System Sequence Diagram

Operation Contracts
Introduction
• a system sequence diagram (SSD) is a sequence diagram that shows, for a particular
scenario of a use case, the events that external actors generate, their order, and
possible inter-system events.
• System sequence diagrams are visual summaries of the individual use cases.
• All systems are treated as a black box; the diagram places emphasis on events that
cross the system boundary from actors to systems.
• A system sequence diagram should be done for the main success scenario of the
use case, and frequent or complex alternative scenarios.
• A system sequence diagram should specify and show the following:
• External actors
• Messages (methods) invoked by these actors
• Return values (if any) associated with previous messages
• Indication of any loops or iteration area
• SSDs are used as input for object design
Operation Contracts
• Use Cases often fully describe the behavior of a system But they may
not be enough
• Operation Contracts describe how the internal state of the concepts
in the Domain Model may change
• Operation Contracts are described in terms of preconditions and
postconditions
• Operation Contracts are defined in terms of system operations
• - Operations (say, methods) that the system offers as a whole
• The system is still a black box at this stage
• The System Sequence Diagrams show system events
-i.e., the SSD's messages
• System operations handle system events