Unified Modeling Language

Unified Modeling Language

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is an "object modeling and specification language used in software engineering ("Unified Modeling Language", 2005)." It was created to consolidate and standardize 50 different modeling languages that were used by many businesses. The project request to normalize the modeling languages was made by Object Management Group (OMG) and answered by James Rambaugh, Grady Booch, and Ivar Jacobson. In addition to Rambaugh, Booch, and Jacobson, a team called the UML Partners, which included Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle Corporation, and other businesses submitted proposals that were either declined or integrated with the UML proposal. The Unified Modeling Language "is tailored specifically for object oriented systems development" (Siau & Cao, 2001). The new modeling language was successful and was adopted by OMG as their modeling language standard.

The main purpose of Object Management Group's request to standardize modeling languages is to create a common architecture that provide a platform where stakeholders and programmers are able to understand each other and be able to build an application that meets that project request criteria (Siau & Cao, 2001). In addition to this, UML includes modeling diagrams that present the static and dynamic view of a system (Siau & Cao, 2001).

These modeling diagrams are separated into three categories: structure diagrams, behavior diagrams, and interaction diagrams. Structure diagrams include class, component, object, and deployment diagrams. A class diagram represents the "fundamental architecture of a system" ("Class Diagram", 2005). The diagram consists of boxes that contain information on the different classes in the system and how they relate to each other. An object diagram "depicts static "snapshots" of the elements within a system, showing objects' structure, attributes, and relationships to another" ("Object Diagram", 2005). A deployment diagram shows the "run-time processing elements and the software components, processes, and objects that live on them" ("Deployment Diagram", 2005), whereas the component diagram shows "how a software system is split up into physical components", and it shows how they are dependent on each other ("Component diagram", 2005). Behavior diagrams stress what is needed to happen in the modeled system. Activity diagrams represent the business and operational workflow of a system and a use case diagram pictorially describes scenarios of the interaction between a user and a system ("Use Case Diagrams", 2005). Finally, interaction diagrams include sequence diagrams. Sequence diagrams show the processes that execute sequentially and it provides a flowchart of the triggered events ("Sequence diagrams", 2005). These diagrams give programmers the tools to create understandable database designs.

A project team's most important goal is to create a system that is efficient and meets business needs. In order to achieve that goal business teams, application team, and the database teams need to be involved in the new system's architecture from the very beginning. With the use of UML, a common language is used to communicate between the teams and it will limit the