UML/Modeling Tools you are using?
One of the problems I have found in VSTS 2005 is the lack of modeling tools for the Software Architect. Jack Greenfield addressed and answered my concernshere. He also said MS is working on some addressing some of the issues.I responded to himhere.
I needed something today to allow me to continue doing my job which currently is implementing a product line engineering process.I am using UML on this project.In case you are interested,hereis a list of the tools we are evaluating from MS and their status.I answered Steve Cook's question as to what UML I would like to see supported by MShere.
XDE was out because it is not supported in VSTS 2005. Since no improvements have been made to Visio's UML features for so long, and there are no plans to improve it, Visio was out.We ended up going withSparx EA because of the price.
What tools are you using to do your modeling?
Are you using UML?If not UML, then what are you using?
We are still using UML.
But i agree with you on the lack of tools. I usually go with visio,but yea, something more cool and advanced would be very much welcomed by many...
My current favorite UML tool is also Sparx Enterprise Architect (after checking Visio, XDE and Rose before it, Together, Rhapsody, Popkin's System Architect and few others) I especially like its support of UML 2.0 constructs.
Nevertheless many times design itself happens on a blackboard... (There's a Tablet PC UML tool - http://www.tabletuml.com/ , which I haven't tried yet, which might help in this respect :))
Arnon
I am just getting to grips with VS2005, but my initial impression is that the modelling support is disappointingly weak. I was looking forward to using Class Designer but so far as I am aware it only works at project level, not solution level so you can't use it as an analysis tool.
Visio UML has not been enhanced, but I guess I'll have to stick with it because I havn't got the budet to buy anything else.
I havn't tried yet, but I assume Visio still integrates with VS2005 for creating projects and classes and for reverse engineering?
Apps are better by design, so I am puzzled by the lack of support for a design-driven process in VS.
-Dick
Well, first of all - VS2005 Architect has no modeling tools for UML (found it "the hard way")
I used to work with Rational Rose (2001) and XDE (for vs2003) in my previous job, but in the current place, they don't want to invest so much money (5000$ a piece).
So for the past year I've been using Visio (the architect version that comes with VS2005), but I'm not very pleased - it has no relation to the VS IDE (and no, "reverse engineering" my code and copy&pasting from the generated files to my files is not a usefull tool).
So right now I'm examining Sparx Enterprise Architect 6.1, with the new MDG that supports VS2005. So far, it looks promising (and since it's cheaper than Rational, I might convince my company to buy it).
Ido.
 dickP wrote: |
| Apps are better by design, so I am puzzled by the lack of support for a design-driven process in VS. |
|
Microsoft direction for design driven development is Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) and not UML
You can read more about it in Jack Greenfield's et al. "Software Factories". see also http://www.softwarefactories.com/Links.html
Arnon
I have used a lot of the tools out there and so far, especially for the
money, nothing comes close to Enterprise Architect by Sparx
Systems. I also have the MDG bridge but haven't really used it
much on gigs.
In the architecture space I am using Metis and Casewise - and yes Casewise supports UML and I dont agree with Microsoft's arguement that I have heard at several presentations that someone will build a DSL that can be used for particular scenarios. Thats a cop out.
Also, using Borland Suite and looking at the integration of all with VSTS - if we ever get there.
Eddie
I personally use a UML/MDA app called StarUML.
It is opensource so it is free and you are given all the source code (it's written in java) it has powerful generation and reverse generation of code which is handy. It supports all the UML diagrams one would typically use.
I used to use Visio, but wasnt happy because quite frankly, it sucks
Here is a link to staruml:
http://www.staruml.com/
On our current project we regularly post class diagrams to our project wiki to capture up to date sub-system designs or areas of the system which require a more formal sketch of some sort as an aide to understanding.
The main area that I really miss time and time again is any form of support for modelling messages between objects/classes or even services. I used to use sequence or collaboration diagrams for this (and I've tried most tools from XDE, Rose, what was TogetherSoft ControlCenter and of course, EA from Sparx Systems) and liked the overall approach because it provided the missing piece that is needed when capturing this part of a system design i.e. interactions between elements in the model.
I would use this for two main purposes: one would be classic top-down design and the other would be bottom-up; to capture an existing set of interactions from a code-base of interest, simply to gain a clearer understanding of what is going on.
I think the ability to do this in VS.NET 2005 whether built in or through a DSL toolkit extension with the added capability to both reflect through existing code and code gen new solution and project items would be tremendously useful and also hit that sweet spot in terms of not being overly onerous or time consuming to produce.
So I guess overall I'm still used to using UML or least two of the modelling styles (coming from a more RUP oriented background but in the last 9 months getting into the Agile/SCRUM arena).
However, I'm actually much more comfortable with the strategy as I understand it for the whole software factories initiative and any manifestations in terms of the tooling; in particular around the "executable model" whereby the gaps between models or perhaps layers in a system are deliberately and systematically minimised.
Any tools aimed more at the software architect with these aims in mind would be really welcome.
I second for sparx .. wonderful tool.
Hi, I mainly use the UML for initial sketches of the architecture (and that too only component and deployment diagrams and some sequence diagrams for showing the interaction between services) . I dont bother with code generation because you need the expensive tools to keep the roundtripping especially with TDD and frequent re-factoring which makes class diagrams go out of date really quickly.
I initially didnt use Visio because i found the built in stencil too restrictive in the way it protected shapes from being resized. For a while i played with EA which is great but I then found a free OMA UML Stencil which didnt validate the shapes and allowed them to be used in a much more free style which i prefer so im sticking with Visio for the time being.
What I would like to see though is something (preferably free or at least inexpensive) that performs a static analysis on the code and generates some sequence diagrams because i think thats a useful tool for code reviews. [Coupled with the Class Designer, it would save me a lot of time]. I'd rather not wade through reams of code and i cant ask the developers to keep drawing and re-drawing sequence diagrams (no budget for the XDE type stuff anyway).
Im keen on exploring the possibilities in the DSL space. Some people have posted a sample DSL (work in progress) that shows GoF patterns and im sure much more can be done. As Bill Gibson mentioned in an earlier post in this forum, MS are working on the 'drill-in' feature in the App Designer which would allow a better 'ground up' building and view of the architecture within a system.
Nowadays Im working with Biztalk 2004 which is definitely more 'model driven' in its approach (orchestration designer) and they are coming up with a DSL type tool for a future 'BTS Solution Designer' which looks really cool and useful.
Cheers
Benjy
Guys, I have been using www.visual-paradigm.com SDE for VS.Net. It uses UML 2.0, generates code, allows for placing implementation into generated code and round-trips to keep code and model in sync. You can reverse a .net proj into uml model, and you can generate code from the model. This will always keep you code in sync with your design documentation and your design documentation in sync with your code (how long have we been trying to solve this problem of docs getting out of sync with our implementation)
I've had several friends, rational bigots, evaluate this tool in comparison with XDE. To a person they said that SDE was a much better product and especially handled rev-eng much better.
An additional advantage is the documentation that is produced. I want tell you here you must see to believe.
We're stuck with IBM/Rational RSM because of the lack of requirements management and use-case modeling tools. I'd have much prefered TFS, but over a year before I got here it was decreed that there be traceability from the requirements through the design. We pushed to make it okay to break traceability in one place - from use case realization we break and do class design in VSTS, but do pay for it with manual updates of metadata in the class model that give us some level of this traceability.
We have the same problem with data modeling, and because the data analyst already had familiarity with ErWin, he was allowed to us that with the same caveats and requirements of adding traceability metadata to the models.
Visio was overall determined to be too stand-alone so we couldn't even consider it.
