System models

 Abstract descriptions of
systems whose requirements
are being analysed

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 1
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 2
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 3
 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
 They may produce too much documentation
 The system models are sometimes too detailed
and difficult for users to understand

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 4
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 5
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 6
 The context of an ATM system
Security
system
Branch
Account
accounting
database
system
Auto-teller
system
Branch
Usage
counter
database
system
Maintenance
system

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 7
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 8
 Equipment procurement process
Delivery
note

Equipment Checked Delivery

spec. spec. note
Specify Validate Accept Check
Get cost
equipment specification delivery of delivered
estimates
requir ed equipment items
Spec. +
supplier + Installation
estima te Order
Equipment notification instructions
spec. Supplier list
Place
Supplier Find Choose equipment Install
database suppliers supplier equipment
Order order
details +
Blank order Installation
form acceptance

Accept
delivered
Checked and equipment
signed order form

Equipment
details

Equipment
database

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 9
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 10
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 11
 Order processing DFD
Checked and
Completed Signed Signed Send to signed order
order form order form order form supplier + order
Or der
notification
details + Complete Valida te Record
blank order form order order
order form Adjust
Order available
Signed budget
details order form
Order
amount
+ account
details
Orders Budget
file file

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 12
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 13
 CASE toolset DFD
Input Valid Checked Design User
design design design analysis report
Design Design Design Report
editor cross checker analyser generator
and
Referenced Checked
designs design Output
Design Code skeleton code Design
database generator database

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 14
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 15
 Microwave oven model
Full
power Full power
do: set power
= 600

Timer
Waiting
Number
do: display Operation
time Full Set time
power do: get number do: operate
exit: set time oven
Half
Half power
Door
power Cancel
Timer closed
Door Start
open Door
Half power Enabled open Waiting
do: set power Door do: display do: display
= 300 closed 'Ready' time

Disabled
do: display
'Waiting'

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 16
 Microwave oven state description
State Description
Waiting The oven is waiting for input. The display shows the current time.
Half power The oven power is set to 300 watts. The display shows ‘Half
power’.
Full power The oven power is set to 600 watts. The display shows ‘Full
power’.
Set time The cooking time is set to the user’s input value. The display
shows the cooking time selected and is updated as the time is set.
Disabled Oven operation is disabled for safety. Interior oven light is on.
Display shows ‘Not ready’.
Enabled Oven operation is enabled. Interior oven light is off. Display
shows ‘Ready to cook’.
Operation Oven in operation. Interior oven light is on. Display shows the
timer countdown. On completion of cooking, the buzze r is
sounded for 5 seconds. Oven light is on. Display shows ‘Cooking
complete’ while buzze r is sounding.

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 17
 Microwave oven stimuli
Stimulus Description
Half power The user has pressed the half power button
Full power The user has pressed the full power button
Time r The user has pressed one of the timer buttons
Numb er The user has pressed a numeric key
Door open The oven door switch is not closed
Door closed The oven door switch is closed
Start The user has pressed the start button
Cancel The user has pressed the cancel button

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 18
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 19
 Microwave oven operation
Operation
Time
Checking
OK Cook
do: check do: run
status generator

Turntable Emitter Timeout

fault fault

Alarm Done
do: buzzer on
do: display for 5 secs.
event

Door Cancel
open
Disabled Waiting

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 20
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 21
 Software design semantic model
Design
1 name 1
description
C-date
M-date

has-nodes is-a 1 has-links

n n
1
Node 1 has-links n Link
name name
type type
2 links 1
1 1

has-labels has-labels
Label
name
text
n icon n

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 22
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 23
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 24
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 25
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 26
 Library item
Catalogue number
Library class hierarchy
Acquisition date
Cost
Type
Status
Number of copies
Acquire ()
Catalogue ()
Dispose ()
Issue ()
Return ()

Published item Recorded item

Title Title
Publisher Medium

Book Magazine Film Computer

program
Author Year Director
Edition Issue Date of release Version
Publication date Distributor Platform
ISBN
 Libr ary user User class hierarchy
Name
Address
Phone
Registration #
Register ()
De-r egister ()

Reader Borrower
Affiliation Items on loan
Max. loans

Staff Student
Department Major subject
Department phone Home address
 Multiple inheritance
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 29
 Multiple inheritance
Book Voice recording
Author Speaker
Edition Duration
Publication date Recording date
ISBN

Talking book
# Tapes

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 30
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 31
 Object aggregation

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 32
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 33
 Issue of electronic items
Ecat: :Library Item Lib1:
Catalog NetServer

:Library User

Lookup

Display

Issue
Issue licence

Accept licence

Compress

Deliver
©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 34
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 35
 An analysis and design workbench
Structured Report
Data
diagramming generation
dictionary
tools facilities

Central Query
Code
generator information language
repository facilities

Forms Design, analysis

and checking Import/export
creation
tools facilities
tools

©Ian Sommerville 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 36
 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 1995/2000 (Modified by Spiros Mancoridis 1999) Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 7 Slide 37