UML Full Form

UML full form is Unified Modeling Language. It is a standardized visual modeling language which is used for developing, documenting and specifying artifacts of software-intensive systems. The model is also used to design, structure, and visualize the behavior and structure of the system. The term is used in the field of software engineering.

What is the Full Form of UML?

As mentioned above the full form of UML is Unified Modelling Language. It is recognized as a standard visual modeling language which is used in the field of software engineering. It helps in providing a way to visualize the system design. It is also used to analyze, implement and design software-based systems. The UML was created by employees of Rational Software Corporation but now it is managed by Object Management Group. The primary goal of UML was to make architects and software engineers develop UML for assessing, implementing and designing software-based equipment and moving towards visual modeling.

History of UML

• It was developed by Grady Booch, James Rambaugh and Jacobson
• The UML’s first version known as UML 1.0 was launched in year 1997
• The UML 2.5 which means the 2nd version of UML was launched in year 2015
• In the year 2005 it was published as an ISO standard by an International organization for standardization

What is the Purpose of UML?

The main purpose of UML was to provide a standard way which helps in creating, visualizing and implementing artifacts used in software development. UML is a visual modeling language which helps developers and stakeholders for getting a better understanding of system designs as it helps in creating code from diagrams which results in saving time and provides code with complete accuracy.

Why is UML Considered Unique?

UML is considered unique and different for its relevant programming languages such as C++, Java because UML is perfectly used to describe software designs. The people working as business analysts, architects and developers mostly use UML to describe business operations, even the behavior and configuration of objects included in software systems. UML is used in multiple industries such as aerospace, healthcare, finance and the Internet.

What are the different types of UML?

UML consists of 13 different types of diagrams which are categorized into 2 groups which are Structural and Behavioral diagram:

Structural Diagrams

• Classdiagram: It is used to show the system structure which includes classes, their aspects & relationship between each class.
• Componentdiagram: It is considered an advanced version than the class diagram. It dissolves a complex system into small components & contemplates the relationship between components
• Deploymentdiagram: This helps to show how software is implemented on the hardware component.
• Compositestructurediagram: They help in representing internal components of hardware which results in effective understanding regarding inner working.
• Objectdiagram: This helps in gathering information on model elements along with their links
• Packagediagram: It helps to organize diagrams into meaningful groups which helps in easy understanding of the diagram and is also used to depict how different  packages are dependent on each other

Behavioral Diagram

• TimingDiagram: This helps how the objects are linked with each other in a timeframe
• Interactionoverviewdiagram: This helps to monitor the control flow between nodes which are interacting.
• Communicationdiagram: This helps in representing how objects are linked
• Statediagram: This displays transitions and states
• UseCasediagram: It is used during explaining to the audience who are new in the field or don’t have much knowledge about/ technical things
• Sequencediagram: It helps to portray the order of interconnected objects  
• Activitydiagram: It helps to represent the system’s powerful behavior used in the business modeling process.

Why is UML used in Companies?

The UML is used extensively in companies. As the main purpose of UML is to increase the strategic value of software for many companies, the industry looks for various dynamic techniques to automate the production of software. This automation will improve the quality and reduce the fixed cost and time-to-market. These techniques of automation include component technology, visual programming, patterns, frameworks, and structures. Various types of businesses also seek to use Unified Modeling Language (UML) technology and techniques to manage and reduce the complexity of systems as they increase in scope and scale. In particular, the UML helps to recognize the need to solve recurring architectural problems, such as physical distribution, concurrency, replication, security, load balancing, and fault tolerance which occur in the software processing and development. In addition to this, the development and recognition of the World Wide Web (WWB), which helps in making some things simpler and easy to analyze has exacerbated the various architectural problems. The Unified Modeling Language, written as UML was designed to respond to these needs. The introduction of UML became an important use. The primary and significant goals in the design and architecture of the UML are summarized by ‘Page-Jones’ in Fundamental Object-Oriented Design in UML as follows:

1. UML provides users with a ready-to-use, user-friendly, and expressive visual modeling language so they can create and exchange meaningful models.
2. The UML helps in providing extensibility and various sorts of specialization mechanisms to extend the core concepts to a larger extensivity.
3. Generally, UML is independent of any particular programming languages and software development processes.
4. The UML provides a formal basis for understanding the core concept modeling language. Also, it is easy and faster to understand.
5. The UML encourages the growth of the OO tools market in the field of software technology and application development.
6. The UML support higher and strategic level of development concepts such as collaborations, frameworks, patterns, design, and components.
7. The use of UML Integrate the best practices.

What are the different terms in UML?

Below mentioned are some terms which are oriented on the basis of object concepts:

1.   Class:  It is to represent a blueprint which includes functions & structure of object

2.   Objects: It helps to decompose huge systems and helps to modularize which results in dividing the system into components.

3.   Abstraction: It refers to emphasizing the process of essential aspects of the system

4.   Encapsulation: It helps in binding the data together and protects it

5.   Polymorphism: It is a mechanism which is used to perform functions existing in different forms.

What are the Advantages of UML?

Below mentioned are the advantages of UML:

• Before programming it plans a curriculum
• It is helpful has consists legible diagram
• It is used for object-oriented program language
• The relationship between entities and groups in software can be seen visually

What are the Disadvantages of UML?

• Requires much time to store and manage diagrams
• Software engineers didn't find it beneficial
• Challenges while examining software projects
• People don’t like to spend time

Written by

Deepit Mathur