SOFTWARE

ENGINEERING
CO3001

CHAPTER 5 – SYSTEM MODELING

Adapted from https://iansommerville.com/software-engineering-book/slides/ WEEK 5,6

TOPICS COVERED

 Context models
 Interaction models
 Structural models
 Behavioral models
 Model-driven engineering

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 2

SYSTEM MODELING

 the process of developing abstract models of

a system
 each model presenting a different view or
perspective
 means representing a system using some kind
of graphical notation
 almost always based on notations in the Unified
Modeling Language (UML).
 helps the analyst to
 understand the functionality of the system
 use models to communicate with customers.
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 3
EXISTING AND PLANNED SYSTEM MODELS

 Models of the existing system

 used during requirements engineering.
 They help clarify what the existing system does and can
be used as a basis for discussing its strengths and
weaknesses.
 These then lead to requirements for the new system.
 Models of the new system
 used during requirements engineering to help explain
the proposed requirements to other system stakeholders.
 Engineers use these models to discuss design proposals
and to document the system for implementation.
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 4
SYSTEM PERSPECTIVES

 An external perspective
 models the context or environment of the system.
 An interaction perspective
 models the interactions between a system and its
environment, or between the components of a system.
 A structural perspective
 models the organization of a system or the structure of
the data that is processed by the system.
 A behavioral perspective
 models the dynamic behavior of the system and how it
responds to events.
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 5
SYSTEM PERSPECTIVES - EXAMPLE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Zxr2KHW6s

Biogas system

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxIs2GVsqgY

Coffee maker

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 6

UML DIAGRAM TYPES

 Activity diagrams, which show the activities

involved in a process or in data processing .
 Use case diagrams, which show the interactions
between a system and its environment.
 Sequence diagrams, which show interactions
between actors and the system and between
system components.
 Class diagrams, which show the object classes in
the system and the associations between these
classes.
 State diagrams, which show how the system reacts
to internal and external events.
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 7
USE OF GRAPHICAL MODELS

 As a means of facilitating discussion about an

existing or proposed system
 may be incomplete
 As a way of documenting an existing system
 should be an accurate representation of the system
 As a detailed system description that can be
used to generate a system implementation
 Models have to be both correct and complete.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 8

 EXTERNAL PERSPECTIVES

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 9

CONTEXT MODELS

 To illustrate the operational context of a

system – the boundaries
 they show what lies outside the system boundaries.

 Social and organisational concerns may affect

the decision on where to position system
boundaries.
 Architectural models show the system and its
relationship with other systems.
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 10
SYSTEM BOUNDARIES

 System boundaries are established to define

what is inside and what is outside the system.
 They show other systems that are used or depend
on the system being developed.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 11

THE CONTEXT OF THE MENTCARE SYSTEM

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 12

PROCESS PERSPECTIVE

 Context models simply show the other systems in the environment, not
how the system being developed is used in that environment.

 Process models reveal how the system being

developed is used in broader business
processes.

 UML activity diagrams may be used to define

business process models.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 13

PROCESS MODEL OF INVOLUNTARY DETENTION

our system
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 14
 INTERACTION PERSPECTIVES

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 15

INTERACTION MODELS

 Modeling user interaction

 helps to identify user requirements.
 Modeling system-to-system interaction
 highlights the communication problems that may arise.
 Modeling component interaction
 to understand if a proposed system structure is likely to
deliver the required system performance and
dependability.

 Use case diagrams and sequence diagrams may

be used for interaction modeling.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 16

USE CASE MODELING

 Use cases were developed originally to support requirements

elicitation and now incorporated into the UML.

 Each use case represents a discrete task that

involves external interaction with a system.
 Actors in a use case may be people or other
systems.
 Represented diagrammatically to provide an
overview of the use case and in a more
detailed textual form.
http://tynerblain.com/blog/2007/01/22/how-to-write-good-use-case-names/
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 17
TRANSFER-DATA USE CASE

 A use case in the Mentcare system

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 18

 TABULAR DESCRIPTION OF THE ‘TRANSFER DATA’ USE-
CASE

MHC-PMS: Transfer data

Actors Medical receptionist, patient records system (PRS)
Description A receptionist may transfer data from the Mentcase system
to a general patient record database that is maintained by a
health authority. The information transferred may either be
updated personal information (address, phone number, etc.)
or a summary of the patient’s diagnosis and treatment.
Data Patient’s personal information, treatment summary
Stimulus User command issued by medical receptionist
Response Confirmation that PRS has been updated
Comments The receptionist must have appropriate security permissions
to access the patient information and the PRS.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 19

USE CASES IN THE MENTCARE SYSTEM INVOLVING THE
ROLE ‘MEDICAL RECEPTIONIST’

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 20

 Use Case ID:

USE-CASE SCENARIO TABULAR TEMPLATE

Use Case Name:
Created By: Last Updated By:
Date Created: Date Last Updated:
Actors:
Description:
Trigger:
Preconditions:
Postconditions:
Normal Flow: 1. …
2. …
Alternative Flows: Alternative 1:
…

Alternative x:
…
Exceptions: Exception 1:
…

Exception x:
…
Sep 2019
Notes and Issues: CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 21
A USE-CASE EXAMPLE
Use-case name Search club events
Actor A member of the public (MP)
Description The MP is searching for club events on a particular date.
Preconditions The MP is at the university home page.
Normal Flow 1. MP selects “Search Events” on MP home page
2. System presents a page with choice of dates for the current month
3. MP selects a date from among the choices
4. System presents a page with events for that date, giving time and
club name
5. MP selects an event
6. System presents a page with details of that event, including
location, description and cost
Exceptions Exception 1: at step 4
4a. If there are no events for the selected date, System presents a
page saying that there are no events for the selected date
Alternative Flows Alternative 1: at step 3
3a. MP selects a different month
3b. System presents a page with choice of dates for the month
Sep 2019 Continue step 3 in the normal flow CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 22
MORE USE-CASE ANNOTATION

use-case extended point: when/where to extend

actor generalization: similar to class generalization

A - - «includes» - -> B: start at A, may do B, end at A

A <- - «extend» - - B: start at A, may do B (at an extended point) and (may) end at B
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 23
SEQUENCE DIAGRAMS
 Sequence diagrams are part of the UML

 used to model the interactions between the actors

and the objects within a system.

 A sequence diagram shows the sequence of

interactions that take place during a particular
use case or use case instance.
 The objects and actors involved are listed along the top
of the diagram, with a dotted line drawn vertically
from these.
 Interactions between objects are indicated by
annotated arrows.
http://creately.com/blog/diagrams/sequence-diagram-tutorial/

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 24

SEQUENCE DIAGRAM FOR VIEW PATIENT INFORMATION

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 25

 SEQUENCE DIAGRAM FOR TRANSFER DATA

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 26

 ANOTHER SEQUENCE DIAGRAM

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 27

IN-CLASS ACTIVITY

 Use-case and sequence diagrams for some

examples

 Note:
 1. If in seq. diagram A ---- method1(xxx) ----> B,
then “method1” is of A or B?

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 28

 STRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVES

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 29

STRUCTURAL MODELS

 Display the organization of a system in terms

of the components that make up that system
and their relationships.
 Structural models may be
 static models: show the structure of the system
design,
 or dynamic models: show the organization of the
system when it is executing.
Create structural models of a system when
discussing and designing the system
architecture.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 30

CLASS DIAGRAMS

 Used when developing an object-oriented

system model to show the classes in a system
and the associations between these classes.

 An object class can be thought of as a general

definition of one kind of system object.
 An association is a link between classes that
indicates that there is some relationship between
these classes.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 31

UML CLASSES AND ASSOCIATION

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 32

 CLASSES AND ASSOCIATIONS IN THE MENTCARE

This is just Entity classes.

There are more for
Views/Boundaries and
Business processes/Controls

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 33

THE CONSULTATION CLASS

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 34

GENERALIZATION
 Rather than learn the detailed characteristics of
every entity, place these entities in more general
classes (animals, cars, houses, etc.) and learn the
characteristics of these classes

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 35

A GENERALIZATION HIERARCHY WITH ADDED DETAIL

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 36

OBJECT CLASS AGGREGATION MODELS

 An aggregation model shows how classes that

are collections are composed of other classes.
 Aggregation models are similar to the part-of relationship in semantic
data models.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 37

AGGREGATION VS COMPOSITION RELATIONSHIP

 Aggregation: specifies a whole/part

relationship between the aggregate (whole)
and component part (the component may
survive the aggregate object)
 Composition: composite object takes ownership
of the component(s)

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 38

DATABASE DIAGRAMS VS CLASS DIAGRAMS

 Entity/Relation/Table vs. class

 Entity/Relation/Table relationship vs class
relationship

 When and why we need

 Only database
 Only classes
 Both

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 39

 BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVES

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 40

BEHAVIORAL MODELS

 Behavioral models are models of the dynamic

behavior of a system as it is executing.
 They show what happens or what is supposed to
happen when a system responds to a stimulus from its
environment.

 Stimuli:
 Data: Some data arrives that has to be processed by
the system.
 Events: Some event happens that triggers system
processing. Events may have associated data, although
this is not always the case.
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 41
DATA-DRIVEN MODELING

 Many business systems are data-processing systems that are

primarily driven by data. They are controlled by the data input to the
system, with relatively little external event processing.

 Data-driven models show the sequence of

actions involved in processing input data and
generating an associated output.

 Data-Flow-Diagrams ( DFD) ?
 Not UML
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 42
AN ACTIVITY MODEL OF THE INSULIN PUMP’S
OPERATION

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 43

ORDER PROCESSING – AN ALTERNATIVE TO REPRESENT
BEHAVIORS

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 44

EVENT-DRIVEN MODELING

 Real-time systems are often event-driven, with minimal data processing.

For example, a landline phone switching system responds to events such
as ‘receiver off hook’ by generating a dial tone.

 Event-driven modeling shows how a system

responds to external and internal events.

 It is based on the assumption that a system has a finite number of

states and that events (stimuli) may cause a transition from one state to
another.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 45

STATE DIAGRAM OF A MICROWAVE OVEN

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 46

MICROWAVE OVEN OPERATION
 Superstate encapsulates a number of separate
states.
 looks like a single state on a high-level model
 expanded to show more detail on a separate diagram.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 47

 STATES AND STIMULI FOR THE MICROWAVE OVEN
State Description
Waiting The oven is waiting for input. The display shows the current time.
Half power The oven power is set to 300 watts. The display shows ‘Half power’.
Full power The oven power is set to 600 watts. The display shows ‘Full power’.
The cooking time is set to the user’s input value. The display shows
Set time
the cooking time selected and is updated as the time is set.
Oven operation is disabled for safety. Interior oven light is on.
Disabled
Display shows ‘Not ready’.
Oven operation is enabled. Interior oven light is off. Display shows
Enabled
‘Ready to cook’.
Oven in operation. Interior oven light is on. Display shows the timer
countdown. On completion of cooking, the buzzer is sounded for
Operation
five seconds. Oven light is on. Display shows ‘Cooking complete’
while buzzer is sounding.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 48

 STATES AND STIMULI FOR THE MICROWAVE OVEN
(CONT.)
Stimulus Description

Half power The user has pressed the half-power button.

Full power The user has pressed the full-power button.

Timer The user has pressed one of the timer buttons.

Number The user has pressed a numeric key.

Door open The oven door switch is not closed.
Door closed The oven door switch is closed.
Start The user has pressed the Start button.
Cancel The user has pressed the Cancel button.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 49

MODEL-DRIVEN ENGINEERING Self-study

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 50

MODEL-DRIVEN ENGINEERING

 Model-driven engineering (MDE) is an approach to

software development where models rather than programs
are the principal outputs of the development process.
 The programs are then generated automatically from the models.
 Pros
 Allows systems to be considered at higher levels of abstraction
 Generating code automatically means that it is cheaper to adapt
systems to new platforms.
 Cons
 Models for abstraction and not necessarily right for
implementation.
 Savings from generating code may be outweighed by the costs of
developing translators for new platforms.

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 51

MODEL DRIVEN ARCHITECTURE (MDA)

 The precursor of more general model-driven

engineering
 A model-focused approach

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 52

TYPES OF MODEL

 A computation independent model (CIM)

 These model the important domain abstractions used in
a system. CIMs are sometimes called domain models.
 A platform independent model (PIM)
 These model the operation of the system without
reference to its implementation. The PIM is usually
described using UML models that show the static system
structure and how it responds to external and internal
events.
 Platform specific models (PSM)
 These are transformations of the platform-independent
model with a separate PSM for each application
platform. In principle, there may be layers of PSM, with
each layer adding some platform-specific detail.
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 53
MULTIPLE PLATFORM-SPECIFIC MODELS

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 54

SUMMARY

 A model is an abstract view of a system

 Context models show how a system is positioned in an
environment with other systems and processes.
 Use case diagrams and sequence diagrams are used to
describe the interactions between users and systems in
the system
 Use cases describe interactions between a system and
external actors;
 Sequence diagrams add more information to these by
showing interactions between system objects.
 Structural models show the organization and
architecture of a system.
 Class diagrams are used to define the static structure of
classes in a system and their associations.
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 55
SUMMARY (CONT.)

 Behavioral models are used to describe the

dynamic behavior of an executing system.
 Can be by the perspective of the data processed
by the system, or by the events that stimulate
responses from a system.
 Activity diagrams may be used to model the
processing of data, where each activity
represents one process step.
 State diagrams are used to model a system’s
behavior in response to internal or external
events.
Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 56
 MORE ON UML Self-study

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 57

COLLABORATION / COMMUNICATION DIAGRAMS

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 58

 SEQUENCE VS. COLLABORATION DIAGRAMS

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 59

 ACTIVITY DIAGRAMS

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 60

 ACTIVITY DIAGRAMS (CONT.)

Swimming lane

Sep 2019 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM MODELING 61