

UML STRUCTURE DIAGRAMS

Instance level class diagram which shows instance

Shows packages and relationships

UML auxiliary structure diagram which

Diagram could be used to show:

Shows internal structure of a classifier - a structured

Collaboration Shows objects in a system cooperating

Shows components and dependencies

Manifestation While component diagrams show

Shows architecture of the system

software artifacts todeployment

target, node,device, execution

Deployment diagrams could be used to

node, switch, router, load

Auxiliary UML diagram which allows to

UML BEHAVIOR DIAGRAMS

Diagrams are a specialization of Class

Shows exchange of information between

Shows sequence and conditions for

Used for modeling discrete behavior through

Shows discrete behavior of a part of

Shows usage protocol or a lifecycle of

Interaction diagrams include several

activity, partition, act

Sequence diagram Most common kind of interaction diagrams

Focuses on the interaction

Shows interactions when a primary purpose

of the diagram is to reason about time.

Defines interactions through a variant

initial node, flow

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