What is UML? Briefly explain different UML diagrams.

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a well accepted language for OOAD. It is used

for visualizing, specifying, constructing, and in final documentation. The basic

building blocks of UML used for OOAD are things, relationships, and diagrams.

Basically, the Unified Modeling Language focuses on the concepts of Booch, OMT,

and Object Oriented Software Engineering (OOSE). The result of these concepts is a

single, common, and widely usable modeling language for users of these and othermethods. The Unified Modeling Language also promotes the concept of what can be

done with existing methods.

Many modern applications are being developed based on object oriented principles

such as classes, methods, and inheritance. To fulfil the needs of such developments,

CASE tools offer many benefits for developers building large-scale systems. CASE

tools enable us to abstract away from the mess of source code, to a level where design

and propose become more clear and easier to understand and modify.

For making and representing these features of the systems to be developed, some tools

are used. These tools support UML features and building blocks. Object modeling

CASE tools provide support for object oriented modeling notations and

methodologies, and they also generate parts of object oriented applications. New

versions of many object oriented CASE tools are beginning to address new languages

such as Java. Many of these object modeling CASE tools also support relational

databases by performing arts of logic, and in some cases, physical database modeling

and design, including schema generation and reverse engineering of RDBMS tables,

and other elements.

Here, we have tried to give a list collected from many sites and individual searches,

for UML modeling tools. Since UML is a fast growing engineering this list may keep

on changing all the time.

Action Semantics: This is a group of firms that have responded to the OMG’s

RFP to define the action semantics for UML.

ArgoUML: This is a domain-oriented design environment that provides cognitive

support of object oriented design. ArgoUML provides some of the same

automation features of a commercial CASE tool.

ARTiSAN Software: This provides a variety of UML based CASE tools,

including a real time modeling tool.

BridgePoint : This provide features of a real time UML modeling tool.

GDPro : this is a full suite of UML and code management tools.

MagicDraw UML: This has Full support for all UML diagrams: MagicDraw

RConverter allows you to convert these UML diagrams into MagicDraw: Activity,

Class, Collaboration, Component, Deployment, Sequence,State chart, Three-tiered,

and Use Case diagrams.

Rational Rose: IBM Rational RequisitePro is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for

requirements and use case management.

Visio 2000 Enterprise: It contains a UML suite that can build diagrams within

Visio.

Visual Paradigm: Visual Paradigm for the Unified Modeling Language

(VP-UML) is a UML CASE suite. The suite of tools is designed for a wide range

of users, including Software Engineers, System Analysts, for building large scale

software systems reliably through the use of the object oriented approach.