Question:
As reviewed in Case 2, UML models and the Unified Process are used to illustrate application architectures and processes. According to Sommerville (2011) Chapter 28, application architectures help to understand and compare the systems within a specific domain. To study domains, generic application architectures fall into four categories: data processing systems, transaction processing systems, event processing systems, and language processing systems.
Additionally, Chapter 28 introduces the concept of activity diagrams to model an application. Activity diagrams are one of the 14 diagrams used in the Unified Process to create systems and application blueprints.
Required Reading
For the SLP, read Sommerville's chapter 28 on application architectures and review the architectural design PPT.
Sommerville, I. (2011). Software Engineering. (9th ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Adison-Wesley. [Chapter 28: Application Architectures]
Sommerville, I. (2011). Software Engineering. 9th ed. Boston, Massachusetts: Adison-Wesley. [Chapter 6: Architectural Design PPT]
Pickard, M. (2015) Systems Documentation - Part III Creating a Context Diagram. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IklEoggJda8
Badgerati. M. (2010). Software engineering activity diagrams. Retrieved from http://computersciencesource.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/software-engineering-activity-diagrams/
Optional Reading
Quizlet. (2013). Chapter 1-3 by Ian Sommerville. Retrieved from http://quizlet.com/3108684/ch1-3-software-engineering-by-ian-sommerville-flash-cards/
SLP Assignment
After reviewing the course materials and installed yED or other modeling software, please build the following activity diagrams.
Based on an input-process-output model, expand the Compute salary function in Figure 28.2 and draw an activity diagram that shows the computations carried out in that function. You need the following information to do this:
The employee record identifies the grade of an employee. This grade is then used to look up the table of pay rates.
Employees below a particular grade may be paid overtime at the same rate as their normal hourly pay rate. The extra hours for which they are to be paid are indicated in their employee record.
The amount of tax deducted depends on the employee's tax code (indicated in the record) and their annual salary. Monthly deductions for each code and a standard salary are indicated in the tax tables. These are scaled up or down depending on the relationship between the actual salary and the standard salary used.
Your assignment will be graded according to the MSITM SLP Grading Rubric, which aligns with the following expectations. (To see the rubric, go to Assessments>Rubrics. Click the arrow next to the rubric name and choose Preview.)
SLP Assignment Expectations (30 points total)
Length: Follow the number of pages required in the assignment excluding cover page and references. Each page should have about 300 words.
Your assignment will be graded according to the MSITM SLP Grading Rubric. (To see the rubric, go to Assessments>Rubrics. Click the arrow next to the rubric name and choose Preview.)
Recommended Software for UML Diagrams
This module is a hands-on course needing a modeling tool, and you will need modeling software for diagram development. The only way to achieve quality and clarity on drawing is to learn diagram notations. You cannot use Microsoft Office drawing tools and expect to draw a sound diagram. Analysis and design "notation shapes" is the language to communicate in logical design. For this reason, it is strongly suggested to acquire any diagram editor software that will serve this purpose. If you do not have Visio, a free modeling software is yEd by yWorks. It is completely free, and it has all of the functionality needed for this class. The software is excellent and easy to use. You do not need to sign up or provide your email. You can also test drive the application by clicking on the "Launch" button before install it. The download link is http://www.yworks.com/en/downloads.html#yEd . The following is a demo of yEd functionality.
yWorks. (2011, March 11). yEd graph editor in 90 seconds. yWorks.
[Video file].
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmSTwKw7dX4
Also, here is an open source alternative to Visio called Dia Diagram Editor at http://dia-installer.de/
You can use any software of choice as long as you can copy/paste the diagrams into MS Word for uploading. If you want something for free, use yEd. It is safe and works on major platforms such as Windows, Unix/Linux, and Mac OS X.
Instructions to Copy yEd Diagrams in MS Word
You need a few steps to convert a diagram into a bmp file and insert it in MS Word. You will be creating two files.
In the yEd window, name the file and save it to a directory. Next, you will do an "export" as .png, bmp, or gif format. Name the file and save it in the directory for this class in your computer.
In the MS Word document, look for the Insert tab, and do "insert Picture from File" locating the diagram. The yEd image will be display in the document.