System models


Abstract descriptions of
systems whose requirements
are being analysed

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 1

Objectives

To explain why the context of a system should be
modelled as part of the RE process

To describe behavioural modelling, data
modelling and object modelling

To introduce some of the notations used in the
Unified Modeling Language (UML)

To show how CASE workbenches support
system modelling

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 2

Topics covered

Context models

Behavioural models

Data models

Object models

CASE workbenches

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 3

System modelling

System modelling helps the analyst to understand
the functionality of the system and models are
used to communicate with customers

Different models present the system from
different perspectives
• External perspective showing the system’s context or
environment
• Behavioural perspective showing the behaviour of the system
• Structural perspective showing the system or data architecture

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 4

Structured methods

Structured methods incorporate system modelling
as an inherent part of the method

Methods define a set of models, a process for
deriving these models and rules and guidelines
that should apply to the models

CASE tools support system modelling as part of a
structured method

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 5

Method weaknesses

They do not model non-functional system
requirements

They do not usually include information about
whether a method is appropriate for a given
problem

The may produce too much documentation

The system models are sometimes too detailed
and difficult for users to understand

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 6

Model types

Data processing model showing how the data is
processed at different stages

Composition model showing how entities are
composed of other entities

Architectural model showing principal sub-systems

Classification model showing how entities have
common characteristics

Stimulus/response model showing the system’s
reaction to events

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 7

Context models

Context models are used to illustrate the
boundaries of a system

Social and organisational concerns may affect the
decision on where to position system boundaries

Architectural models show the a system and its
relationship with other systems

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 8

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©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 9
Process models

Process models show the overall process and the
processes that are supported by the system

Data flow models may be used to show the
processes and the flow of information from one
process to another

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 10

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Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 11
Behavioural models

Behavioural models are used to describe the
overall behaviour of a system

Two types of behavioural model are shown here
• Data processing models that show how data is processed as it
moves through the system
• State machine models that show the systems response to events

Both of these models are required for a
description of the system’s behaviour

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 12

Data-processing models

Data flow diagrams are used to model the
system’s data processing

These show the processing steps as data flows
through a system

Intrinsic part of many analysis methods

Simple and intuitive notation that customers can
understand

Show end-to-end processing of data

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 13

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©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 14
Data flow diagrams

DFDs model the system from a functional
perspective

Tracking and documenting how the data
associated with a process is helpful to develop an
overall understanding of the system

Data flow diagrams may also be used in showing
the data exchange between a system and other
systems in its environment

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 15

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©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 16
State machine models

These model the behaviour of the system in
response to external and internal events

They show the system’s responses to stimuli so are
often used for modelling real-time systems

State machine models show system states as nodes
and events as arcs between these nodes. When an
event occurs, the system moves from one state to
another

Statecharts are an integral part of the UML

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 17

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©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 18
Microwave oven state description

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 19

Microwave oven stimuli

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 20

Statecharts

Allow the decomposition of a model into sub-
models (see following slide)

A brief description of the actions is included
following the ‘do’ in each state

Can be complemented by tables describing the
states and the stimuli

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 21

 C
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Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 22
Semantic data models

Used to describe the logical structure of data
processed by the system

Entity-relation-attribute model sets out the entities
in the system, the relationships between these
entities and the entity attributes

Widely used in database design. Can readily be
implemented using relational databases

No specific notation provided in the UML but
objects and associations can be used

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 23

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©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 24
Data dictionaries

Data dictionaries are lists of all of the names used
in the system models. Descriptions of the entities,
relationships and attributes are also included

Advantages
• Support name management and avoid duplication
• Store of organisational knowledge linking analysis, design and
implementation

Many CASE workbenches support data
dictionaries

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 25

Data dictionary entries

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 26

Object models

Object models describe the system in terms of
object classes

An object class is an abstraction over a set of
objects with common attributes and the services
(operations) provided by each object

Various object models may be produced
• Inheritance models
• Aggregation models
• Interaction models

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 27

Object models

Natural ways of reflecting the real-world entities
manipulated by the system

More abstract entities are more difficult to model
using this approach

Object class identification is recognised as a
difficult process requiring a deep understanding of
the application domain

Object classes reflecting domain entities are
reusable across systems

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 28

Inheritance models

Organise the domain object classes into a
hierarchy

Classes at the top of the hierarchy reflect the
common features of all classes

Object classes inherit their attributes and services
from one or more super-classes. these may then be
specialised as necessary

Class hierarchy design is a difficult process if
duplication in different branches is to be avoided

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 29

The Unified Modeling Language

Devised by the developers of widely used object-
oriented analysis and design methods

Has become an effective standard for object-oriented
modelling

Notation
• Object classes are rectangles with the name at the top, attributes in
the middle section and operations in the bottom section
• Relationships between object classes (known as associations) are
shown as lines linking objects
• Inheritance is referred to as generalisation and is shown ‘upwards’
rather than ‘downwards’ in a hierarchy

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 30

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Rather than inheriting the attributes and services
from a single parent class, a system which
supports multiple inheritance allows object
classes to inherit from several super-classes

Can lead to semantic conflicts where
attributes/services with the same name in
different super-classes have different semantics

Makes class hierarchy reorganisation more
complex

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 33

 A
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Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 34
Object aggregation

Aggregation model shows how classes which are
collections are composed of other classes

Similar to the part-of relationship in semantic
data models

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 35

Object aggregation
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©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 36
Object behaviour modelling

A behavioural model shows the interactions
between objects to produce some particular
system behaviour that is specified as a use-case

Sequence diagrams (or collaboration diagrams) in
the UML are used to model interaction between
objects

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 37

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Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 38
CASE workbenches

A coherent set of tools that is designed to support
related software process activities such as
analysis, design or testing

Analysis and design workbenches support system
modelling during both requirements engineering
and system design

These workbenches may support a specific design
method or may provide support for a creating
several different types of system model

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 39

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Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 40
Analysis workbench components

Diagram editors

Model analysis and checking tools

Repository and associated query language

Data dictionary

Report definition and generation tools

Forms definition tools

Import/export translators

Code generation tools

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 41

Key points

A model is an abstract system view. Complementary
types of model provide different system information

Context models show the position of a system in its
environment with other systems and processes

Data flow models may be used to model the data
processing in a system

State machine models model the system’s behaviour
in response to internal or external events

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 42

Key points

Semantic data models describe the logical structure
of data which is imported to or exported by the
systems

Object models describe logical system entities,
their classification and aggregation

Object models describe the logical system entities
and their classification and aggregation

CASE workbenches support the development of
system models

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 43