Model Driven

UML is nearing completion of its first major revision

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A major revision of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is near. Depending on how well UML 2.0 is developed, this is probably good news for architects and developers of large, complex enterprise applications, who've been moving away from an object orientation and toward component-based systems, and who've had to deal with UML's vagueness since its inception in 1997. UML is a specification of the Object Management Group (OMG), and revision 2.0 will better adhere to the OMG's relatively new "Model Driven Architecture" (MDA) principles.

At the September 9 OMG meeting, final revised proposals for the UML 2.0 Infrastructure and Object Constraint Language specifications, as well as first revised proposals for Superstructure and Diagram Interchange, are due and will be discussed by attending members. (See www.omg.org or www.u2-partners.org for proceedings after September 9.) If all goes as expected, UML 2.0 will be codified by the end of 2002.

Cris Kobryn is cochair of OMG's UML Revision Task Force and the Analysis and Design Task Force, and chief technologist at Sweden-based Telelogic AB (a vendor of software development tools that use UML specifications). He also works with members of the largest proposal group, the U2 Partners, along with representatives from market-leading Rational Software Corp. and other major software modeling tool vendors. Kobryn says that the various OMG factions submitting proposals seem to be "reaching convergence" on how UML 2.0 should take shape.

He adds that UML 2.0 is tasked with better enabling the "software blueprint approach" and using this approach "where you specify [application requirements] in terms of models, is potentially revolutionary." However, he cautions, "Whether we take advantage of that potential is another thing, but the potential to improve [the software industry] radically is there." For example, it should be possible to automatically generate large amounts of code in any required programming language for any required platform based on an abstract model. Also, a suitable modeling language should create a reliable bridge between business requirements and the final application.

— Jeanette Burriesci

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