Overview

This tool mentor assumes that a structured Design Model has been created as part of Task: Architectural Analysis.

The following steps are performed in this tool mentor:

• Use Design Patterns and Mechanisms
• Create Initial Design Classes
• Identify Persistent Classes
• Define Class Visibility
• Define Operations
• Define Methods
• Define States
• Define Attributes
• Define Dependencies
• Define Associations
• Define Internal Structure
• Define Generalizations
• Resolve Use-Case Collisions
• Handle Nonfunctional Requirements in General
• Evaluate the Results

Additional Tool Information

Use Design Patterns and Mechanisms

Incorporating a pattern and/or mechanism is effectively performing many of the subsequent steps in this tool mentor (adding new classes, operations, attributes, and relationships), but in accordance with the rules defined by the pattern or mechanism.

If the pattern is in the tool's library, the "apply pattern" is experience is highly interactive. A pattern is a special kind of transformation, "optimized for interactive, piecewise elaboration primarily in a single metamodel and within the same level of abstraction, and often within the same model". See the Model Driven Development and Model Driven Architecture and Analysis Mechanisms concepts.

For information on using patterns, refer to Applying Patterns.

Create Initial Design Classes

1. Add a class diagram to the model. See Adding Class Diagrams to Model Elements.
2. Add design classes to the class diagram. See Adding Classifiers to Class Diagrams.
3. Document each class. See Documenting Model Elements.

For more information, refer to Modeling Static Structure by Using Class Diagrams.

Identify Persistent Classes

A class can be marked as persistent. If an MDD (see Model Driven Development and Model Driven Architecture) approach is taken, the profile applied to the model will contain specific stereotypes which will enable the architect to mark the classes that he wants to persist. The transform will use this extra information in combination with the type mappings and generate the appropriate code or a more refined model. For more information, refer to Analysis Mechanisms, Applying Transformations and Transitioning from Model to Code

In J2EE development, persistency is commonly implemented using entity EJBs. See Identify Design Elements for details.

Refer to Developing Enterprise Beans with UML Class Diagrams.

Define Class Visibility

For each class, determine the class visibility within the package where it resides.

Refer to Visibility of Model Elements.

Define Operations

1. Add operations to each class. See Adding Operations to Classifiers in Diagrams.
2. Add parameters to operations. See Manging Parameters in Operations.
3. Specify visibility of operations. See Visibility of Model Elements.

For more information, refer to Managing Attributes and Operations in Classifiers.

Define Methods

A description of how an operation is to be implemented might be added to the operation description.

A sequence diagram might optionally be used to describe a method. See the online Help topic Documenting Model Elements.

For more information, refer to Sequence Diagrams.

Define States

A state machine might optionally be used.

For more information, refer to UML State Machines

Define Attributes

1. Define attributes. See Attributes.
2. Add attributes to classifiers. See Adding Attributes to Classifiers in Diagrams.
3. Specify visibility. See Visibility of Model Elements.

Define Dependencies

Refer to Dependency Relationships.

Define Associations

1. Add association relationships.
2. Specify the kind of each association. See Specifying Relationships in UML Diagrams.

Define Internal Structure

Refer to the structured classes topics within Modeling Static Structure by Using Class Diagrams. 

Define Generalizations

Refer to Generalization Relationships.  

Resolve Use-Case Collisions

Refer to Setting the Concurrency Property of an Operation

Handle Nonfunctional Requirements in General

Nonfunctional requirements often drive a class to incorporate specific design mechanisms using collaborations and patterns. Often the use of a framework component is sufficient to satisfy a nonfunctional requirement. See Identify Design Elements.

For more information, refer to Applying Patterns.

Evaluate the Results

It might be helpful to publish any models to html format. Also note that diagrams can be copied to Microsoft Word and other programs. 

For more information, refer to Publishing Models and to the Publishing a Model to a Web tutorial.

Additional Tool Information

Tutorials:

• Apply a Pattern

Samples:

• Model for Pattern Application - Simple UML Model
• Patterns - Simple UML Model