UML 2.0 in a Nutshell

Variations on Class Diagrams

Because class diagrams model structures well, they can be used to capture well-defined, hierarchical information. Class diagrams have been used to capture XML and database schemas with some degree of success. In the interest of full disclosure, people who deal with XML and database schemas extensively have reservations about using class diagrams to capture the information, specifically because class diagrams are so generic. Each domain has its own notation that may be better suited to capturing complex relationships or domain-specific information. However, UML has the benefit of being a common language that is understood by those outside the XML and database domains.

XML Schemas

The structural design of an XML document can be captured in an XML schema. XML schemas are to XML documents as classes are to objects; XML documents are instances of a schema. Therefore, it's not a giant leap to realize that class diagrams can be used to model XML schemas. XML schemas are described using the XML Structure Definition Language (XSDL). XSDL is a text language (as opposed to the graphical nature of UML) and can be verbose; mapping XSDL to UML can make it much easier to digest a schema document.

The fundamental elements of XSDL are XML elements, which are connected in sequences, choices, and complex structures. Each element may have extra information attached to it using (conveniently enough) attributes. Modelers typically represent XML elements as classes and XSDL ...