Chapter 5-

System
Modeling

CSC3324
Dr Houda CHAKIRI

Copyright © 2016, 2011, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 Context models

Interaction models
Learning
Objectives Structural models

Behavioral models
System Modeling

• System modeling is the process of developing abstract

models of a system, with each model presenting a different
view or perspective of that system.
• i.e: Representing a system using some kind of graphical notation,
which is now almost always based on notations in the Unified
Modeling Language (U M L).
• System modelling helps the analyst to understand the
functionality of the system and models are used to
communicate with customers.
Existing and Planned System Models
Models of the existing system are used during requirements
engineering. They help clarify what the existing system does and can be
used as a basis for discussing its strengths and weaknesses. These
then lead to requirements for the new system.

Models of the new system are used during requirements engineering to

help explain the proposed requirements to other system stakeholders.
Engineers use these models to discuss design proposals and to
document the system for implementation.

In a model-driven engineering process, it is possible to generate a

complete or partial system implementation from the system model.
System Perspectives
An external perspective, where you model the context or
environment of the system.

An interaction perspective, where you model the

interactions between a system and its environment, or
between the components of a system.

A structural perspective, where you model the organization

of a system or the structure of the data that is processed by
the system.

A behavioral perspective, where you model the dynamic

behavior of the system and how it responds to events.
U M L Diagram Types

Use case diagrams, Sequence diagrams,

Activity diagrams,
which show the which show interactions
which show the activities
interactions between a between actors and the
involved in a process or
system and its system and between
in data processing.
environment. system components.

Class diagrams, which

State diagrams, which
show the object classes
show how the system
in the system and the
reacts to internal and
associations between
external events.
these classes.
Use of Graphical Models

As a means of facilitating Incomplete and incorrect models

discussion about an existing or are OK as their role is to support
proposed system discussion.

Models should be an accurate

As a way of documenting an
representation of the system but
existing system need not be complete.

As a detailed system description

Models have to be both correct and
that can be used to generate a complete.
system implementation
Context Models

Copyright © 2016, 2011, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 Context Models

• Context models are used to

illustrate the operational context
of a system - they show what lies
outside the system boundaries.
• Social and organisational
concerns may affect the decision
on where to position system
boundaries.
• Architectural models show the
system and its relationship with
other systems.
 System Boundaries

• System boundaries are

established to define what is
inside and what is outside the
system.
• They show other systems
that are used or depend on
the system being developed.

• The position of the system boundary has a profound effect on the

system requirements.
• Defining a system boundary is a political judgment
There may be pressures to develop system boundaries that
increase / decrease the influence or workload of different parts
of an organization.
Context
Diagram
Interaction Models

Copyright © 2016, 2011, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 Interaction Models

• Modeling user/system interaction is important as it helps to

identify user requirements.
• Modeling system-to-system interaction highlights the
communication problems that may arise.
• Modeling component interaction helps us understand if a
proposed system structure is likely to deliver the required
system performance and dependability.
• Use case and sequence diagrams may be used for
interaction modelling.
 Process Perspective

• Context models simply show the other systems in the environment, not how
the system being developed is used in that environment. Process models
reveal how the system being developed is used in broader business processes.
• UML activity diagrams may be used to define business process models.

Process
Model of
Involuntary
Detention
 Use Case Modeling

• Use cases were developed originally to support requirements elicitation

and now incorporated into the U M L.
• Each use case represents a discrete task that involves external
interaction with a system.
• Actors in a use case may be people or other systems.
• Represented diagramatically to provide an overview of the use case and in a
more detailed textual form.

A use case in the

Mentcare system
 Tabular Description of the ‘Transfer Data’
Use-Case

MHC-PMS: Transfer data

Actors Medical receptionist, patient records system (PRS)
Description A receptionist may transfer data from the Mentcase system to a
general patient record database that is maintained by a health
authority. The information transferred may either be updated personal
information (address, phone number, etc.) or a summary of the
patient’s diagnosis and treatment.
Data Patient’s personal information, treatment summary
Stimulus User command issued by medical receptionist
Response Confirmation that PRS has been updated
Comments The receptionist must have appropriate security permissions to
access the patient information and the PRS.
Use Cases in
the Mentcare
System
Involving the
Role ‘Medical
Receptionist’
In class practice
• Based on the case studies you had last session
you will have to develop :
• A context Model for the system
• Process Model for one or two specific processes
involved in your system
• Draw a use case diagram of the system
 Sequence Diagrams

• Sequence diagrams are part of the U M L and are used to

model the interactions between the actors and the objects
within a system.
• A sequence diagram simply depicts the interaction
between the objects in a sequential order i.e. the order in
which these interactions occur.
• The objects and actors involved are listed along the top of
the diagram, with a dotted line drawn vertically from these.
• Interactions between objects are indicated by annotated
arrows.
 Sequence Diagrams notation

Instance Name : Class Name

lifeline

Messages
How to create
Sequence
Diagrams?

1. Identify the use case

2. List the Participants
3. Define Lifelines The above sequence diagram depicts the sequence
4. Arrange Lifelines diagram for an emotion based music player:
• Firstly the application is opened by the user.
5. Add Activation Bars • The device then gets access to the web cam.
6. Draw Messages • The webcam captures the image of the user.
• The device uses algorithms to detect the face and
7. Include Return Messages
predict the mood.
8. Indicate Timing and • It then requests database for dictionary of possible
Order moods.
• The mood is retrieved from the database.
9. Review and Refine
• The mood is displayed to the user.
10. Add Annotations and • The music is requested from the database.
Comments • The playlist is generated and finally shown to the user.
Sequence Diagram for View Patient Information
Sequence Diagram for Transfer Data
Structural Models

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Structural Models

• Structural models of software display the organization of a system in

terms of the components that make up that system and their
relationships.
• Structural models may be static models, which show the structure
of the system design, or dynamic models, which show the
organization of the system when it is executing.
• You create structural models of a system when you are discussing
and designing the system architecture.
 Class Diagrams

• Class diagrams are used when

developing an object-oriented
system model to show the
classes in a system and the
associations between these
classes.
• An object class can be thought of as a general definition of one
kind of system object. An association is a link between classes
that indicates that there is some relationship between these
classes.
• When you are developing models during the early stages of the
software engineering process, objects represent something in
the real world, such as a patient, a prescription, doctor, etc.
Behavioral Models

Copyright © 2016, 2011, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 Behavioral Models

• Behavioral models are models of the dynamic behavior of a

system as it is executing. They show what happens or what is
supposed to happen when a system responds to a stimulus
from its environment.
• You can think of these stimuli as being of two types:
• Data Some data arrives that has to be processed by the
system.
• Events Some event happens that triggers system
processing. Events may have associated data, although
this is not always the case.
 Data-Driven Modeling

• Many business systems are data-processing systems that are primarily

driven by data. They are controlled by the data input to the system, with
relatively little external event processing.
• Data-driven models show the sequence of actions involved in processing
input data and generating an associated output.
• They are particularly useful during the analysis of requirements as they can
be used to show end-to-end processing in a system.

An Activity
Model of the
Insulin Pump's
Operation
Order Processing
 Event-Driven Modeling

• Real-time systems are often event-driven, with minimal data

processing. For example, a landline phone switching system
responds to events such as ‘receiver off hook’ by generating a dial
tone.
• Event-driven modeling shows how a system responds to external
and internal events.
• It is based on the assumption that a system has a finite number of
states and that events (stimuli) may cause a transition from one
state to another.
 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 Diagram of a
State machine models Microwave Oven
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 and are used
to represent state
machine models.
Microwave Oven
Operation
States and Stimuli for the
Microwave Oven

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 buzzer is sounded for five
seconds. Oven light is on. Display shows ‘Cooking complete’ while
buzzer is sounding.
States and Stimuli for the
Microwave Oven

Stimulus Description
Half power The user has pressed the half-power button.
Full power The user has pressed the full-power button.
Timer The user has pressed one of the timer buttons.
Number 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.