Executable UML : A Case Study [Paperback]

Leon Starr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2001

Executable UML is a graphical specification language. It combines a subset of the UML (Unified Modeling Language) graphical notation with executable semantics and timing rules taken from the Shlaer-Mellor Method - the best of both worlds. You can use this language to build a fully executable system specification consisting of class, state and action models. Unlike traditional specifications, an executable specification can be run, tested, debugged and measured for performance. The tested specification (models) can then be translated into target code.

In this book, Leon has modeled a working elevator control application in Executable UML. These models are intended to demonstrate good modeling and analysis techniques. Emphasis is placed on separating the application from the implementation through layered domain analysis. Manager and controller classes are avoided to reflect a genuinely object oriented analysis. Good modeling techniques and careful domain separation reduce the potential complexity of the application models.

This book comes with two CDs. One CD contains the complete set of elevator application model diagrams. The other CD includes a trial version of an interactive model editor and execution/debugging environment. Using the content on these CDs, the reader is taken through a detailed, step by step simulation of these models.

Also available on CD is a trial version of a model compiler that transforms Executable UML models to C++ code for Windows NT / 98.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leon Starr has been developing real-time and embedded software with executable models since 1985. His models have been distributed and embedded in the following systems: factory material transport control, medical ultrasound, cardiac pacing, gas chromatography, semiconductor wafer inspection, professional video effects and military battle simulation.

He is the author of “How to Build Shlaer-Mellor Object Models” and “How to Build Executable UML Class Models”. Leon is a founding member and senior consultant at Model Integration, LLC. in San Francisco, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Model Integration Llc; 2 CDs included, 5 color pages edition (February 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970804407
• ISBN-13: 978-0970804402
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,146,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where's the meat?, July 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Executable UML : A Case Study (Paperback)

At the price ([price]on my door step), I expected to find something that put all the xUML pieces together, that was worthy of the author's name. What I did find, though, was a book that provided only the most basic information and examples of the topic, and very incomplete at that. You can find xUML white papers freely available on the web which literally contain 100 times more detail and usable technical information. Not only were many parts of the model missing (specifically key service domains), but key elements such as bridge definitions, use cases, etc., were also missing.

Also, there were many self-serving references to both Leon's company and a future book on xUML. Hopefully, THAT book will contain the useful detail that is missing from this one.

For anyone who is considering purchasing this book, wait for the next one and locate the white papers on the web!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, yet somewhat incomplete model..., May 25, 2001

By 

Nick Rintalan (Sunnyvale, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Executable UML : A Case Study (Paperback)

This book was an excellent reference for me as I am still learning the Shlaer/Mellor method, but I really needed to see the Device I/O service domain and the Transport domain to complete my personal project. Hopefully, you can get this out in the next version, as promised, so the model starts "clicking". Well written and documented.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Example Worth Looking At, July 10, 2001

By 

George A. Mangogna (Sunnyvale, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Executable UML : A Case Study (Paperback)

Examples are tough for authors, especially in software. As most software people know, a good example can be as big as the book itself. Often the examples in a book just seem overly simply. Mr. Starr has avoided the problem and has given us an entire book as a complete, worked out example. For those familiar with Executable UML, the efforts to combine UML notation with precise execution rules, this book will be a welcome addition. The Introduction chapter is excellent, tracing many of the pitfalls of current software practice. The choice of an elevator as the project subject matter is also inspired. We all have experience with elevators and think we know how they work. I know I have stood waiting for an elevator to arrive, convinced that I could write a better control program that would result in shorter waits. The model in this book reveals how subtle application problems can be even when the subject is superficially familiar. Most important is the fact that the Executable UML is just that -- executable. The software that comes with the book allows you to do load up the model and try it out. And this is an important point. The intent here is to build a formally executable specification that can then be automatically translated into a running system. The model contains all the semantics to do that. For those of us that have practiced this method professionally, one is struck by the fact that these models have the characteristics of real world models. There are small problems that need to be fixed or reworked Fortunately, Mr. Starr promises additional versions in the future. There are additional domains that also need to be modeled. But in many respects the elevator model is not like what one might see in real world practice. The model descriptions are much better than most I have seen. The quality of the descriptions indicates profound depth of understanding of the problem. It is that depth of understanding which is the key to solving any problem.