Introduction

In this newsletter we provided an overview of a new Add-In called AMUSE for Enterprise Architect version 8.862.

An Overview of AMUSE

AMUSE (Advanced Modeling in UML with Simulation and Execution) is an Add-In for  EA 8.0 Build 862 or EA 7.5 Build 850 or higher is required (EA Systems Engineering or Ultimate Edition) and extends the functionality of Enterprise Architect to provide the ability to execute workflows that have been modelled using UML State Machine Diagrams. This Add-In has been developed by LieberLieber (www.lieberlieber.com ) and is marketed as:

 “Detecting issues early in the project lifecycle can save a lot of time and money. With AMUSE you can validate your Enterprise Architect UML Model to correct errors in your business workflow or application logic before your software engineers write a single line of code.  You also can reuse the source code generated by AMUSE for your applications (C# supported in the standard package).

With AMUSE you can create models on any abstraction level and initiate testing in the very early project stages. By integrating mock-objects, existing applications and external hardware, even highly complex behaviors can be validated.“

AMUSE can be downloaded from http://www.dthomas.co.uk/dtalm/products/plugins.htm#AMUSE

A Worked Example

The most appropriate method to describe the functionality of AMUSE is to work through a simple example. Although AMUSE can integrate with .NET dll files, referred to a .NET Mocks, this example takes a somewhat language independent approach.

The example we will be using to illustrate AMUSE is the verification of a workflow designed to model the following situation:

A user is required to provide authentication details consisting of a UserName and a Password. These will be then validated against stored information and the user will be either authenticated or denied access.

Our first stage would be to consider the business rules surrounding this simple example. These are:

1)      The user name is alphanumeric of no fixed length

2)      The password again is alphanumeric, but must be of at least 8 characters in length

Analysing the above yields three possible error situations:

1)      The user name is invalid (does not exist)

2)      The password is of the incorrect length

3)      The password is incorrect

Using this information we can construct a simple workflow, modelled as a UML State Machine diagram, The key points to bear in mind when modelling workflows as State Machines intending them to be simulated using AMUSE is to use the following:

1)      The workflow itself is modelled as a UML Class element which has its language property set to C#

2)      A State Machine is added to this class as an immediate child element, this State Machine element will have a child UML State Machine Diagram where the workflow can be modelled.

3)      A UML State element is used for every step within the workflow

4)      A Transition is used between states (as usual)

5)      If a state is simulating a user input, then attach a trigger to the transition to model each possible response from the user. For example, if a User Dialog has two buttons “SUBMIT” and “CANCEL” then two triggers would be created and assigned to two corresponding transitions.

6)      Any workflow state data (for example any data the user enters, and simulated stored system data) must be represented as public  Attributes for the class created in step 1)

7)      The action performed (if any) performed at each step within the workflow (for example a simple validation of user data), is represented as public  Operations for the class created in step1)

8)      These operations are then linked (as behaviour) to corresponding operations added to the appropriate State elements.

The above infers (somewhat incorrectly), that you would have to be a C# guru in order to use AMUSE effectively, whilst it certainly helps to have some C# programming knowledge; it is by no means essential. The tutorial that ships with AMUSE walks you through a simple example and introduces (as indeed does this newsletter) some very common repeatable code that you can use and modify for your own simulations.

The screen shot below shows the starting position, after a project has been created; the workflow class and associated State Machine have been created:

The Workflow Modelled

Using the business rules above, the following workflow as a UML State Machine Diagram can be created:

Note we have only a single state to display one of the three possible errors that could occur. This method is to be preferred over one state for each possible error.

We now add triggers for the two possible transitions from DisplayLoginForm, these correspond to two buttons on the eventual Login Dialog

Next, we address the issue of what state data we need to add to the class, analysing the workflow requirements we need the following: 

• StoredUserName – string
• StoredPassword – string
• EnteredUserName – string
• EnteredPassword – string

 When adding these as attributes to the workflow class we will also need to:

 1)      Store a “hardcoded” value for the StoredUserName and StoredPassword

2)      Initialise the EnteredUserName and EnteredPassword to an empty string

The next task is to determine how the state machine will decide which of the two possible transitions from the state ValidateUser.  We could use triggers, but a more “automated” approach would to be use a guard constraint on each transition. Each guard constraint is represented by an attribute (of type bool) within the workflow class.

After these additions we have:

Now for the “techie” part! We add the operations. A simple way to display the progress (on our workflow the states begin with “Display”), is to pop-up a simple message box. The C# command for this is:

System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(<message>,<title>);

Where <message> is a string (enclosed in double quotes) representing the message to be displayed, and <title> is the title of the message box.

For example, to simulate the Login Dialog we could use the following:

System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(“Please enter your user name and password”, “Login”);

This is entered as an operation / behaviour / initial code for the workflow class, as shown below:

This operation can be replicated in the corresponding state by adding an operation to the state and linking its behaviour as shown below:

Finally, our last step is to add an operation that will simulate the validation of the data entered by the user. This is an operation added to the workflow class and then linked to a corresponding operation in the state ValidateUser.

 Which results is our final model:

Running the Simulation

To run the simulation, use the View menu and activate the Add-Ins window.

The current State Machine can then be added to the Add-Ins window as shown below:

Clicking the Green Triangle will compile the workflow (hopefully there will be no errors), and the simulation will begin. The simulation will execute the operation showLogin and the message box will display.

After clicking the OK button, simulation will continue and then halt, waiting the trigger to be fired (simulating the user clicking a button on the Login Form)

The simulation now offers the opportunity to “fire a trigger” and / or enter some user data.

The screen shot below, shows the effect of entering an unknown user name:

After clicking OK the workflow loops back to the initial state, at which point other combinations of data can be entered to verify all possible displays.

Summary

In this newsletter we have described how you add workflow simulation to your modelling by using a new Add-In for Enterprise Architect, namely AMUSE. If this has whetted your appetite why not give it a trial run?

You can read more articles like this on our blog.

This webinar from Dunstan Thomas was written & presented by Jamie Temple, one of Dunstan Thomas' Principal Consultants.

The webinar looks at Team Foundation Server, Microsoft's entry into the domain of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tools, and how it can be used alongside Sparx Systems' Enterprise Architect UML Modelling tool.

Agenda:

• Webinar Goals/Introduction
• Integration Options:
  • Modelling in Visual Studio
  • Developing in Enterprise Architect
  • Controlling EA packages using TFS
  • TFS/EA integration
  • Work item management in EA
  • Requirements management in TFS
• Q&A

 You can view this video and all of our archived videos on our website; http://dthomas-software.co.uk/resources/videos/webinar-archive/

This webinar from Dunstan Thomas discusses the options of using the various projects within Enterprise Architect, specifically, version 7.5

The webinar is presented by Phil Chudley one of the Senior Consultants and OMG Certified UML Professionals at Dunstan Thomas.

Agenda:

• Provide an overview of the projects within Enterprise Architect & when to use:
  • Standalone Projects
  • Shared Projects
  • Master Replica
  • Version Control
• Describe Baselines including Branch and Merge
• Provide advice on how to apply security to projects including locking policies.

This webinar concludes with a Q&A session in which Phil is joined by Stuart Trotter, Principal Consultant & OMG Certified UML Professional.

You can view this video and all of our archived videos on our website; http://dthomas-software.co.uk/resources/videos/webinar-archive/

European User Group Event

Dunstan Thomas ALM, LieberLieber and eaDocX have joined forces to bring you the inaugural European User Group Event.

This event aims to bring together users of Enterprise Architect from across the UK & Europe for an afternoon of networking & technical discussion with presentations from all three partners covering different aspects of the implementation of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Agenda; Tuesday 9th of October 2012

The agenda for the day will be as follows;

• 12:30 - Registration & Networking
• 13:00 – Introduction and Agenda
• 13:30 – The Future of EA
• 14:00 – Creating Excellent Documents from EA – by Ian Mitchell of eaDocX
• 1430 – Requirements Management – Best of Both Worlds - by Phil Chudley of DT ALM
• 1500 – Enterprise Architect in Distributed Environments - by Daniel Siegl of LieberLieber
• 1530 – A Customer's Story
• 1630 – QA and Panel Session

Location

The location for our inaugural event will be the prestigious Institute of Directors, located in heart of London's West End,  116 Pall Mall is a magnificent Grade I listed, Crown Estate building.
 
The Institute of Directors is located at; 116 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5ED (View Map)
 
There is a dress code of smart / casual for this event.

Register Now!

If you would like to register for this event all you need to do is contact us with the following information; Name, Company, Telephone Number, Email Address. Once we've received your information we'll send you a confirmation and also a reminder nearer the time.
 
You'll be able to get regular updates through our twitter feed by following @DTUML and also by watching our Facebook page.

Again we've been expanding our core training offering. This time we've had Phil Chudley busy developing courses designed to look into TOGAF.

We've three new courses in all each varying in length & complexity;

• Introduction to Enterprise Architecture; 1 Day
• TOGAF Demystified; 2 Days
• Putting TOGAF into practice using Enterprise Architect; 4 Days

Please visit our website if you would like to book onto any of the above courses.

Always looking to expand our collection of off the shelf training courses, we've had Phil Chudley busy scribing away to add this new SysML program to our offering.

Systems Engineering with SysML 1.1; Overview

The Systems Engineering with SysML 1.1 training course is designed to provide System Engineers with a detailed understanding of the practical application of SysML 1.1 to Systems Engineering projects, using a Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach.

What will I learn on the Systems Engineering with SysML 1.1 training course?

This course covers the practical aspects of SysML and is “tool agnostic”, although example models will be used to underpin the concepts covered. These example models have been created using Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Click here to view the complete outline.

The CaliberRM and Enterprise Architect Add-In has been developed using Enterprise Architect Add-In and MDG Add-In technologies.

A selected package (or view) within the Enterprise Architect project is connected to a specific requirements baseline, within a specific CaliberRM project, on a particular CaliberRM server.

CaliberRM Requirements can be imported into Enterprise Architect maintaining their same order and tree structure as specified in the associated CaliberRM project. The CaliberRM Requirement Type is replicated in Enterprise Architect by modelling each Caliber Requirement Type as a Package, thereby attaining the same “look-and-feel” in both products.

You can download the trial licence from; http://www.dthomas.co.uk/dtalm/products/CaliberRM-Enterprise-Architect-Integration.htm

You can review the EULA for the add-in here; http://www.dthomas.co.uk/dtalm/shop/caliberrem-enterprise-architect-integration-eula.htm

On the 16th of June 2011 Dunstan Thomas will be broadcasting a free to attend webinar to demonstrate the CaliberRM / Enterprise Architect Integration Add-In. This webinar will be hosted by Phil Chudley, Principal Consultant & OMG Certified UML Professional at Dunstan Thomas.

CaliberRM is a requirements management tool from Microfocus and is widely used by organisations to manage their corporate requirements.

Enterprise Architect is a modelling tool focusing on UML and Business Process Modelling from SparxSystems and is used extensively by organisations for all their modelling needs.

A common need is for corporations to manage traceability between their Models and their Requirements. Whilst Enterprise Architect can capture Requirements it is not really a Requirements Management tool per se, and CaliberRM has no modelling functionality at all.

The objective of this Add-In is therefore to implement an integration bridge between the two products, specifically the ability to import and synchronise Requirements from CaliberRM into Enterprise Architect modelling projects where the traceability can be managed and reported.

Agenda

The agenda for this webinar is as follows;

• Why the add-in has been created
• Overview of add-in design
• The functionality provided
• Demonstration of the add-in
• Next steps in development
• Availability

Register now

To register you interest for this webinar please email us with your name, company, telephone number and email address along with the title of the webinar you wish to register for. We'll then send you login details for the webinar on the week prior to the event. Register your interest here.

Dunstan Thomas have been Sparx Systems (Enterprise Architect) training partners for many years and over that time have been instrumental in delivering solutions to a variety of industries.

Our course materials are written by our instructors who are also our hands on consultants, so you are guaranteed to receive real life experience training delivered by experienced consultants who aren’t afraid to “get their hands dirty”. This also enables us to easily customise our courses to suit the specific needs of our clients.

We have a selection of courses which are suited to attendees with little or no UML experience, Business Analysts, Systems Engineers, Solution & Systems Architects, Developers, Project Managers and Testers.

New courses from Dunstan Thomas;

• Business Process Modelling using BPMN & Enterprise Architect (2 Days)
• Business Process Modelling using BPMN 1.1 (2 Days)
• Introduction to UML (1 Day)
• Generating Documentation with Enterprise Architect (1 Day)
• Systems Engineering with SysML & Enterprise Architect (3 Days)

The Dunstan Thomas course catalogue covers not only UML & Enterprise Architect but also BPMN and SysML training courses. We also have courses on a range tools that cover subjects such as Configuration, Process & Requirements Management.

For Dunstan Thomas’ full course listings please visit us at:

http://www.dthomas.co.uk/dtalm/training/application-lifecycle-training-courses.htm