Analysis Patterns: Reusable Object Models (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Patterns are higher-order designs that can be reused across projects and types of computer systems. Analysis Patterns: Reusable Object Models defines over 70 patterns, beginning with some from the business world, such as the Party and Accountability patterns, which define the players in organizations and whom they report to. Many of the other patterns are drawn from the health care industry and mainly show patterns of doctor-patient interactions.

The patterns for financial markets will probably be accessible for the majority of readers. Author Martin Fowler defines a Transaction pattern (and related patterns) as well as several patterns for the Accounting of Objects. He moves on to modeling stock markets with Portfolio, Quote, and Scenario patterns, which define how a price for a stock is determined for a given moment. Interestingly, he establishes patterns for Forward Contracts (for derivatives) as well as Options, and so takes on a complicated area in today's financial markets.

Fowler's considerable design experience in these fields is beneficial, as he is able to define each pattern in both text and software engineering diagrams. Only rarely does the author provide implementations of these designs and those that are furnished are done in Smalltalk, which makes this book more suitable for those who have experience in object design.

Product Description

Martin Fowler is a consultant specializing in object-oriented analysis and design. This book presents and discusses a number of object models derived from various problem domains. All patterns and models presented have been derived from the author's own consulting work and are based on real business cases.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (October 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201895420
• ISBN-13: 978-0201895421
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #310,390 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book for all analysts, April 29, 1999

By A Customer

This is simply an excellent book; quite possibly the best book I have read on analysis.

Martin Fowler cheats by actually being able to write. He has a very lucid prose style making this a very readable book (a strength that also manifests itself in his book UML Distilled) even though it deals with complex subjects.

The book deals with using patterns to address particular business areas. However, it has a great deal to offer anybody interested in analysis or modelling (whether they are working in the OO world or not) and provides one of the best explanations I have read of the purpose and objectives of modelling.

Each problem area is presented very clearly and a number of different solutions are presented at different levels of abstraction (and hence complexity) with lots of useful insight into the factors that would determine the appropriate model.

Analysis Patterns is a book that bears reading and re-reading. I frequently refer it as an excellent source of interesting ideas on ways of approaching complex modelling & analysis issues. I have never managed to take one of the patterns and apply it as is; however, the ideas and concepts expressed in the book influence many of my models (even when the business problem I am tackling initially appears to be entirely unrelated to any of the patterns).

Frankly, this is a book I wish I had written.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars indispensable for those using OO analysis, January 4, 1999

By	Ralph E. Johnson (Champaign, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've got most of the books on patterns and find that this is the one I use the most. The writing is clear, the patterns address problems that I run into, and mostly the solutions are just what I need. This book is great to give to analysts who are having trouble agreeing with each other, because they often are persuaded by the book. It is great to give to analysts who are trying to master OO concepts, or to programmers who don't understand why things have to be so complicated. Everybody I know who has read it likes it. I just wish more people would read it!

The only thing I don't like about the book is the notation. I wish he had used UML. On the other hand, after you spend a few days with it, it isn't hard to understand. It is just one more notation.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Study, don't just read this book., February 8, 2003

By	Jed Reynolds (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I bet you are an object oriented software developer striving to build better applications. If you have not read GoF <i>Design Patterns</i> and followed that with Vlissides's <i>Pattern Hatching</i>, read those first. Follow those with this, Martin Fowler's <i>Analysis Patterns</i>.

As two readings of <i>Design Patterns</i> took my OO knowledge from infancy to adolecence, <i>Analysis Patterns</i> will take you from adolecence to adulthood. Fowler's work does not put together patterns from the <i>Design Patterns</i> book, but takes its time to decompose actual application domain concepts to applicable object models. It will then be up to you to use your knowledge from <i>Design Patterns</i> to create mechanisms that support properly modeled business concepts as <i>Analysis Patterns</i> describes.

If you like OO modeling and design, but are wondering how better to apply your modeling concepts, Fowler's book is something you will definitely benefit from. However, make a pot of coffee per chapter-this book is very dense with concepts.

Fowler ends <i>Analysis Patterns</i> with some more easily read chapters on application design on a larger scale. You've heard of "n-tier," his discussion of the concepts of "n-tier" at the end of the book are possibly worth reading first.

After reading this book-and understanding it's motivations-you will never again be tempted to take "innocent" shortcuts in your application design. You will not be motivated to use "Strings" for "measurements" or "doubles" for "distances." You will look upon your peer's object designs either with a new understanding that they know that going the distance with their object model is worth it-and you won't demand they dumb down their design ever again-and you'll likewise gain intuition about where a simplistic business domain model is going to fail.