3.4.1 XML Modeling with UML

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a framework for modeling complex information systems that has become an industry standard within the last decade. UML emerged as the successor of three previously leading object-oriented modeling methods (Booch, OMT, and OOSE). It combines these three methods into one consistent modeling method. Additionally, it addresses problems, such as process modeling, that these methods previously did not fully address.

UML has been endorsed by the Object Management Group (OMG) as a standard modeling method. The OMG is an international organization promoting the theory and practice of object-oriented technology in software development. The OMG is also the organization behind Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), so it should not be a surprise that UML has strong links to CORBA.

Standardization

UML 1.4 has been submitted to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and will become an ISO standard. In addition, UML has been selected by UN/CEFACT as the standard modeling method for ebXML.

UML comprises six different models:

1. The use case model, for requirement analysis (business model)

2. The class model, for modeling the static structures of information objects

3. The state model, for modeling the dynamic behavior of objects

4. The activity implementation model, which describes work unit actions

5. The interaction model, which describes scenarios and message flows

6. The deployment...