The Complete Guide to UML Diagram

Types with Examples

UML stands for Unified Modeling Language which is used in object oriented software engineering. Although
typically used in software engineering it is a rich language that can be used to model an application
structures, behavior and even business processes. There are 14 UML diagram types to help you model these
behavior.

They can be divided into two main categories; structure diagrams and behavioral diagrams. All 14 UML
diagram types are listed below with examples and a brief introduction to them explaining how they are used
when modeling applications.

You can draw UML diagrams online using our software, or check out some UML diagram examples at our
diagramming community.

List of UML Diagram Types

Types of UML diagrams with structure diagrams coming first and behavioral diagrams starting from position
8. Click on any diagram type to visit that specific diagram type’s description.

1. Class Diagram
2. Component Diagram
3. Deployment Diagram
4. Object Diagram
5. Package Diagram
6. Profile Diagram
7. Composite Structure Diagram
8. Use Case Diagram
9. Activity Diagram
10. State Machine Diagram
11. Sequence Diagram
12. Communication Diagram
13. Interaction Overview Diagram
14. Timing Diagram
 UML Diagram types

Structure diagrams show the things in a system being modeled. In a more technical term, they show different
objects in a system. Behavioral diagrams shows what should happen in a system. They describe how the
objects interact with each other to create a functioning system.

Class Diagram
Class diagrams are arguably the most used UML diagram type. It is the main building block of any object
oriented solution. It shows the classes in a system, attributes and operations of each class and the relationship
between each class.
In most modeling tools, a class has three parts, name at the top, attributes in the middle and operations or
methods at the bottom. In large systems with many related classes, classes are grouped together to create class
diagrams. Different relationships between classes are shown by different types of arrows.
Below is an image of a class diagram. Follow the link below for more class diagram examples or get started
instantly with our class diagram templates.
 UML Class Diagram with Relationships (Click on image to modify online)

Get More Class Diagram Templates >>

Component Diagram
A component diagram displays the structural relationship of components of a software system. These are
mostly used when working with complex systems that have many components. Components communicate
with each other using interfaces. The interfaces are linked using connectors. The images below shows a
component diagram.
 Simple Component Diagram with Interfaces

Get More Component Diagram Templates >>

Deployment Diagram
A deployment diagram shows the hardware of your system and the software in those hardware. Deployment
diagrams are useful when your software solution is deployed across multiple machines with each having a
unique configuration. Below is an example deployment diagram.
 UML Deployment Diagram ( Click on the image to use it as a template )

Get More Deployment Diagram Templates >>

Object Diagram
Object Diagrams, sometimes referred to as Instance diagrams are very similar to class diagrams. Like class
diagrams, they also show the relationship between objects but they use real world examples. They are used to
show how a system will look like at a given time. Because there is data available in the objects, they are often
used to explain complex relationships between objects.
 UML Object Diagram Example (Click on image to use as a template)

Get More Object Diagram Templates >>

Package Diagram
As the name suggests, a package diagram shows the dependencies between different packages in a system.
Check out this wiki article to learn more about the dependencies and elements found in package diagrams.
 Package Diagram in UML

Profile Diagram
Profile diagram is a new diagram type introduced in UML 2. This is a diagram type that is very rarely used in
any specification. For more detailed technical information about this diagram type check this link.

Basic UML Profile Diagram structure

Composite Structure Diagram
Composite structure diagrams are used to show the internal structure of a class. For a detailed explanation of
composite structure diagrams click here.

A simple Composite Structure Diagram

Use Case Diagram

As the most known diagram type of the behavioral UML diagrams, Use case diagrams give a graphic overview
of the actors involved in a system, different functions needed by those actors and how these different functions
are interacted.

It’s a great starting point for any project discussion, because you can easily identify the main actors involved
and the main processes of the system. Click through to read more about use case diagram elements and/or get
started instantly using our use case templates.
 Use Case diagram showing Actors and main processes (click on image to use as template)

Get More Use Case Diagram Templates >>

Activity Diagram
Activity diagrams represent workflows in a graphical way. They can be used to describe business workflow or
the operational workflow of any component in a system. Sometimes activity diagrams are used as an
alternative to State machine diagrams. Check out this wiki article to learn about symbols and usage of activity
diagrams.
 Activity Diagrams with start, end, processes and decision points (click on image to use as a template)

Get More Activity Diagram Templates >>

State Machine Diagram
State machine diagrams are similar to activity diagrams, although notations and usage change a bit. They are
sometime known as state diagrams or state chart diagrams as well. These are very useful to describe the
behavior of objects that act differently according to the state they are in at the moment. The State machine
diagram below shows the basic states and actions.

State Machine diagram in UML, sometime referred to as State or State chart diagram
 Get More State Chart Diagrams >>
Sequence Diagram
Sequence diagrams in UML show how objects interact with each other and the order those interactions occur.
It’s important to note that they show the interactions for a particular scenario. The processes are represented
vertically and interactions are show as arrows. This article explains the purpose and the basics of Sequence
diagrams.

You can also instantly start drawing using our sequence diagram templates.

Sequence Diagrams in UML shows the interaction between two processes (click on image to modify online)

Communication Diagram
Communication diagram was called collaboration diagram in UML 1. It is similar to sequence diagrams, but
the focus is on messages passed between objects. The same information can be represented using a sequence
diagram and different objects. Click here to understand the differences using an example.
 Communication Diagram in UML

Interaction Overview Diagram

Interaction overview diagrams are very similar to activity diagrams. While activity diagrams show a sequence
of processes, Interaction overview diagrams show a sequence of interaction diagrams. In simple terms, they
can be called a collection of interaction diagrams and the order they happen. As mentioned before, there are
seven types of interaction diagrams, so any one of them can be a node in an interaction overview diagram. (
img – http://www.sa-depot.com/?page_id=645 )
 Interaction overview diagram in UML

Timing Diagram
Timing diagrams are very similar to sequence diagrams. They represent the behavior of objects in a given time
frame. If it’s only one object, the diagram is straight forward, but if there are more than one object involved,
they can be used to show interactions of objects during that time frame as well. ( img –
http://blog.tangcs.com/2008/01/10/uml-2-diagrams/ )
 Timing Diagram in UML

Mentioned above are all the UML diagram types. The links given in each section explain the diagrams in more
detail and cover the usage, symbols etc. UML offers many diagram types, and sometimes two diagrams can
explain the same thing using different notations.

Check this blog post to learn which UML diagram best suits you. If you have any questions or suggestions,
feel free to leave a comment.
 Understanding Use Case Modeling

Introduction

Following the "method wars" of the 1970s and 1980s, the Unified Modeling Language (UML)
emerged from the unification that occurred in the 1990s within the information systems and
technology industry. Unification was led by Rational Software Corporation and Three Amigos,
Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh, and Ivar Jacobson. The UML gained significant industry
support from various organizations via the UML Partners Consortium and was submitted to
and adopted by the Object Management Group (OMG) as a standard (November 17, 1997).

The UML is an evolutionary general-purpose, broadly applicable, tool-supported, and industry-

standardized modeling language for specifying, visualizing, constructing, and documenting
the artifacts of a system-intensive process. The language is broadly applicable to different
types of systems (software and non-software), domains (business versus software), and
methods and processes. The UML enables and promotes (but does not require nor mandate)
a use-case-driven, architecture-centric, iterative, and incremental process that is object
oriented and component based. The UML enables the capturing, communicating, and
leveraging of knowledge: models capture knowledge (semantics), architectural views
organize knowledge in accordance with guidelines expressing idioms of usage, and diagrams
depict knowledge (syntax) for communication.

System development may be characterized as problem solving, including understanding or

conceptualize and representing a problem, solving the problem by manipulating the
representation of the problem to derive a representation of the desired solution, and
implementing or realizing and constructing the solution. This process is very natural and often
occurs subtly and sometimes unconsciously in problem solving.

Models are complete abstractions of systems. Models are used to capture knowledge
(semantics) about problems and solutions. Architectural views are abstractions of models.
Architectural views are used to organize knowledge in accordance with guidelines expressing
idioms of usage. Diagrams are graphical projections of sets of model elements. Diagrams are
used to depict knowledge (syntax) about problems and solutions. Within the fundamental UML
notation, concepts are depicted as symbols and relationships among concepts are depicted
as paths (lines) connecting symbols.

Use case modeling from the user model view (also known as the use case or scenario view),
which encompasses a problem and solution as understood by those individuals whose problem
the solution addresses, involves use case diagrams to depict the functionality of a system.

Use Case Diagrams

To successfully apply use case diagrams, we must first understand the types of elements used
in use case diagrams.

Actors

Actor classes are used to model and represent roles for "users" of a system, including human
users and other systems. Actors are denoted as stick person icons. They have the following
characteristics:
  Actors are external to a system.
 Actors interact with the system. Actors may use the functionality
provide by the system, including application functionality and
maintenance functionality. Actors may provide functionality to
the system. Actors may receive information provided by the
system. Actors may provide information to the system.
 Actor classes have actors instances or objects that represent
specific actors.

Figure 1 shows a project management system with a project manager actor and a project
database actor. The project manager is a user who is responsible for ensuring the success of
project and uses the system to manage projects. The project database is a system that is
responsible for housing project management data.

Figure 1

Use Cases

Use case classes are used to model and represent units of functionality or services provided
by a system (or parts of a system: subsystems or classes) to users. Use cases are denoted
as ellipses or ovals. They may be enclosed by a system boundary or rectangle labeled with
the name of the containing system. They have the following characteristics:

 Use cases are interactions or dialogs between a system and

actors, including the messages exchanged and the actions
performed by the system. Use cases may include variants of
these sequences, including alternative and exception sequences.
 Use cases are initiated by actors and may involve the
participation of numerous other actors. Use cases should provide
value to at least one of the participating actors.
 Use cases may have extension points that define specific points
within an interaction at which other use cases may be inserted.
 Use case classes have use case instances or objects called
scenarios that represent specific interactions. Scenarios
represent a singe sequence of messages and actions.

Figure 1 shows a project management system which provides the functionality to manage
projects in which the project manager and project database participate.
Relationships

Association relationships between actor classes and use case classes are used to indicate that
the actor classes participates and communicates with the system containing the use case
classes. Association relationships are denoted as solid lines or paths. Arrowheads may be
used to indicate who initiates communication in the interaction. If an arrowhead points to a
use case, the actor at the other end of the association initiates the interaction with the system.
If the arrowhead points to an actor, the system initiates the interaction with the actor at the
other end of the association.

Figure 1 shows a project management system that provides functionality to manage projects.
A project manager initiates this functionality and the system initiates the communication with
the project database in providing this functionality.

Includes relationships from base use case classes to inclusion use case classes are used to
indicate that the base use case classes will contain the inclusion use case classes; that is, the
base use case will contain the inclusion use case. A base use case defines the location at
which the inclusion use case is included. Includes relationships are denoted as dashed lines
or paths with an open arrow-head pointing at the inclusion use case and are labeled with the
<<include>> keyword (stereotype). The insertion of the inclusion use case involves the
execution of the base use case up to the inclusion point, inserting and executing the inclusion
use case, and then continuing with the execution of the base use case.

Figure 2 shows that a project manager may add projects and remove projects using the
project management system. When removing projects, the functionality of finding a project
is included into removing a project.

Figure 2

Extends relationships from extension use case classes to base use case classes are used to
indicate that the base use case classes may be augmented by the extension use case classes;
that is, the inclusion use case will augment the base use case if an extension condition is
satisfied. A base use case defines the extension point. An extension use case defines the
extension condition that must be satisfied in order to insert the extension use case into the
base use case. The insertion of the extension use case involves the execution of the base use
case up to the extension point, testing the extension condition and inserting and executing
the extension use case if the condition is satisfied, and then continuing with the execution of
the base use case. Extends relationships are denoted as dashed lines or paths with an open
arrow-head pointing at the extension use case and are labeled with the extension condition
in square brackets, the <<extend>> keyword (stereotype), and the extension point name in
parentheses. Extension points are identified in a compartment labeled "Extension Points" in
the base use case.

Figure 3 shows that a project manager may update projects using the project management
system. When updating projects, a project manager may manage tasks if the project manager
selects the task option, and a project manager may manage resource if the project manager
selects the resource option.

Figure 3

Generalization relationships from specialization use case classes to generalized use cases
classes are used to indicate the specialization use case classes are consistent with the
generalized use case classes and may add additional information. A specialization use case
may be used in place of a generalized use case and may use any portions of the interaction
of the generalized use case. Generalization relationships are denoted as solid lines or paths
with a hollow arrow-head pointing at the generalized use case.

Figure 4 shows that a project manager may publish a project schedule by sending e-mail to
project team members using an e-mail system or by generating a web-site on a web-site
host. In either case, there will be common functionality used from the generalized use case,
for example: inputting project name, extracting the relevant project information form the
project database, etc.
 Figure 4

Generalization relationships from specialization actor classes to generalized actor classes are
used to indicate the specialization actor classes are consistent with the generalized actor
classes and may add additional information. A specialization actor may be used in place of a
generalized actor and receives the characteristics of the generalized actor. Generalization
relationships between actors are denoted similarly to generalization relationships between
use cases.

Figure 4 shows that there are two types project managers, full-time and part-time, and that
there are two types of project database, relational database management systems (R-DBMS)
and object oriented database management systems (OO-DBMS). Any type of project manager
may publish a project schedule using any type of project database.

Use Case Modeling

To successfully apply use case diagrams in use case modeling, we ought to be aware of various
guidelines (lessons learned) from applying this technique.

Actors

When modeling actors, we ought to be aware of the following guidelines:

 Actors should be named using noun phrases.

 Actors should be described, indicating what interests an actor
has in interacting with the system. For example, the project
manager is responsible for ensuring the success of projects, and
the project database is responsible for housing project
management data.
 Actors define the scope of a system and identify those elements
that reside at the periphery of the system and those elements
 on which the system depends. For example, these use case
diagrams indicate that the project management system depends
on a project database to provide functionality to a project
manager, both residing on the periphery of the system.

Furthermore, other guidelines may be applied in addition to those above.

Use Cases

When modeling use cases, we ought to be aware of the following guidelines:

 Use cases should be named using verb-noun phrases.

 Use cases should be described, indicating how they are started
and end, any conditions that must be satisfied before the use
case starts (pre-conditions), any conditions that must be
satisfied when the use case ends (post-conditions), the
sequence of exchanged messages and performed actions, the
data exchanged, and any non-functional characteristics
(reliability, performance, supportability, etc. constraints). This
descriptions may be captured using text and other UML
diagrams.
 Use cases define the scope of a system and define the
functionality provided by the system and those elements on
which the system depends in order to provide the functionality.
For example, these use case diagrams indicate that the project
management system provides functionality to manage projects
to a project manager, and this functionality is implemented
using the project database.
 Use cases should facilitate actors in reaching their goals. Use
cases are system functionality or responsibilities (requirements)
that actors use in order to reach or satisfy their goals. Use cases
are not simply actor goals. For example, a project manager is
responsible for ensuring the success of projects, and a project
database is responsible for housing project management data.
The project management system provides functionality to
manage projects to a project manager such that the project
manager can ensure the success of projects.
 Use cases should facilitate the architecture of a system. Use
cases may be organized and partitioned using includes, extends,
and generalization relationships to identify, extract, and manage
common, optional, and similar functionality. The organization of
a set of use cases is not simply the architecture of the system.
However, the architecture of a system is based upon the various
technology, infrastructure …etc. considerations relevant to
satisfying the use cases. For example, the project management
system must interface with an e-mail system and a web-site
host, thus appropriate subsystem elements must exist within our
architecture to facilitate these interfaces.
 Use cases provide flexibility and power throughout the life-cycle
process. They provide the freedom to work with a use case as a
whole or any subset of a use case via scenarios. The use of
includes, extends, and generalization relationships to identify,
 extract, and manage common, optional, and similar functionality
provides further flexibility in working with use cases.
Furthermore, use cases may be used to model interactions
between actors and systems, subsystems, and classes at various
levels of abstraction. This flexibly and power is propagated to
every application of use cases. For example, if time, resources,
or funding are not sufficient to implement a whole use case,
various scenarios may be selected for implementation based
upon these factors.
 Use cases may be used as the basis for planning. Time and
resource estimates may be associated with use cases. If
estimates for a use case cannot be derived, estimates for each
scenario of a use case may be derived and used to potentially
estimate the overall time and resource estimates for the use
case as a whole. This helps ensure that planning is done with the
objective of satisfying the requirements.
 Use cases may be used as the basis for analysis, design, and
implementation. The sequence of exchanged messages and
performed actions within the description of a use case are
analyzed and the system is design and implemented to
specifically realize use case interactions. This helps ensure that
every element of a system is created and used because it
contributes to satisfying the requirements.
 Use cases may be used as the basis for testing. The sequence of
exchanged messages and performed actions within the
description of a use case may be used as test scripts for
validating the functionality of a system. This helps ensure that
the system is tested and validated against the requirements.
 Use cases may be used as the basis for documentation since use
cases capture how users will use the system.

Furthermore, other guidelines may be applied in addition to those above.

Conclusion

As the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is an evolutionary general-purpose, broadly

applicable, tool-supported, and industry-standardized modeling language for specifying,
visualizing, constructing, and documenting the artifacts of a system-intensive process, by
understanding the types of elements used in use case diagrams and being .aware of various
guidelines (lessons learned) from applying this technique, we have a sound foundation for
successfully applying the technique. Furthermore, it is experience, experimentation, and
application of the standard and its various techniques that will enable us to realize its benefits.
 UML - MODELING TYPES
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It is very important to distinguish between the UML model. Different diagrams are used for
different type of UML modeling. There are three important type of UML modelings:

Structural modeling:
Structural modeling captures the static features of a system. They consist of the followings:

Classes diagrams
Objects diagrams
Deployment diagrams
Package diagrams
Composite structure diagram
Component diagram

Structural model represents the framework for the system and this framework is the place where
all other components exist. So the class diagram, component diagram and deployment diagrams
are the part of structural modeling. They all represent the elements and the mechanism to
assemble them.

But the structural model never describes the dynamic behavior of the system. Class diagram is the
most widely used structural diagram.

Behavioral Modeling:
Behavioral model describes the interaction in the system. It represents the interaction among the
structural diagrams. Behavioral modeling shows the dynamic nature of the system. They consist of
the following:

Activity diagrams
Interaction diagrams
Use case diagrams

All the above show the dynamic sequence of flow in a system.

Architectural Modeling:
Architectural model represents the overall framework of the system. It contains both structural and
behavioral elements of the system. Architectural model can be defined as the blue print of the
entire system. Package diagram comes under architectural modeling.
 UML - BASIC NOTATIONS
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UML is popular for its diagrammatic notations. We all know that UML is for visualizing, specifying,
constructing and documenting the components of software and non software systems. Here the
Visualization is the most important part which needs to be understood and remembered by heart.

UML notations are the most important elements in modeling. Efficient and appropriate use of
notations is very important for making a complete and meaningful model. The model is useless
unless its purpose is depicted properly.

So learning notations should be emphasized from the very beginning. Different notations are
available for things and relationships. And the UML diagrams are made using the notations of
things and relationships. Extensibility is another important feature which makes UML more
powerful and flexible.

The chapter describes the UML Basic Notations in more details. This is just an extension to the UML
buildling block section I have discussed in previous chapter.

Structural Things:
Graphical notations used in structural things are the most widely used in UML. These are
considered as the nouns of UML models. Following are the list of structural things.

Classes
object
Interface
Collaboration
Use case
Active classes
Components
Nodes

Class Notation:
UML class is represented by the diagram shown below. The diagram is divided into four parts.

The top section is used to name the class.

The second one is used to show the attributes of the class.
The third section is used to describe the operations performed by the class.
The fourth section is optional to show any additional components.
Classes are used to represent objects. Objects can be anything having properties and
responsibility.

Object Notation:
The object is represented in the same way as the class. The only difference is the name which is
underlined as shown below.

As object is the actual implementation of a class which is known as the instance of a class. So it has
the same usage as the class.

Interface Notation:
Interface is represented by a circle as shown below. It has a name which is generally written below
the circle.

Interface is used to describe functionality without implementation. Interface is the just like a
template where you define different functions not the implementation. When a class implements
the interface it also implements the functionality as per the requirement.

Collaboration Notation:
Collaboration is represented by a dotted eclipse as shown below. It has a name written inside the
eclipse.
Collaboration represents responsibilities. Generally responsibilities are in a group.

Use case Notation:

Use case is represented as an eclipse with a name inside it. It may contain additional
responsibilities.

Use case is used to capture high level functionalities of a system.

Actor Notation:
An actor can be defined as some internal or external entity that interacts with the system.

Actor is used in a use case diagram to describe the internal or external entities.

Initial State Notation:

Initial state is defined to show the start of a process. This notation is used in almost all diagrams.

The usage of Initial State Notation is to show the starting point of a process.

Final State Notation:

Final state is used to show the end of a process. This notation is also used in almost all diagrams to
describe the end.

The usage of Final State Notation is to show the termination point of a process.
Active class Notation:
Active class looks similar to a class with a solid border. Active class is generally used to describe
concurrent behaviour of a system.

Active class is used to represent concurrency in a system.

Component Notation:
A component in UML is shown as below with a name inside. Additional elements can be added
wherever required.

Component is used to represent any part of a system for which UML diagrams are made.

Node Notation:
A node in UML is represented by a square box as shown below with a name. A node represents a
physical component of the system.

Node is used to represent physical part of a system like server, network etc.

Behavioural Things:
Dynamic parts are one of the most important elements in UML. UML has a set of powerful features
to represent the dynamic part of software and non software systems. These features include
interactions and state machines.

Interactions can be of two types:

Sequential Representedbysequencediagram
Collaborative Representedbycollaborationdiagram

Interaction Notation:
Interaction is basically message exchange between two UML components. The following diagram
represents different notations used in an interaction.

Interaction is used to represent communication among the components of a system.

State machine Notation:

State machine describes the different states of a component in its life cycle. The notations are
described in the following diagram.

State machine is used to describe different states of a system component. The state can be active,
idle or any other depending upon the situation.

Grouping Things:
Organizing the UML models are one of the most important aspects of the design. In UML there is
only one element available for grouping and that is package.

Package Notation:
Package notation is shown below and this is used to wrap the components of a system.

Annotational Things:
In any diagram explanation of different elements and their functionalities are very important. So
UML has notes notation to support this requirement.

Note Notation:
This notation is shown below and they are used to provide necessary information of a system.

Relationships
A model is not complete unless the relationships between elements are described properly. The
Relationship gives a proper meaning to an UML model. Following are the different types of
relationships available in UML.

Dependency
Association
Generalization
Extensibility

Dependency Notation:
Dependency is an important aspect in UML elements. It describes the dependent elements and the
direction of dependency.

Dependency is represented by a dotted arrow as shown below. The arrow head represents the
independent element and the other end the dependent element.
Dependency is used to represent dependency between two elements of a system.

Association Notation:
Association describes how the elements in an UML diagram are associated. In simple word it
describes how many elements are taking part in an interaction.

Association is represented by a dotted line with without arrows on both sides. The two ends
represent two associated elements as shown below. The multiplicity is also mentioned at the ends
1, ∗ etc to show how many objects are associated.

Association is used to represent the relationship between two elements of a system.

Generalization Notation:
Generalization describes the inheritance relationship of the object oriented world. It is parent and
child relationship.

Generalization is represented by an arrow with hollow arrow head as shown below. One end
represents the parent element and the other end child element.

Generalization is used to describe parent-child relationship of two elements of a system.

Extensibility Notation:
All the languages programmingormodeling have some mechanism to extend its capabilities like syntax,
semantics etc. UML is also having the following mechanisms to provide extensibility features.

Stereotypes Representsnewelements
Tagged values Representsnewattributes
Constraints Representstheboundaries
Extensibility notations are used to enhance the power of the language. It is basically additional
elements used to represent some extra behaviour of the system. These extra behaviours are not
covered by the standard available notations.
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 UML - STANDARD DIAGRAMS
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In the previous chapters we have discussed about the building blocks and other necessary
elements of UML. Now we need to understand where to use those elements.

The elements are like components which can be associated in different ways to make a complete
UML pictures which is known as diagram. So it is very important to understand the different
diagrams to implement the knowledge in real life systems.

Any complex system is best understood by making some kind of diagrams or pictures. These
diagrams have a better impact on our understanding. So if we look around then we will realize that
the diagrams are not a new concept but it is used widely in different form in different industries.

We prepare UML diagrams to understand a system in better and simple way. A single diagram is
not enough to cover all aspects of the system. So UML defines various kinds of diagrams to cover
most of the aspects of a system.

You can also create your own set of diagrams to meet your requirements. Diagrams are generally
made in an incremental and iterative way.

There are two broad caetgories of diagrams and then are again divided into sub-categories:

Structural Diagrams

Behavioral Diagrams

Structural Diagrams:
The structural diagrams represent the static aspect of the system. These static aspects represent
those parts of a diagram which forms the main structure and therefore stable.

These static parts are represents by classes, interfaces, objects, components and nodes. The four
structural diagrams are:

Class diagram
Object diagram
Component diagram
Deployment diagram

Class Diagram:
Class diagrams are the most common diagrams used in UML. Class diagram consists of classes,
interfaces, associations and collaboration.

Class diagrams basically represent the object oriented view of a system which is static in nature.

Active class is used in a class diagram to represent the concurrency of the system.

Class diagram represents the object orientation of a system. So it is generally used for
development purpose. This is the most widely used diagram at the time of system construction.

Object Diagram:
Object diagrams can be described as an instance of class diagram. So these diagrams are more
close to real life scenarios where we implement a system.

Object diagrams are a set of objects and their relationships just like class diagrams and also
represent the static view of the system.

The usage of object diagrams is similar to class diagrams but they are used to build prototype of a
system from practical perspective.
Component Diagram:
Component diagrams represent a set of components and their relationships. These components
consist of classes, interfaces or collaborations.

So Component diagrams represent the implementation view of a system.

During design phase software artifacts classes, interfacesetc of a system are arranged in different
groups depending upon their relationship. Now these groups are known as components.

Finally, component diagrams are used to visualize the implementation.

Deployment Diagram:
Deployment diagrams are a set of nodes and their relationships. These nodes are physical entities
where the components are deployed.

Deployment diagrams are used for visualizing deployment view of a system. This is generally used
by the deployment team.

Note: If the above descriptions and usages are observed carefully then it is very clear that all the
diagrams are having some relationship with one another. Component diagrams are dependent
upon the classes, interfaces etc which are part of class/object diagram. Again the deployment
diagram is dependent upon the components which are used to make a component diagrams.

Behavioral Diagrams:
Any system can have two aspects, static and dynamic. So a model is considered as complete when
both the aspects are covered fully.

Behavioral diagrams basically capture the dynamic aspect of a system. Dynamic aspect can be
further described as the changing/moving parts of a system.

UML has the following five types of behavioral diagrams:

Use case diagram

Sequence diagram
Collaboration diagram
Statechart diagram
Activity diagram

Use case Diagram:

Use case diagrams are a set of use cases, actors and their relationships. They represent the use
case view of a system.

A use case represents a particular functionality of a system.

So use case diagram is used to describe the relationships among the functionalities and their
internal/external controllers. These controllers are known as actors.

Sequence Diagram:
A sequence diagram is an interaction diagram. From the name it is clear that the diagram deals
with some sequences, which are the sequence of messages flowing from one object to another.

Interaction among the components of a system is very important from implementation and
execution perspective.

So Sequence diagram is used to visualize the sequence of calls in a system to perform a specific
functionality.
Collaboration Diagram:
Collaboration diagram is another form of interaction diagram. It represents the structural
organization of a system and the messages sent/received. Structural organization consists of
objects and links.

The purpose of collaboration diagram is similar to sequence diagram. But the specific purpose of
collaboration diagram is to visualize the organization of objects and their interaction.

Statechart Diagram:
Any real time system is expected to be reacted by some kind of internal/external events. These
events are responsible for state change of the system.

Statechart diagram is used to represent the event driven state change of a system. It basically
describes the state change of a class, interface etc.

State chart diagram is used to visualize the reaction of a system by internal/external factors.

Activity Diagram:
Activity diagram describes the flow of control in a system. So it consists of activities and links. The
flow can be sequential, concurrent or branched.

Activities are nothing but the functions of a system. Numbers of activity diagrams are prepared to
capture the entire flow in a system.

Activity diagrams are used to visualize the flow of controls in a system. This is prepared to have an
idea of how the system will work when executed.

Note: Dynamic nature of a system is very difficult to capture. So UML has provided features to
capture the dynamics of a system from different angles. Sequence diagrams and collaboration
diagrams are isomorphic so they can be converted from one another without losing any
information. This is also true for statechart and activity diagram.
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 UML - CLASS DIAGRAM
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Overview:
The class diagram is a static diagram. It represents the static view of an application. Class diagram
is not only used for visualizing, describing and documenting different aspects of a system but also
for constructing executable code of the software application.

The class diagram describes the attributes and operations of a class and also the constraints
imposed on the system. The class diagrams are widely used in the modelling of object oriented
systems because they are the only UML diagrams which can be mapped directly with object
oriented languages.

The class diagram shows a collection of classes, interfaces, associations, collaborations and
constraints. It is also known as a structural diagram.

Purpose:
The purpose of the class diagram is to model the static view of an application. The class diagrams
are the only diagrams which can be directly mapped with object oriented languages and thus
widely used at the time of construction.

The UML diagrams like activity diagram, sequence diagram can only give the sequence flow of the
application but class diagram is a bit different. So it is the most popular UML diagram in the coder
community.

So the purpose of the class diagram can be summarized as:

Analysis and design of the static view of an application.

Describe responsibilities of a system.

Base for component and deployment diagrams.

Forward and reverse engineering.

How to draw Class Diagram?

Class diagrams are the most popular UML diagrams used for construction of software applications.
So it is very important to learn the drawing procedure of class diagram.

Class diagrams have lot of properties to consider while drawing but here the diagram will be
considered from a top level view.

Class diagram is basically a graphical representation of the static view of the system and
represents different aspects of the application. So a collection of class diagrams represent the
whole system.

The following points should be remembered while drawing a class diagram:

The name of the class diagram should be meaningful to describe the aspect of the system.

Each element and their relationships should be identified in advance.

Responsibility attributesandmethods of each class should be clearly identified.

For each class minimum number of properties should be specified. Because unnecessary
properties will make the diagram complicated.

Use notes when ever required to describe some aspect of the diagram. Because at the end of
the drawing it should be understandable to the developer/coder.

Finally, before making the final version, the diagram should be drawn on plain paper and
rework as many times as possible to make it correct.
Now the following diagram is an example of an Order System of an application. So it describes a
particular aspect of the entire application.

First of all Order and Customer are identified as the two elements of the system and they
have a one to many relationship because a customer can have multiple orders.

We would keep Order class is an abstract class and it has two concrete classes
inheritancerelationship SpecialOrder and NormalOrder.

The two inherited classes have all the properties as the Order class. In addition they have
additional functions like dispatch and receive .

So the following class diagram has been drawn considering all the points mentioned above:

Where to use Class Diagrams?

Class diagram is a static diagram and it is used to model static view of a system. The static view
describes the vocabulary of the system.

Class diagram is also considered as the foundation for component and deployment diagrams.
Class diagrams are not only used to visualize the static view of the system but they are also used to
construct the executable code for forward and reverse engineering of any system.

Generally UML diagrams are not directly mapped with any object oriented programming
languages but the class diagram is an exception.

Class diagram clearly shows the mapping with object oriented languages like Java, C++ etc. So
from practical experience class diagram is generally used for construction purpose.

So in a brief, class diagrams are used for:

Describing the static view of the system.

Showing the collaboration among the elements of the static view.

Describing the functionalities performed by the system.

Construction of software applications using object oriented languages.

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Overview:
Object diagrams are derived from class diagrams so object diagrams are dependent upon class
diagrams.

Object diagrams represent an instance of a class diagram. The basic concepts are similar for class
diagrams and object diagrams. Object diagrams also represent the static view of a system but this
static view is a snapshot of the system at a particular moment.

Object diagrams are used to render a set of objects and their relationships as an instance.

Purpose:
The purpose of a diagram should be understood clearly to implement it practically. The purposes
of object diagrams are similar to class diagrams.

The difference is that a class diagram represents an abstract model consisting of classes and their
relationships. But an object diagram represents an instance at a particular moment which is
concrete in nature.

It means the object diagram is more close to the actual system behaviour. The purpose is to
capture the static view of a system at a particular moment.

So the purpose of the object diagram can be summarized as:

Forward and reverse engineering.

Object relationships of a system

Static view of an interaction.

Understand object behaviour and their relationship from practical perspective

How to draw Object Diagram?

We have already discussed that an object diagram is an instance of a class diagram. It implies that
an object diagram consists of instances of things used in a class diagram.

So both diagrams are made of same basic elements but in different form. In class diagram
elements are in abstract form to represent the blue print and in object diagram the elements are
in concrete form to represent the real world object.

To capture a particular system, numbers of class diagrams are limited. But if we consider object
diagrams then we can have unlimited number of instances which are unique in nature. So only
those instances are considered which are having impact on the system.

From the above discussion it is clear that a single object diagram cannot capture all the necessary
instances or rather cannot specify all objects of a system. So the solution is:

First, analyze the system and decide which instances are having important data and
association.

Second, consider only those instances which will cover the functionality.

Third, make some optimization as the numbers of instances are unlimited.

Before drawing an object diagrams the following things should be remembered and understood
clearly:

Object diagrams are consist of objects.

The link in object diagram is used to connect objects.

 Objects and links are the two elements used to construct an object diagram.

Now after this the following things are to be decided before starting the construction of the
diagram:

The object diagram should have a meaningful name to indicate its purpose.

The most important elements are to be identified.

The association among objects should be clarified.

Values of different elements need to be captured to include in the object diagram.

Add proper notes at points where more clarity is required.

The following diagram is an example of an object diagram. It represents the Order management
system which we have discussed in Class Diagram. The following diagram is an instance of the
system at a particular time of purchase. It has the following objects

Customer

Order

SpecialOrder

NormalOrder

Now the customer object C is associated with three order objects O1, O2andO3. These order objects
are associated with special order and normal order objects S1, S2andN1. The customer is having the
following three orders with different numbers 12, 32and40 for the particular time considered.

Now the customer can increase number of orders in future and in that scenario the object diagram
will reflect that. If order, special order and normal order objects are observed then we you will find
that they are having some values.

For orders the values are 12, 32, and 40 which implies that the objects are having these values for
the particular moment heretheparticulartimewhenthepurchaseismadeisconsideredasthemoment when the instance
is captured.

The same is for special order and normal order objects which are having number of orders as 20,
30 and 60. If a different time of purchase is considered then these values will change accordingly.

So the following object diagram has been drawn considering all the points mentioned above:

Where to use Object Diagrams?

Object diagrams can be imagined as the snapshot of a running system at a particular moment.
Now to clarify it we can take an example of a running train.

Now if you take a snap of the running train then you will find a static picture of it having the
following:
 A particular state which is running

A particular number of passengers. which will change if the snap is taken in a different time.

So here we can imagine the snap of the running train is an object having the above values. And
this is true for any real life simple or complex system. In a brief, object diagrams are used for:

Making the prototype of a system.

Reverse engineering.

Modeling complex data structures.

Understanding the system from practical perspective.

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 UML - COMPONENT DIAGRAMS
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Overview:
Component diagrams are different in terms of nature and behaviour. Component diagrams are
used to model physical aspects of a system.

Now the question is what are these physical aspects? Physical aspects are the elements like
executables, libraries, files, documents etc which resides in a node.

So component diagrams are used to visualize the organization and relationships among
components in a system. These diagrams are also used to make executable systems.

Purpose:
Component diagram is a special kind of diagram in UML. The purpose is also different from all
other diagrams discussed so far. It does not describe the functionality of the system but it
describes the components used to make those functionalities.

So from that point component diagrams are used to visualize the physical components in a
system. These components are libraries, packages, files etc.

Component diagrams can also be described as a static implementation view of a system. Static
implementation represents the organization of the components at a particular moment.

A single component diagram cannot represent the entire system but a collection of diagrams are
used to represent the whole.

So the purpose of the component diagram can be summarized as:

Visualize the components of a system.

Construct executables by using forward and reverse engineering.

Describe the organization and relationships of the components.

How to draw Component Diagram?

Component diagrams are used to describe the physical artifacts of a system. This artifact includes
files, executables, libraries etc.

So the purpose of this diagram is different, Component diagrams are used during the
implementation phase of an application. But it is prepared well in advance to visualize the
implementation details.

Initially the system is designed using different UML diagrams and then when the artifacts are ready
component diagrams are used to get an idea of the implementation.

This diagram is very important because without it the application cannot be implemented
efficiently. A well prepared component diagram is also important for other aspects like application
performance, maintenance etc.

So before drawing a component diagram the following artifacts are to be identified clearly:

Files used in the system.

Libraries and other artifacts relevant to the application.

Relationships among the artifacts.

Now after identifying the artifacts the following points needs to be followed:

Use a meaningful name to identify the component for which the diagram is to be drawn.
 Prepare a mental layout before producing using tools.

Use notes for clarifying important points.

The following is a component diagram for order management system. Here the artifacts are files.
So the diagram shows the files in the application and their relationships. In actual the component
diagram also contains dlls, libraries, folders etc.

In the following diagram four files are identified and their relationships are produced. Component
diagram cannot be matched directly with other UML diagrams discussed so far. Because it is drawn
for completely different purpose.

So the following component diagram has been drawn considering all the points mentioned above:

Where to use Component Diagrams?

We have already described that component diagrams are used to visualize the static
implementation view of a system. Component diagrams are special type of UML diagrams used for
different purposes.

These diagrams show the physical components of a system. To clarify it, we can say that
component diagrams describe the organization of the components in a system.

Organization can be further described as the location of the components in a system. These
components are organized in a special way to meet the system requirements.

As we have already discussed those components are libraries, files, executables etc. Now before
implementing the application these components are to be organized. This component
organization is also designed separately as a part of project execution.

Component diagrams are very important from implementation perspective. So the

implementation team of an application should have a proper knowledge of the component details.

Now the usage of component diagrams can be described as:

Model the components of a system.

Model database schema.

Model executables of an application.

Model system's source code.

 UML - DEPLOYMENT DIAGRAMS
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Overview:
Deployment diagrams are used to visualize the topology of the physical components of a system
where the software components are deployed.

So deployment diagrams are used to describe the static deployment view of a system. Deployment
diagrams consist of nodes and their relationships.

Purpose:
The name Deployment itself describes the purpose of the diagram. Deployment diagrams are
used for describing the hardware components where software components are deployed.
Component diagrams and deployment diagrams are closely related.

Component diagrams are used to describe the components and deployment diagrams shows how
they are deployed in hardware.

UML is mainly designed to focus on software artifacts of a system. But these two diagrams are
special diagrams used to focus on software components and hardware components.

So most of the UML diagrams are used to handle logical components but deployment diagrams
are made to focus on hardware topology of a system. Deployment diagrams are used by the
system engineers.

The purpose of deployment diagrams can be described as:

Visualize hardware topology of a system.

Describe the hardware components used to deploy software components.

Describe runtime processing nodes.

How to draw Deployment Diagram?

Deployment diagram represents the deployment view of a system. It is related to the component
diagram. Because the components are deployed using the deployment diagrams. A deployment
diagram consists of nodes. Nodes are nothing but physical hardwares used to deploy the
application.

Deployment diagrams are useful for system engineers. An efficient deployment diagram is very
important because it controls the following parameters

Performance

Scalability

Maintainability

Portability

So before drawing a deployment diagram the following artifacts should be identified:

Nodes

Relationships among nodes

The following deployment diagram is a sample to give an idea of the deployment view of order
management system. Here we have shown nodes as:

Monitor

Modem
 Caching server

Server

The application is assumed to be a web based application which is deployed in a clustered

environment using server 1, server 2 and server 3. The user is connecting to the application using
internet. The control is flowing from the caching server to the clustered environment.

So the following deployment diagram has been drawn considering all the points mentioned above:

Where to use Deployment Diagrams?

Deployment diagrams are mainly used by system engineers. These diagrams are used to describe
the physical components hardwares, their distribution and association.

To clarify it in details we can visualize deployment diagrams as the hardware components/nodes

on which software components reside.

Software applications are developed to model complex business processes. Only efficient software
applications are not sufficient to meet business requirements. Business requirements can be
described as to support increasing number of users, quick response time etc.

To meet these types of requirements hardware components should be designed efficiently and in
a cost effective way.

Now a day's software applications are very complex in nature. Software applications can be stand
alone, web based, distributed, mainframe based and many more. So it is very important to design
the hardware components efficiently.

So the usage of deployment diagrams can be described as follows:

To model the hardware topology of a system.

To model embedded system.

To model hardware details for a client/server system.

To model hardware details of a distributed application.

 Forward and reverse engineering.
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Overview:
To model a system the most important aspect is to capture the dynamic behaviour. To clarify a bit
in details, dynamic behaviour means the behaviour of the system when it is running /operating.

So only static behaviour is not sufficient to model a system rather dynamic behaviour is more
important than static behaviour. In UML there are five diagrams available to model dynamic
nature and use case diagram is one of them. Now as we have to discuss that the use case diagram
is dynamic in nature there should be some internal or external factors for making the interaction.

These internal and external agents are known as actors. So use case diagrams are consists of
actors, use cases and their relationships. The diagram is used to model the system/subsystem of
an application. A single use case diagram captures a particular functionality of a system.

So to model the entire system numbers of use case diagrams are used.

Purpose:
The purpose of use case diagram is to capture the dynamic aspect of a system. But this definition
is too generic to describe the purpose.

Because other four diagrams activity, sequence, collaborationandStatechart are also having the same
purpose. So we will look into some specific purpose which will distinguish it from other four
diagrams.

Use case diagrams are used to gather the requirements of a system including internal and
external influences. These requirements are mostly design requirements. So when a system is
analyzed to gather its functionalities use cases are prepared and actors are identified.

Now when the initial task is complete use case diagrams are modelled to present the outside view.

So in brief, the purposes of use case diagrams can be as follows:

Used to gather requirements of a system.

Used to get an outside view of a system.

Identify external and internal factors influencing the system.

Show the interacting among the requirements are actors.

How to draw Use Case Diagram?

Use case diagrams are considered for high level requirement analysis of a system. So when the
requirements of a system are analyzed the functionalities are captured in use cases.

So we can say that uses cases are nothing but the system functionalities written in an organized
manner. Now the second things which are relevant to the use cases are the actors. Actors can be
defined as something that interacts with the system.

The actors can be human user, some internal applications or may be some external applications.
So in a brief when we are planning to draw an use case diagram we should have the following
items identified.

Functionalities to be represented as an use case

Actors

Relationships among the use cases and actors.

Use case diagrams are drawn to capture the functional requirements of a system. So after
identifying the above items we have to follow the following guidelines to draw an efficient use case
diagram.

The name of a use case is very important. So the name should be chosen in such a way so
that it can identify the functionalities performed.

Give a suitable name for actors.

Show relationships and dependencies clearly in the diagram.

Do not try to include all types of relationships. Because the main purpose of the diagram is to
identify requirements.

Use note when ever required to clarify some important points.

The following is a sample use case diagram representing the order management system. So if we
look into the diagram then we will find three use cases Order, SpecialOrderandNormalOrder and one
actor which is customer.

The SpecialOrder and NormalOrder use cases are extended from Order use case. So they have
extends relationship. Another important point is to identify the system boundary which is shown in
the picture. The actor Customer lies outside the system as it is an external user of the system.

Where to Use Case Diagrams?

As we have already discussed there are five diagrams in UML to model dynamic view of a system.
Now each and every model has some specific purpose to use. Actually these specific purposes are
different angles of a running system.

So to understand the dynamics of a system we need to use different types of diagrams. Use case
diagram is one of them and its specific purpose is to gather system requirements and actors.

Use case diagrams specify the events of a system and their flows. But use case diagram never
describes how they are implemented. Use case diagram can be imagined as a black box where
only the input, output and the function of the black box is known.

These diagrams are used at a very high level of design. Then this high level design is refined again
and again to get a complete and practical picture of the system. A well structured use case also
describes the pre condition, post condition, exceptions. And these extra elements are used to
make test cases when performing the testing.

Although the use cases are not a good candidate for forward and reverse engineering but still they
are used in a slight different way to make forward and reverse engineering. And the same is true
for reverse engineering. Still use case diagram is used differently to make it a candidate for
reverse engineering.
In forward engineering use case diagrams are used to make test cases and in reverse engineering
use cases are used to prepare the requirement details from the existing application.

So the following are the places where use case diagrams are used:

Requirement analysis and high level design.

Model the context of a system.

Reverse engineering.

Forward engineering.
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 UML - INTERACTION DIAGRAMS
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Overview:
From the name Interaction it is clear that the diagram is used to describe some type of interactions
among the different elements in the model. So this interaction is a part of dynamic behaviour of
the system.

This interactive behaviour is represented in UML by two diagrams known as Sequence diagram
and Collaboration diagram. The basic purposes of both the diagrams are similar.

Sequence diagram emphasizes on time sequence of messages and collaboration diagram

emphasizes on the structural organization of the objects that send and receive messages.

Purpose:
The purposes of interaction diagrams are to visualize the interactive behaviour of the system. Now
visualizing interaction is a difficult task. So the solution is to use different types of models to
capture the different aspects of the interaction.

That is why sequence and collaboration diagrams are used to capture dynamic nature but from a
different angle.

So the purposes of interaction diagram can be describes as:

To capture dynamic behaviour of a system.

To describe the message flow in the system.

To describe structural organization of the objects.

To describe interaction among objects.

How to draw Interaction Diagram?

As we have already discussed that the purpose of interaction diagrams are to capture the dynamic
aspect of a system. So to capture the dynamic aspect we need to understand what a dynamic
aspect is and how it is visualized. Dynamic aspect can be defined as the snap shot of the running
system at a particular moment.

We have two types of interaction diagrams in UML. One is sequence diagram and the other is a
collaboration diagram. The sequence diagram captures the time sequence of message flow from
one object to another and the collaboration diagram describes the organization of objects in a
system taking part in the message flow.

So the following things are to identified clearly before drawing the interaction diagram:

Objects taking part in the interaction.

Message flows among the objects.

The sequence in which the messages are flowing.

Object organization.

Following are two interaction diagrams modeling order management system. The first diagram is
a sequence diagram and the second is a collaboration diagram.

The Sequence Diagram:

The sequence diagram is having four objects Customer, Order, SpecialOrderandNormalOrder.

The following diagram has shown the message sequence for SpecialOrder object and the same
can be used in case of NormalOrder object. Now it is important to understand the time sequence of
message flows. The message flow is nothing but a method call of an object.

The first call is sendOrder which is a method of Order object. The next call is confirm which is a
method of SpecialOrder object and the last call is Dispatch which is a method of SpecialOrder
object. So here the diagram is mainly describing the method calls from one object to another and
this is also the actual scenario when the system is running.

The Collaboration Diagram:

The second interaction diagram is collaboration diagram. It shows the object organization as
shown below. Here in collaboration diagram the method call sequence is indicated by some
numbering technique as shown below. The number indicates how the methods are called one after
another. We have taken the same order management system to describe the collaboration
diagram.

The method calls are similar to that of a sequence diagram. But the difference is that the
sequence diagram does not describe the object organization where as the collaboration diagram
shows the object organization.

Now to choose between these two diagrams the main emphasis is given on the type of
requirement. If the time sequence is important then sequence diagram is used and if organization
is required then collaboration diagram is used.
Where to use Interaction Diagrams?
We have already discussed that interaction diagrams are used to describe dynamic nature of a
system. Now we will look into the practical scenarios where these diagrams are used. To
understand the practical application we need to understand the basic nature of sequence and
collaboration diagram.

The main purposes of both the diagrams are similar as they are used to capture the dynamic
behaviour of a system. But the specific purposes are more important to clarify and understood.

Sequence diagrams are used to capture the order of messages flowing from one object to
another. And the collaboration diagrams are used to describe the structural organizations of the
objects taking part in the interaction. A single diagram is not sufficient to describe the dynamic
aspect of an entire system so a set of diagrams are used to capture is as a whole.

The interaction diagrams are used when we want to understand the message flow and the
structural organization. Now message flow means the sequence of control flow from one object to
another and structural organization means the visual organization of the elements in a system.

In a brief the following are the usages of interaction diagrams:

To model flow of control by time sequence.

To model flow of control by structural organizations.

For forward engineering.

For reverse engineering.

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 UML - STATECHART DIAGRAMS
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Overview:
The name of the diagram itself clarifies the purpose of the diagram and other details. It describes
different states of a component in a system. The states are specific to a component/object of a
system.

A Statechart diagram describes a state machine. Now to clarify it state machine can be defined as
a machine which defines different states of an object and these states are controlled by external
or internal events.

Activity diagram explained in next chapter, is a special kind of a Statechart diagram. As Statechart
diagram defines states it is used to model lifetime of an object.

Purpose:
Statechart diagram is one of the five UML diagrams used to model dynamic nature of a system.
They define different states of an object during its lifetime. And these states are changed by
events. So Statechart diagrams are useful to model reactive systems. Reactive systems can be
defined as a system that responds to external or internal events.

Statechart diagram describes the flow of control from one state to another state. States are
defined as a condition in which an object exists and it changes when some event is triggered. So
the most important purpose of Statechart diagram is to model life time of an object from creation
to termination.

Statechart diagrams are also used for forward and reverse engineering of a system. But the main
purpose is to model reactive system.

Following are the main purposes of using Statechart diagrams:

To model dynamic aspect of a system.

To model life time of a reactive system.

To describe different states of an object during its life time.

Define a state machine to model states of an object.

How to draw Statechart Diagram?

Statechart diagram is used to describe the states of different objects in its life cycle. So the
emphasis is given on the state changes upon some internal or external events. These states of
objects are important to analyze and implement them accurately.

Statechart diagrams are very important for describing the states. States can be identified as the
condition of objects when a particular event occurs.

Before drawing a Statechart diagram we must have clarified the following points:

Identify important objects to be analyzed.

Identify the states.

Identify the events.

The following is an example of a Statechart diagram where the state of Order object is analyzed.

The first state is an idle state from where the process starts. The next states are arrived for events
like send request, confirm request, and dispatch order. These events are responsible for state
changes of order object.

During the life cycle of an object hereorderobject it goes through the following states and there may
be some abnormal exists also. This abnormal exit may occur due to some problem in the system.
When the entire life cycle is complete it is considered as the complete transaction as mentioned
below.

The initial and final state of an object is also shown below.

Where to use Statechart Diagrams?

From the above discussion we can define the practical applications of a Statechart diagram.
Statechart diagrams are used to model dynamic aspect of a system like other four diagrams
disused in this tutorial. But it has some distinguishing characteristics for modeling dynamic nature.

Statechart diagram defines the states of a component and these state changes are dynamic in
nature. So its specific purpose is to define state changes triggered by events. Events are internal or
external factors influencing the system.

Statechart diagrams are used to model states and also events operating on the system. When
implementing a system it is very important to clarify different states of an object during its life time
and statechart diagrams are used for this purpose. When these states and events are identified
they are used to model it and these models are used during implementation of the system.

If we look into the practical implementation of Statechart diagram then it is mainly used to analyze
the object states influenced by events. This analysis is helpful to understand the system behaviour
during its execution.

So the main usages can be described as:

To model object states of a system.

To model reactive system. Reactive system consists of reactive objects.

To identify events responsible for state changes.

Forward and reverse engineering.

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 UML - ACTIVITY DIAGRAMS
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Overview:
Activity diagram is another important diagram in UML to describe dynamic aspects of the system.

Activity diagram is basically a flow chart to represent the flow form one activity to another activity.
The activity can be described as an operation of the system.

So the control flow is drawn from one operation to another. This flow can be sequential, branched
or concurrent. Activity diagrams deals with all type of flow control by using different elements like
fork, join etc.

Purpose:
The basic purposes of activity diagrams are similar to other four diagrams. It captures the dynamic
behaviour of the system. Other four diagrams are used to show the message flow from one object
to another but activity diagram is used to show message flow from one activity to another.

Activity is a particular operation of the system. Activity diagrams are not only used for visualizing
dynamic nature of a system but they are also used to construct the executable system by using
forward and reverse engineering techniques. The only missing thing in activity diagram is the
message part.

It does not show any message flow from one activity to another. Activity diagram is some time
considered as the flow chart. Although the diagrams looks like a flow chart but it is not. It shows
different flow like parallel, branched, concurrent and single.

So the purposes can be described as:

Draw the activity flow of a system.

Describe the sequence from one activity to another.

Describe the parallel, branched and concurrent flow of the system.

How to draw Activity Diagram?

Activity diagrams are mainly used as a flow chart consists of activities performed by the system.
But activity diagram are not exactly a flow chart as they have some additional capabilities. These
additional capabilities include branching, parallel flow, swimlane etc.

Before drawing an activity diagram we must have a clear understanding about the elements used
in activity diagram. The main element of an activity diagram is the activity itself. An activity is a
function performed by the system. After identifying the activities we need to understand how they
are associated with constraints and conditions.

So before drawing an activity diagram we should identify the following elements:

Activities

Association

Conditions

Constraints

Once the above mentioned parameters are identified we need to make a mental layout of the
entire flow. This mental layout is then transformed into an activity diagram.

The following is an example of an activity diagram for order management system. In the diagram
four activities are identified which are associated with conditions. One important point should be
clearly understood that an activity diagram cannot be exactly matched with the code. The activity
diagram is made to understand the flow of activities and mainly used by the business users.

The following diagram is drawn with the four main activities:

Send order by the customer

Receipt of the order

Confirm order

Dispatch order

After receiving the order request condition checks are performed to check if it is normal or special
order. After the type of order is identified dispatch activity is performed and that is marked as the
termination of the process.

Where to use Activity Diagrams?

The basic usage of activity diagram is similar to other four UML diagrams. The specific usage is to
model the control flow from one activity to another. This control flow does not include messages.

The activity diagram is suitable for modeling the activity flow of the system. An application can
have multiple systems. Activity diagram also captures these systems and describes flow from one
system to another. This specific usage is not available in other diagrams. These systems can be
database, external queues or any other system.

Now we will look into the practical applications of the activity diagram. From the above discussion
it is clear that an activity diagram is drawn from a very high level. So it gives high level view of a
system. This high level view is mainly for business users or any other person who is not a technical
person.

This diagram is used to model the activities which are nothing but business requirements. So the
diagram has more impact on business understanding rather implementation details.

Following are the main usages of activity diagram:

Modeling work flow by using activities.

Modeling business requirements.

High level understanding of the system's functionalities.

Investigate business requirements at a later stage.

 UML - QUICK GUIDE SUMMARY
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UML Overview:
UML is a general purpose modeling language. It was initially started to capture the behavior of
complex software and non software system and now it has become an OMG standard.

UML provides elements and components to support the requirement of complex systems. UML
follows the object oriented concepts and methodology. So object oriented systems are generally
modeled using the pictorial language.

UML diagrams are drawn from different perspectives like design, implementation, deployment etc.

At the conclusion UML can be defined as a modeling language to capture the architectural,
behavioral and structural aspects of a system.

Objects are the key to this object oriented world. The basic requirement of object oriented analysis
and design is to identify the object efficiently. After that the responsibilities are assigned to the
objects. Once this task is complete the design is done using the input from analysis.

The UML has an important role in this OO analysis and design, The UML diagrams are used to
model the design. So the UML has an important role to play.

UML notations:
UML notations are the most important elements in modeling. Efficient and appropriate use of
notations is very important for making a complete and meaningful model. The model is useless
unless its purpose is depicted properly.

So learning notations should be emphasized from the very beginning. Different notations are
available for things and relationships. And the UML diagrams are made using the notations of
things and relationships. Extensibility is another important feature which makes UML more
powerful and flexible.

UML Diagrams:
Diagrams are the heart of UML. These diagrams are broadly categorized as structural and
behavioral diagrams.

Structural diagrams are consists of static diagrams like class diagram, object diagram etc.

Behavioral diagrams are consists of dynamic diagrams like sequence diagram, collaboration
diagram etc.

The static and dynamic nature of a system is visualized by using these diagrams.

Class diagrams:
Class diagrams are the most popular UML diagrams used by the object oriented community. It
describes the objects in a system and their relationships. Class diagram consists of attributes and
functions.

A single class diagram describes a specific aspect of the system and the collection of class
diagrams represents the whole system. Basically the class diagram represents the static view of a
system.

Class diagrams are the only UML diagrams which can be mapped directly with object oriented
languages. So it is widely used by the developer community.

Object Diagram:
An object diagram is an instance of a class diagram. So the basic elements are similar to a class
diagram. Object diagrams are consists of objects and links. It captures the instance of the system
at a particular moment.

Object diagrams are used for prototyping, reverse engineering and modeling practical scenarios.

Component Diagram:
Component diagrams are special kind of UML diagram to describe static implementation view of a
system. Component diagrams consist of physical components like libraries, files, folders etc.

This diagram is used from implementation perspective. More than one component diagrams are
used to represent the entire system. Forward and reverse engineering techniques are used to
make executables from component diagrams.

Deployment Diagram:
Component diagrams are used to describe the static deployment view of a system. These
diagrams are mainly used by system engineers.

Deployment diagrams are consists of nodes and their relationships. An efficient deployment
diagram is an integral part of software application development.

Use Case Diagram;

Use case diagram is used to capture the dynamic nature of a system. It consists of use cases,
actors and their relationships. Use case diagram is used at a high level design to capture the
requirements of a system.

So it represents the system functionalities and their flow. Although the use case diagrams are not a
good candidate for forward and reverse engineering but still they are used in a slightly differently
way to model it.

Interaction Diagram:
Interaction diagrams are used for capturing dynamic nature of a system. Sequence and
collaboration diagrams are the interaction diagrams used for this purpose.

Sequence diagrams are used to capture time ordering of message flow and collaboration
diagrams are used to understand the structural organization of the system. Generally a set of
sequence and collaboration diagrams are used to model an entire system.

Statechart Diagram:
Statechart diagrams are one of the five diagrams used for modeling dynamic nature of a system.
These diagrams are used to model the entire life cycle of an object. Activity diagram is a special
kind of Statechart diagram.

State of an object is defined as the condition where an object resides for a particular time and the
object again moves to other states when some events occur. Statechart diagrams are also used for
forward and reverse engineering.

Activity Diagram:
Activity diagram is another important diagram to describe dynamic behaviour. Activity diagram
consists of activities, links, relationships etc. It models all types of flows like parallel, single,
concurrent etc.

Activity diagram describes the flow control from one activity to another without any messages.
These diagrams are used to model high level view of business requirements.
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