Unit 5:

System Modeling (6 Hrs.)

Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)

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 Contents:
 Introduction to System Modeling;
 Context Models;
 Interaction Models;
 Structural Models;
 Behavioral Models;
 Model-Driven Architecture;

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Introduction to System modeling

System modeling is the process of developing abstract models

of a system, with each model presenting a different view or
perspective of that system.
It is about representing a system using some kind of graphical
notation, which is now almost always based on notations in
the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Models help the
analyst to understand the functionality of the system; they are
used to communicate with customers.

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Introduction to System modeling…

Models can explain the system from different perspectives:

• An external perspective, where you model the context or
environment of the system.
• An interaction perspective, where you model the
interactions between a system and its environment, or
between the components of a system.
• A structural perspective, where you model the organization
of a system or the structure of the data that is processed by
the system.
• A behavioral perspective, where you model the dynamic
behavior of the system and how it responds to events.
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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Introduction to System modeling…

Five types of UML diagrams that are the most useful for system
modeling:
• 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
5 internal and external events. Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Introduction to System modeling…

Models of both new and existing system are used during

requirements engineering. Models of the existing systems 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 are
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.

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Context and process models

Context models are used to illustrate the operational context of a

system - they show what lies outside the system boundaries.
Social and organizational concerns may affect the decision on
where to position system boundaries. Architectural models show
the system and its relationship with other systems.
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. The position of the
system boundary has a profound effect on the system
requirements.

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Context and process models…

Defining a system boundary is a political judgment since there

may be pressures to develop system boundaries that
increase/decrease the influence or workload of different parts of
an organization.
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.
The example below shows a UML activity diagram describing
the process of involuntary detention and the role of MHC-PMS
8 (mental healthcare patient managementCompiled
system) in it.
by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Context and process models…

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Interaction model:

Types of interactions that can be represented in a model:

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

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Interaction models…

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. Use
cases can be represented using a UML use case diagram and in a
more detailed textual/tabular format.
Simple use case diagram:

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Interaction models…

Use case description in a tabular format:

Use case title Transfer data
Description A receptionist may transfer data from the MHC-
PMS 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.
Actor(s) Medical receptionist, patient records system
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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Interaction models…

Use case title Transfer data

Preconditions Patient data has been collected (personal
information, treatment summary);
The receptionist must have appropriate security
permissions to access the patient information
and the PRS.

Postconditions PRS has been updated

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 Interaction models…

Use case title Transfer data

Main success 1. Receptionist selects the "Transfer data"
scenario option from the menu.
2. PRS verifies the security credentials of the
receptionist.
3. Data is transferred.
4. PRS has been updated.
Extensions 2a. The receptionist does not have the necessary
security credentials.
2a.1. An error message is displayed.
14 2a.2. The receptionist backs out of the use case.
Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Interaction models…

• UML sequence diagrams are 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.

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 Interaction models…

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Structural models:

Structural models of software 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,
which show the structure of the system design,
or dynamic models, which show the organization of the system
when it is executing. You create structural models of a system
when you are discussing and designing the system architecture.

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Structural models:

UML class diagrams are 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. When you are
developing models during the early stages of the software
engineering process, objects represent something in the real
world, such as a patient, a prescription, doctor, etc.

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Structural models:

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Structural models:

Generalization is an everyday technique that we use to manage

complexity. In modeling systems, it is often useful to examine
the classes in a system to see if there is scope for generalization.
In object-oriented languages, such as Java, generalization is
implemented using the class inheritance mechanisms built into
the language. In a generalization, the attributes and operations
associated with higher-level classes are also associated with the
lower-level classes. The lower-level classes are subclasses inherit
the attributes and operations from their superclasses. These
lower-level classes then add more specific attributes and
operations.
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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Structural models:

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Structural 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.

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 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. Two types of stimuli:
• Some data arrives that has to be processed by the system.
• Some event happens that triggers system processing. Events
may have associated data, although this is not always the
case.

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Behavioral models:

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. They
are particularly useful during the analysis of requirements as they
can be used to show end-to-end processing in a system. Data-
driven models can be created using UML activity diagrams:

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Behavioral models:

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. They
are particularly useful during the analysis of requirements as they
can be used to show end-to-end processing in a system. Data-
driven models can be created using UML activity diagrams:

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Behavioral models:

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Behavioral models:

Data-driven models can also be created using UML sequence diagrams:

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Behavioral models:

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 models 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. Event-driven models
can be created using UML state diagrams:

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)
 Behavioral models:

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 ~ END ~

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Compiled by : Madan Nath (B.Sc. CSIT, TU)