Software Architect's Handbook

Software architecture notations

There are different types of notation that can be used with software architecture views. They help software architects to communicate their design and some of them can be used by tools for code generation.

Notations differ from each other predominately based on their level of formality. Notations that are more formal typically require more effort, not just in creating the artifacts but also in understanding them. However, they can provide more detail and reduce ambiguities that may exist with less formal notations.

There are many different notations. Each one is good for something but none of them are good for everything. When deciding which notation to use for all or some of your views, consider the purpose ...