What Is UML
What Is UML
What Is UML
The Unified Modeling Language (UML) was created to forge a common, semantically and
syntactically rich visual modeling language for the architecture, design, and implementation
of complex software systems both structurally and behaviorally. UML has applications
beyond software development, such as process flow in manufacturing.
It is analogous to the blueprints used in other fields, and consists of different types of
diagrams. In the aggregate, UML diagrams describe the boundary, structure, and the behavior
of the system and the objects within it.
UML is not a programming language but there are tools that can be used to generate code in
various languages using UML diagrams. UML has a direct relation with object-oriented
analysis and design.
There are many problem-solving paradigms or models in Computer Science, which is the
study of algorithms and data. There are four problem-solving model categories: imperative,
functional, declarative and object-oriented languages (OOP). In object-oriented languages,
algorithms are expressed by defining ‘objects’ and having the objects interact with each other.
Those objects are things to be manipulated and they exist in the real world. They can be
buildings, widgets on a desktop, or human beings.
Object-oriented languages dominate the programming world because they model real-world
objects. UML is a combination of several object-oriented notations: Object-Oriented Design,
Object Modeling Technique, and Object-Oriented Software Engineering.
UML uses the strengths of these three approaches to present a more consistent methodology
that's easier to use. UML represents best practices for building and documenting different
aspects of software and business system modeling.
‘The Three Amigos’ of software engineering as they were known, had evolved other
methodologies. They teamed up to provide clarity for programmers by creating new
standards. The collaboration between Grady, Booch, and Rumbaugh made all three methods
stronger and improved the final product.
The efforts of these thinkers resulted in the release of the UML 0.9 and 0.91 documents in
1996. It soon became clear that several organizations, including Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM
saw UML as critical to their own business development. They, along with many other
individuals and companies, established resources that could develop a full-fledged modeling
language. The Three Amigos published The Unified Modeling Language User Guide in 1999,
and an update which includes information about UML 2.0 in the 2005 Second Edition.
OMG oversees the definition and maintenance of UML specifications. This oversight gives
engineers and programmers the ability to use one language for many purposes during all
phases of the software lifecycle for all system sizes.
Providing system architects, software engineers, and software developers with tools
for analysis, design, and implementation of software-based systems as well as for
modeling business and similar processes.
Advancing the state of the industry by enabling object visual modeling tool
interoperability. However, to enable meaningful exchange of model information
between tools, agreement on semantics and notation is required.
The UML is popular among programmers, but isn’t generally used by database developers.
One reason is simply that the UML creators did not focus on databases. Despite this, the
UML is effective for high-level conceptual data modeling, and it can be used in different
types of UML diagrams. You can find information about layering of an object-oriented class
model onto a relational database in this article about Database Modeling in UML.
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