Visual Modeling with IBM Rational Software Architect and UML: developerWorks Series

Chapter 5. The Design Model

• Design Model

• Design Elements

• Identifying Design Elements from Analysis Classes

• Class Diagrams

• User Interfaces

• Summary

The design model is an object model describing the realization of the analysis model, and serves as an abstraction of the implementation model and its source code. It is used to conceive as well as document the design of the software system and is essential input to activities in implementation and testing. In this chapter we’ll walk you through the creation of the design model.

Design Model

The design model can be fairly close to the implementation model, depending on how strictly you map the design model’s classes, packages, and subsystems to implementation classes, files, packages, and ...