Innovator for Software Architects is the integrated tool for software and IT architects for analyzing and designing software systems using the unified modeling language; requirements can also be followed and linked with other Innovator models.
Integration
Software and IT architects use an array of various tools nowadays for completing their tasks. These range from Office applications and requirements tools, right the way through to UML modeling tools.
Innovator for Software Architects is a tool which enables both software modeling in UML and integration of textual requirements.
Innovator's modern Office-style application with a ribbon makes for easy usability.
Requirements Modeling with SysML and UML
Systems Modeling Language's (SysML) requirements diagram describes system requirements, their properties and dependencies between requirements.
UML's use case models are also a popular way of modeling requirements. There are a multitude of options for linking BPMN models in Innovator for Software Architects.
Whiteboard Diagrams
Modeling tools are specialized in such a way that they can only display individual diagram types in one editor. Whiteboards, on the other hand, have the ability to display a variety of different diagrams; lines and arrows can then be used to clearly show how the models are connected to each other. The user often has to copy parts of the diagram into Microsoft Powerpoint or Word to communicate information, as modeling tools cannot normally be displayed in such a way.
With this new whiteboard option, otherwise known as an overview diagram, Innovator for Software Architects enables precisely this model-to-model link to be visualized. A user can simply drag diagrams out of the model tree, drop them into the diagram and then model links between the models. The diagrams are always up-to-date. This means that even a team working from two different locations holding a telephone conference can modify a class diagram in one location and the system analyst at the other location can see the modification made in their overview diagram in real-time, thanks to the Innovator server.
Model-Driven Development
Innovator for Software Architects enables mapping of business models from Innovator for Business Analysts to UML models in software development, and mapping of software models to conceptual data models in Innovator for Information Architects. It is important that it is a real mapping, i.e. if the business models are modified in the Innovator server, possible effects on the software development and databases can be analyzed straight away.
Innovator for Software Architects also has the option of using oAW to generate code.
Designing Complex Systems in the Area of Systems Engineering
The Systems Modeling Language (SysML) provides one language for describing complex systems in the area of Systems Engineering. Alongside UML, this notation is a foundation for Innovator for Information Architects.
Innovator for Business Analysts uses the notation elements from this standard for requirements diagrams.
This chapter contains the topics:
