FCO-IM and UML
The aim of this material is to put a starting step in building a bridge between FCO-IM Diagrams and Object Oriented Modeling Diagrams. FCO-IM is powerful method to perform data analysis in conceptual layer. For displaying the designed data model in Entity Relationship Diagrams or ERD is already an algorithm. Even though many semantics are lost during this transformation, again displaying the result of analysis in ERD is wise because it is better known between data modelers and database designers around. Several tools are present where this algorithm is implemented. Unified Programming Language or UML is gaining popularity nowadays and is becoming a standard in Object Oriented Modeling. UML is a composition of different diagrams: Activity Diagrams, Class Diagrams, Sequence Diagrams, State Diagrams, Use Case Diagrams.
These diagrams are used for different purposes. Mainly UML diagrams are used for software design and different kind of diagrams cover design issues in software development. For displaying data models in UML are used Class Diagrams. For this reason only this kind of diagram will be treated in this report. There are different tools, which are supporting UML.
One tool which make it possible to display class diagrams and after that converting those class diagrams in different platforms like Java, C++, XML-DTD, etc is Sybase Power Designer 9.
In this material, this tool has been seen as a proper one for displaying Class Diagrams converted from FCO-IM diagrams, because it seems to fully support UML syntax and gives the opportunity to access the repository of this tool through scripts or directly.
One tool which make it possible to display class diagrams and after that converting those class diagrams in different platforms like Java, C++, XML-DTD, etc is Sybase Power Designer 9.
In this material, this tool has been seen as a proper one for displaying Class Diagrams converted from FCO-IM diagrams, because it seems to fully support UML syntax and gives the opportunity to access the repository of this tool through scripts or directly.
It will be treated in this material step by step an idea about the transformation FCO-IM Diagrams towards Class Diagrams.
In each step will be used student case example, extended with some more facts to include every possible situation like subtype-super type relationships.
Because the Class Diagram is not seen from a data treatment perspective, UML notation is extended with additional symbols to present better the Model in FCO-IM Diagram.
Because FCO-IM Case Tool that supports FCO-IM method has a generic repository and it is possible to access it, all needed queries to support this transformation will be given.
It will be explained the implementation of a tool supporting the transformation described below.
In each step will be used student case example, extended with some more facts to include every possible situation like subtype-super type relationships.
Because the Class Diagram is not seen from a data treatment perspective, UML notation is extended with additional symbols to present better the Model in FCO-IM Diagram.
Because FCO-IM Case Tool that supports FCO-IM method has a generic repository and it is possible to access it, all needed queries to support this transformation will be given.
It will be explained the implementation of a tool supporting the transformation described below.