| |
| Continuing with my previous article
of “UML Fundamentals –II”, I am
discussing rest of all components i.e. Activity Diagram, Component
Diagram and Deployment diagram here with advantages, constraints of
UML. |
| |
| 6. |
Activity Diagram:
Activity Diagram shows the flow details of selected activity,
business logic with all conditions and optional flows. It is
some what similar to Flow Charts which were used in earlier
days. Activity diagram shows the detailed flows with interaction
with multiple actors (if needed). The different components of
activity diagram are: Initial Node, Final Node, Activities,
Forks, Swimlanes, Join, Condition, Decision, and Merge. |
| |
Initial Node
represents starting point of activity diagram. It is represented
as filled in circle. |
| |
Final Node
represents End Point of Activity Diagram. An activity diagram
can have multiple Final Nodes. It is represented as Filled Circle
with Border. |
| |
Activities represent
flows that get executed and these are represented as Rounded
Rectangles. |
| |
Fork is represented
with a black bar with one flow going into it and several leaving
it. This denotes the beginning of parallel activity. |
| |
Join is represented
with a black bar with several flows entering it and one leaving
it. This denotes the end of parallel processing. |
| |
Decision is
represented with a diamond with one flow entering and several
leaving. |
| |
Merge is represented
with a diamond with several flows entering and one leaving. |
| |
Swimlanes divides
activity diagram actor wise means it shows that which actor
is executing which part of activity diagram. |
| |
 |
| 7. |
Component Diagram:
Component Diagram shows all components to be used in
application along with relationship between them. These components
can be any third party components or your own compiled components
or hardware interfaces. The only relationship exists between
component diagram is Dependency. |
| |
 |
| 8.
|
Deployment Diagram:
Deployment Diagram shows details of deployment of the
application i.e. how the application is going to be deployed
on Client’s Live servers. Deployment diagram shows physical
deployment of application along with different components on
servers and communication of application different parts between
different servers. |
| |
 |
|
| |
| Advantages: |
| |
| As UML supports every stage of SDLC
starting from Analysis to deployment so it helps in identifying the
complexity, limitations/constraints, security, performance issues
of application at the design time only , so that all such issues can
be handled at right time. |
| |
| Using UML you can do the documentation
for application also which helps Higher End management and client
in reviewing the application requirements. The application requirements
are captured in UML using Use Cases and Use Case diagram. |
| |
| After identifying and designing Class
diagrams, you have option for Forward Engineering. Using Forward Engineering
Tool will generate templates of class defined with method signatures,
all properties and attributes defined with comments following all
relationships between multiple classes. |
| |
| Using UML you can also remove Resource
dependency in the applications as everything is written down. |
| |
| Using UML Change Management and maintenance
of application is very easy as everything is proper documented. |
| |
| Constraints: |
| |
| The only constraint of UML is Time
consuming, so designing of applications following UML is not advisable
for Small Applications. UML is advisable for large Applications or
complex applications. |
| |
| For removing Resource Dependency from
applications, Model of application should be completely updated and
proper documented. |
| |
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