The Barnes & Noble Review
Building complex software without modeling is like building the Harry Potter Lego Castle without reading the instructions. Once you recognize the need for modeling, the next step is to master UML, the industry's standard modeling language. That can be a bear. But with UML: A Beginner's Guide, it's more like a teddy bear.
This impressively clear book isn’t just about “notation.” Jason T. Roff teaches UML in the context of the entire software development process -- more specifically, a loose and simplified version of the Unified Process. By no means does this lock you into UP: Roff recognizes that most companies implementing UML already have their own ways of doing things. UML needs to fit you, not vice versa. In helping you adapt UML to your own needs, Roff draws on extensive experience not only as an author and developer but also as an architect and project manager.
Using simple examples and hands-on projects, he walks you through virtually every facet of UML modeling. There are chapters on use case diagramming and object-oriented design; workflow modeling with activity diagrams; modeling behavior with sequence diagrams; domain modeling with class diagrams; and on collaboration, statechart, and implementation diagramming. There’s even coverage of the optional Object Constraint Language, which gives you finer control over the behavior of your objects.
We've long recommended Kendall Scott’s UML Explained for developers just starting out with UML. We love that book as much as ever, but this one’s earned a place right alongside it. Bill Camarda
Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.
