9.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses tools that may be used for UML modelling and, in some cases, that may be used for general systems engineering tasks. The main aim of this chapter is to provide information and guidelines that describe how to make an informed decision when choosing a tool.

Tools can be expensive, very expensive! It is therefore absolutely essential to know your requirements when choosing a tool and to make sure that your requirements drive the choice of tool, rather than the other way around.

No tools will be mentioned explicitly in this chapter as the tool market fluctuates very quickly. The functionality of tools changes enormously from one version to another, or from one configuration to another. The marketplace itself is still quite unstable with larger companies swallowing up smaller ones in order to take over their market share or, in a slightly more sinister way, to remove a competitor from the market altogether.

Some companies are quick to dispel their competition with swift statements, while others produce reports and comparison tables between their tools and their competitors'. It is worth remembering where tool vendors actually make their money is it from the sale of the tools or from the maintenance costs that go along with it? Is it in their interest to provide a tool that is simple and easy to learn when they provide training courses and consultancy to help the way you work with the tool? This...