UML tools Interoperability

Interoperability with UML has always been a problem. Just think about to UML definition, can a language (unified !) be constrain to a specific tool ? or better, can a company join a tool without hope (not without a little work) to exchange its models with other tools ? The OMG knew that this would be the critical point and so have made a standard for exchanging metadata information (mean porting diagram from tool to another); The XMI (Xml metadata interchange). These was intentions because (in my experience) porting, with XMI, from tool to another it’s very difficult moreover with loss of information. You can easy try to export a model (a class diagram for example) with a tool and import in another … you will have this confirmation. So in 2009 the OMG have setted up a group (Model Interchange Working Group (MIWG)) in order to improve this interoperability and after 2 years of work (almost 3) they have announced the availability of test case results. At this test have joined six tool vendors : Atego, IBM, NoMagic, Sodius (supporting IBM Rhapsody), SOFTEAM, and Sparx Systems. Let me say another thing, the essence of UML is “understand and communicate” (as Craig Larman said) and not for write a lot of diagram and play who write more diagram … You have to use it with discipline and with a well defined development process (in this context i mean develop a product knowing what are you doing, better if an agile method).

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