What do you think about Microsoft Visio? is that enough for your needs?
I just wanted to create this post because I have been using visio for almost 2 years and now the boss say that its definetely not the tool to model all the things we need.
After trying for sometime Sparx Enterprise Architect, its years ago from Microsoft Visio, I have always defended MIcrosoft tools but this time I just cant. Visio 2005 is 99% the same than visio 2003 for EA.
Sparx EA generetes so cool RTF and HTML documentation and its very needed on a project. It has something called traceability matrix which Visio doesnt have, maybe Microsoft has a lot to learn from the aspect of modeling tools. A very cool thing Sparx did, is to integrate the viewer with Visual Studio its cool but what I would like to see in the future is to create everything from a single tool.
For example inside visual studio 2005 a project template named UML Project, obviously it will not be compiled as code does, but you will be able to have persions of UML use cases and so on.
I have many ideas more but I just wanted that somebody from Microsoft read this.
Luis Esteban,
Visio is a great tool for many tasks. I particularly use it a lot to create great looking and very useful high-level conceptual diagrams, and things like deployment diagrams; those are the things that Visio is pretty good at it.
However, using it as an UML and software design tool is pretty much out of the question, it is way too limited and uncomfortable. The class diagram feature in VS2005 is rather good looking, but also very inadequate except for showing structural relationships between clases in a single project.
From my experience and the several tools I've used, I would agree that Enterprise Architect from Sparx is by far one of the best tools out there, and they tend to publish updates and bug fixes on a very regular basis, which is great. It is obviously more expensive, but it's not all that much. I don't use it now mostly because I rarely use UML anymore except on very specific cases, but it's a very nice tool nonetheless.
That said, I never use the code generation features.
I am evaluating EA now and someone actually asked me to take a look at VSTS - Architect role as well. Unfortunately, I think the VSTS offering is too focused. I come from a UP background so obviously feel a little more at home with the more UML-centric offering from Sparx. The price is right too.
Visio is not a design tool. 'Nuff said.
PS. I have used the code generation capabilities of EA and aside from that, you can also run it in code/model mode where changes to the model affect the code in real-time. While the code generation is not necessarily as good as Rational XDE.NET, Rational is not offering (apparently) VS.NET 2005 integration or .NET 2.0 capabilities, so that's out of the question. I have also seen pattern implementation capabilities in the tool, but have yet to find it again...
-Tim
