UML Modeling Tools

UML artifacts are primarily diagrams with supporting textual information. To efficiently generate these diagrams and manage their supporting information, it is extremely important to leverage an analysis and design modeling tool that supports the UML standard as specified by the Object Management Group (OMG). There are plenty of modeling tools, graphics packages, and Java Integrated Development Environments ( IDEs ) that do provide UML support.

However, the Together ControlCenter (TCC) 6.0 product from the TogetherSoft Corporation is the modeling and development product of choice within this book. The motivations for this decision are because TCC is the only product that successfully provides an intuitive end-to-end Model-Build-Deploy development platform for constructing J2EE enterprise solutions on the BEA WebLogic Platform 7.0. The TCC enables business analysts, application architects , and software developers to leverage a single modeling and development environment, minimizing the need to acquire, learn, and use multiple products.

Also, the TCC is the only development tool that works the way developers work. Because TogetherSoft understands that development is iterative, TCC provides features that encourage forward momentum throughout development, for example:

• Simultaneous round-trip engineering makes code and model mismatch a thing of the past. Make changes to the model or the code and each stays in sync ”no waiting, no extra steps. Plus, round-trip engineering provides visibility into existing applications, generating class models instantly.

• Patterns eliminate tedious tasks and speed the development process. ControlCenter's pattern repository includes industry-recognized J2EE patterns, UI patterns, test cases, and more. Using the template expert, developers can also customize and add to the offerings easily. Time-consuming tasks are taken care of with a few clicks and developers can move on to serious coding.

• Refactoring improves code quality quickly, easily, and safely. ControlCenter's extensive refactoring makes sure that all changes are correctly propagated throughout an application. Code does not break and quality is improved without a hassle.

• Deployment to multiple J2EE servers is fast, with no re-coding required. Hence, applications can be built for one J2EE server and easily switched to another, protecting development assets even if server changes are required.

• Quality assurance features take the pressure off development. Extensive audits and metrics spare developers from the headaches of searching code for errors. Built-in unit testing even helps uncover problems during the coding process.

• Documentation generation is reliable and complete. Automatic documentation generation relieves developers from the time-consuming, tedious, but necessary step of documentation. With just a few keystrokes, standardized documentation is delivered on time, and the developer is free to build applications.

Another advantage that will be of primary importance to an enterprise is that the TCC product itself is not bound to any specific development methodology nor does it enforce any. This enables project teams to decide a methodology based on the type and scale of their project, rather than based on a modeling tool.

Note

You can find more information about the Together ControlCenter product from visiting the TogetherSoft Web site at www.TogetherSoft.com.