Books for/about - uml

Applying UML and Patterns : An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and Iterative Development (3rd Edition)

Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Craig Larman

ISBN: 0131489062
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Summary: Great for self-learning but difficult for teaching
I have been using the 2nd edition to teach a semester long "Object-Oriented Software Engineering" subject at the School of Information Technology (James Cook University, Townsville, Australia) for the last 4 years (2002-2005), see

http://www.it.jcu.edu.au/Subjects/cp3120/2004-2/CP3120.HTML

On the positive side: It improved my own design and code dramatically. It looks like the Controller pattern has been overlooked by other pattern books. The book provides a seamless recipe for delivering design/code from the use cases (this is the only book that I know that actually does that). So I strongly recommend the book as a self-study book for a professional programmer.

However as a teaching tool: here are some of the problems that forced me to look for a different text book for the next year:

1A. The book still does not come with lecture notes. (I have to write my own for the 2nd edition)
1B. It does not have exercises/problems for teaching.
1C. It has no realistic java code examples (the old problem with explaining concepts using toy-examples).
1D. It completely ignores interaction with GUI (saying .... we are not modeling outside the domain?). This did not help as all our assignments have complicated GUIs (preparing for the real-world jobs).

2. Covering UP/RUP and patterns in one semester is too much. It is better to do less but better. UP/RUP is more relevant to a generic software engineering subject as the current best practice in SE. Plus after teaching from the book for 4 years, I cannot see how anyone could implement the UP following the book. You would still have to get a different book for it.

3. Some (if not most) students were really struggling with the book. Larman explains things in too many words (actually pages and pages of it), which is even for a native English speaker is a lot of reading for little TESTABLE reward, not to mention our Asian students.

4. Larman is expensive and physically big (less chances for students to carry it around for tutorial and lectures). The 3rd edition is even bigger.

Dmitry
dmitry.konovalov@jcu.edu.au

Summary: Not what I was expecting... but it was what I needed.
If you are looking for a UML book that details every single aspect of the UML, then this may not be what you're looking for.

This book hit me a bit by surprise. As I get more and more into OOA/D I found that learning the UML would probably be very beneficial. I decided to go ahead and pick up a UML primer in hopes of learning everything about the UML. I decided on this book. This books main focus isn't exactly on the UML (although you learn a great deal about that too). Instead this book focuses more on OOA/D theory and the unified process to software development. You learn all about how to create software in iterations rather then the common waterfall method. In a nutshell, you learn that it's not really such a good idea to plan out every aspect of your system, do all of the architecture and then implement (this is known as the waterfall method). Instead you learn about how to create software in iterations, treat each iteration as its own project and build to adapt for potential changes.

Along the way of learning OOA/D, the unified process and design theory, you also learn how to create the most common UML diagrams. This includes use case, domain model, interaction, class diagrams and others. Craig Larman also touches up on other topics such as design patterns, visual thinking and much much more. There is a whole lot of ground covered in this book.

While I was reading this book I was constantly reminded of Steve McConnell's writing style (in case you didn't know, Steve McConnell is the author of Code Complete 1st and 2nd edition, Rapid Development and a few other epic software titles). The writing style is very similar, which is a huge plus - as I am a big fan of Steve McConnell.

I highly recommend this title to all software developers. This is one of those eye-openers that will make a few flickering light bulbs shine brightly. If you are a fan of Steve McConnell books then I am almost 100% sure you will benefit from this exceptional title. Actually, whilst reading Steve McConnell's Code Complete I remember wishing Steve would write a book focusing on OOA/D. This is "almost" that book.

Summary: As complicated as it comes
This book contains a very complicated writing style, it feels like the author used a thesaurus just to make the text harder. If english isn't your native language you should definetly not buy this book (as in my case). Add to the above that there is an obvious lack of flow in the book, and repetetive text making you think that you are reading the same pages over and over again.

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Large-Scale Software Architecture : A Practical Guide using UML

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Authors: Jeff Garland Richard Anthony

ISBN: 0470848499
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Summary: Practical, thorough and accessible
[Review duplicated from Amazon.co.uk]

Jeff Garland and Richard Anthony have written a very practical and accessible explanation of the process of designing and describing the software architecture for a large information system. All of the major architectural structures are covered and the depth of experience of the authors is evident from the solid, practical advice given throughout. There is also a huge amount of practical advice as to how architectural structures can be described using UML, which is particularly valuable.

The only significant criticism I've have is that they don't talk about the quality properties of the architecture all that explicitly. The focus in most of the book is about capturing architectural structures rather than talking about the required architectural qualities that led to the structures being selected. The reader is left to discern this for themselves.

This said though, I'd still recommend the book to any practicing information systems architect.

Summary: Excellent guide to designing large software systems
This book presents a very practical guide to designing and developing large-scale software systems. I've been involved in a number of large-scale projects and this is the first book I've found that includes many of the things you usually find out the hard way. Things like how to effectively communicate the design to the team, how to manage iterations and how to document designs and changes to the design.

Since the topic is large-scale systems, the book focuses more on techniques than on specific examples, but it more than makes up for that by providing practical tips and recommended reading references. If you are leading a software development team or plan to, this book will help you on a very practical level.

Summary: Excellent ref. on communicating large-scale software design
An excellent reference on what UML diagrams to use to capture the achitecture of a large software project. And this isn't based on the authors' ivory-tower opinions, but on their actual experience of using these diagrams in the real world. We have since used their approach to successfully capture (and thereby communicate to others) the architecture of software projects at our company.

The writing style is a bit dry (there are no humorous anecdotes), but this is more than made up for by being concise.

The book also includes an excellent primer of the various roles a software architect (and other software managers) should take within a large project.

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UML Bible

Publisher: Wiley
Authors: Tom Pender Tom Pender

ISBN: 0764526049
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Summary: Excellent book for medium to advanced UML users
The book is laid out very well, starting with a review of UML and provides thorough and detailed descriptions of all the diagrams and notations. I'm using this nearly exclusively to help me model projects, and is on my desk instead of on my bookshelf.

The author clearly understands UML and takes the reader effectively through the distinctions between the many notations.

Pluses
- Excellent description on the differences between UML 1.4 and 2.0, including completely different chapters where necessary
- Detailed descriptions of all the notations including less often used pieces
- Explicit definitions of key terms that limit confusion created from the "common understanding" of the definitions
- Excellent example that runs through the entire book, with appropriate departures to clarify points.
- Valuable introduction to the Object Constraint Language (OCL) and action semantics
- Most information that belongs in the appendix / late chapters is there (see below)

A few dings -

First, I would have to agree with Mr. Duff's comments on the target audience - I'm fairly experienced with Object Oriented programming and with design work, but when I tried to read this, I started getting confused and very sleepy. I started out with UML for Dummies and this made life much easier.

Second, the author included an early chapter and 50 pages throughout the book to the architecture and formal definition of UML. Frankly, I'm not sure who is really interested in the definition of the UML 1.4 four layer architecture model and the UML 2.0 superstructure library, but to me the bigger sin is to put it in chapter 2 instead of an appendix / later chapter. I didn't gain anything except a headache by reading about it earlier in the book.

Third, although he is very clear about it through the book, the version that I have came out before the final specification. This may cause some things to be different from his version to the final specification. However, he details those specifically, gives the likely outcomes, and the detailed areas are in the hinterlands of UML.

Summary: About as comprehensive a book as you can find on UML...
If you are at all involved with the use of UML in your programming or analysis activities, you'll most likely be interested in seeing the UML Bible by Tom Pender (Wiley). Like all 'Bible' titles from Wiley, this book covers a wide range of topics that should give you most any answer you need to find.

The chapter breakout is in seven parts:
Part 1 - An Introduction to UML - What Is UML?; UML Architecture; UML Diagrams and Extension Mechanisms; Object-Oriented Concepts
Part 2 - Modeling Object Structure - Capturing Rules about Objects in a Class Diagram; How to Capture Rules about Object Relationships; Testing With Objects
Part 3 - Modeling Object Interactions - Modeling Interactions in UML 1.4; Modeling Interactions in UML 2.0; Modeling an Object's Lifecycle in UML 1.4; Modeling an Object's Lifecycle in UML 2.0
Part 4 - Modeling Object Behavior - Modeling the Use of a System with the Use Case Diagram; Modeling Behavior Using an Activity Diagram
Part 5 - Modeling the Application Architecture - Using Packages; Modeling Software Using the Component Diagram; Using Deployment Diagrams in UML 1.4; Using Deployment Diagrams in UML 2.0
Part 6 - Bringing Rigor to the Model - Applying Constraints to the UML Diagrams; Action Semantics
Part 7 - Automating the UML Modeling Process - Using a Modeling Tool; Customizing UML Using Profiles; XML Metadata Interchange
Appendices - UML 1.4 Notation Guide; UML 2.0 Notation Guide; Standard Elements; Glossary; Index

Now, I'm not a UML expert by any stretch of the imagination. But based on what I have read and studied to date, this book covers everything. Taking the Use Case chapter as an example, I can see that there is an abundance of technical detail and diagramming to explain the topic completely. Couple this chapter with the notation guide in the back, and you have a reference guide that is hard to beat. At the time this book was written, UML 2.0 wasn't yet released. But the author takes the specs that should be part of the final release and explains how those features are different than UML 1.4. As a result, you shouldn't outgrow this book anytime soon.

The only quibble I have with the book is the audience that the author says he is targeting. Readers new to object-oriented analysis are expected to be able to get an in-depth understanding of UML and be able to become a productive member of a team by reading this book. In my opinion, that may be a bit of a reach. If I had no UML experience, I'd find this book very daunting in both the size and complexity of the material. My recommendation would be to find an entry level UML book, and work through it before tackling this book. With the UML fundamentals fresh in your mind, you'll be able to come at this book from a much better position and benefit much more quickly.

Overall, a good book to have around...

Summary: Most accurate and complete book on UML 2
This book is the clearest, most accurate, and complete book on
UML 2 that I'm aware of. Pender obviously read the
specifications carefully and took the time to explain them. It
provides many examples, and metamodels for tool developers. It
shows the differences between UML 1.x and UML 2, facilitating the
transition for existing users. It also has insights into issues
such as the relation between state machines and interactions, and
the role of activities in object-orientation. The advanced
reader can also find information about OCL, XMI, MDA, and UML
profiles defined by OMG. Colleagues have thanked me for
recommending it, one saying "that book is saving my %^&*$".
Congratulations to the author on very fine work.

Conrad Bock
Workgroup Lead for UML 2 Activities and Actions
U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology
"The opinions expressed above do not reflect consensus of NIST,
and have not been reviewed by any Government authority."
Search on "JOT UML 2" for more information.

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Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML : A Practical Approach (Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series) (Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series)

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Doug Rosenberg Kendall Scott

ISBN: 0201432897
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Summary: Ditto this NOT being Unified Process
I had to read this book for a class I took. Here is my interpretation of the purpose of this book:

"I think the world should have used my ICONIX process! This UML stuff is inferior. I hate UML, but I will use it to sell my book."

Fortunately, the class also used Martin Fowler's great UML Distilled book. If you want to know about UML, get that one instead!

Summary: Not Unified Process
If you are looking for a book on the Unified Process (as I was), then this book is not for you. This book covers the author's Iconix process. Considering the book's title I would have expected it to examine use cases and UML more than it does.

I was really intereted in the Unified Process. But, the Iconix methodology is a good one, and were it to be more prevalent in the industry I would take a harder look at it.

Summary: Heresy! This is ICONIX, a compact method borrowing UML
This is the eighth software engineering title that uses the UML (Unified Modeling Language) that I have read in the last five months as I work to establish a software engineering guide and reference framework for a small team at my technology company. This book really sets forth the ICONIX methodology, the author's streamlined approach to modeling using mostly, but not only, UML.

Because of the author's quarrelsome nature and unusual departures from common progressions in the model views, I found this book less useful than the others. The author repeatedly explains (with a careful record of the dates) how much of his integration of the competing OO modeling methods preceded the work of the UML founders (Booch, Jacobson, and Rumbaugh) and frequently raises the small quarrels in the UML world for no purpose except to give a quick and unsupported opinion. Not surprisingly, ten of the twenty-five citations in the bibliography are the author's prior papers.

Although the title claims the method is "use case driven," techniques and guidelines for use cases are poorly done; and the author suggests that the requirements stage should begin with domain modeling and "robustness diagrams" before text for use cases is written. The author also places heavy emphasis on screen mockups during the requirements stage.

The contents would make a good lecture or two; but it is an annoying departure from the efforts of many to extend and enrich UML. Since the book is only 165 pages, it won't hurt for long, and there are thoughts here and there worth reading. Perhaps it's tongue-in-cheek, a test to see if we can spot obvious logical problems with the method.

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UML for Database Design (Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series)

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Eric J. Naiburg Robert A. Maksimchuk

ISBN: 0201721635
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Summary: Not Enough Of What It Is Supposed To Be
Less than half of this book really deals with what the title suggests. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 are the only things of value to someone already familiar with the UML. The previous chapters try to give the database designer an overview of using UML for all project aspects; however, this is done much more cleanly in other books like UML Distilled or Visual Modeling With Rational Rose 20XX and UML.

The authors also present things with assumptions made about how the organization is structured: separate application and database design teams. This slant requires that the reader translate what is written to their particular situation. A more useful book would have stated principles that can be applied to various organization structures with appropriate practices.

Also, there is no advice given as to how to actually implement any of these UML extensions for database design in the available tools. This makes the ideas presented hard to put in practice and makes the book much more theoretical than practical.

Bottom line, there is not enough unique information here for the book to stand on its own. It would be better to roll this information into texts like the ones I mentioned at the beginning, and also give examples using currently available tools.

Summary: Great understanding for all facets of DB Design
Despite the previous reviews of this book I decided to read it and am glad that I did. The authors took me through a thorough yet easily understood path of both UML and database design. Not being an expert in UML, but having a background as a data analyst, I found the book useful to understand UML as it pertained to how I would use it. The callouts for database designers were very helpful and by following a consistent real-world example, I was able to understand how I would design my databases using the UML. I now understand that I don't have to know or even use the entire language to succeed, but only the parts that are relevant at the time I am designing and now I can be on the same page as my development team too.

Summary: I really liked it!
I wanted a book that would show how to start using UML for data modeling. This did. I too liked the DB Designer sidebars and the detailed case study. I thought the case study "story" sections were a nice change of pace from most software books' straight technical style. (And I've see such stories happen on the job too often.) This book worked for me.

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	Object-Oriented Software Engineering: Practical Software Development using UML and Java Publisher: McGraw-Hill Europe Authors: Timothy Lethbridge Robert Laganiere Timothy Lethbridge Robert Laganiere
ISBN: 0072834951 List Price: $104.68 Amazon Price: $104.68 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: An excellent textbook for undergraduate SE course This is an excellent introductory textbook for CS courses on software engineering. It features OO, UML, iterative processes, a good treatment of software frameworks and design patterns, constructive sample projects, and complete set of slides and full-length lecture RealOne video for free downloading. It is a thin book, but it contains more updated information than many classical ones. Most importantly, the authors have the confidence to air their opinions with justification, instead of compiling and citing a lot of inconsistent historical definitions or events. Summary: This is THE Book for Software Engineering I used this textbook as an introduction to Software Engineering, and for the first time in my University career, I didn't find my textbook lacking or incomplete. This book covers it all: the basics of Software Engineering, a review on Object-orientation, the software life cycle, detailed modelling in UML, architecture and design, patterns, and testing. The material is easy-to-read, in-depth, well organized, and comprehensive. Too often, you find a book that bogs you down in its wordiness and jargon, but this isn't one of them. This book was written by professors in the Software Engineering field who know, from years of experience, what a student needs to know in order to learn and understand the process of software engineering. This is not a book that will sit on your shelf: I used it all the time during my first software course and still take it as my reference for all my other software courses. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a lot about software. Summary: Great text book! This book is written in a clear language, easy to understand. I found chapter 3 (Software Development Based on Reusable Technology) very helpful with its client-server example. Excellent work! Summary:

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UML 2.0 in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly))

Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Authors: Dan Pilone Neil Pitman

ISBN: 0596007957
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Summary: This is exactly what I need
It is a good effort to put such a good content in just 200 pages. The book shows old UML 1.4 elements by using the 'trap' mark so you can clearly tell it is something deprecated. It is a very clear book, and you can skip to any specific diagram you are interested. Unlike most other UML books, which has more content on methodologies, this book is focus on the language (diagram) itself.

Summary: Nicely divided into near-stand-alone chapters
Like the previous reviewer, Landon, I had read (or at least tried to read) the previous edition of UML in a Nutshell, and I thoroughly slammed it. And I too was contacted by O'Reilly to see if I would like to receive a free copy of this new edition. I must say I'm impressed by their commitment to their readers - I wrote that review YEARS ago, and they were thoughtful enough to follow-up with some of us.

Anyway, about the book. It's much, much better than the first one. The preface and chapter 1 are the only required reading. They explain some important changes from earlier versions of UML and also tell you how to navigate this book. Granted, you could read it cover-to-cover, but that would be pretty boring. Instead, like other good "In a Nutshell" books, it's designed to let you hit the ground running, applying specific portions of the book to your current needs. For example, if you're trying to learn about UML because you work on business processes and do a lot of whiteboarding, you can go directly to chapters 9 and 10. If you're a programmer working on protocols, you can go blah. If you're planning software configuration and deployment, you go to blah. Very handy.

So, in summary, a very good improvement over the first edition. And a handy guide that lets you hit the ground running. The only reason it's only 4 stars is that it's not the author's style is kind of dry. Nowadays I reserve my 5 star review of technical books for titles like Head Start Java.

Summary: Vast improvement over original effort

This is the book that UML In a Nutshell should have been.

Several years ago I picked up the original UML In a Nutshell with high hopes; I didn't bother reading much of it in the bookstore because (after all) the book was an O'Reilly. It had an animal on the cover; quality was assured. I snapped it up and went home. It turned out to be the one of the worst computer books I'd ever bought, and many of the Amazon reviews agreed with me. I wrote my own scathing (but rather funny) review, and to be honest I don't know what happened to the book itself, I no longer cared.

A few weeks ago I received email from an editor at O'Reilly asking if I was the person who had posted that review, and would I be interested in a copy of their re-written book on UML 2.0? The book arrived a few days ago, and I've spent a couple hours going through it. (In the interest of disclosure, please note that I did not pay for my copy).

To put it mildly, UML 2.0 In a Nutshell is a vast improvement. I don't know how to emphasize this: It's like waking up from a bad nightmare of Throgzaks-are-after-you (and of course, you can't run) to realize that everything is okay and it was just the cat sleeping on your face. It is a huge relief that O'Reilly recognized their error and decided to fix it.

This book is smaller, more succinct and to the point. The authors dive into meaty subject material right away, starting with the stuff that most engineers are likely to use. The writing is pleasantly conversational, targetted to a technical (rather than a managerial) audience, and the subject matter is well organized. A challenge in grokking the UML is that it is a "wad" of interrelated concepts, and the book has sufficient forward references ("You'll learn more about X in chapter 4") that I felt comfortable just forging ahead. The diagrams are clear and meaningful, and there is (gasp) actual humor from time to time.

I get the impression that O'Reilly's first UML book was published in a hurry just to "get something out there." I have the impression that they took their time getting this one right. There is almost no comparison between the two; this is the book to get. Recommended.

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The Object Primer : Agile Model-Driven Development with UML 2.0

Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Authors: Scott W. Ambler

ISBN: 0521540186
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Summary: If you understand the target audience this is the best book on the market
For those who want a quick, fun introduction and intermediate mastery of UML 2.0 without getting sidetracked in all the esoteric notation that is rarely used, this is your book. I have used it since its release (and the edition before that) for teaching UML and good Object Oriented Design concepts. Many will throw stones (UML Purists that are more interested in UML Metamodel Purity then getting systems built for example) but don't let that phase you. If you need to learn UML 2.0 and have fun doing it, this book will do an incredible job for you. Scott writes in a very accessible style, not trying to show off his deep technical knowledge of UML (which he has). I admire him for writing this book as it is a tremendous service to our community. He simply wants people to get working as fast as possible. I admire his ability to have such a deep grasp of UML yet not flaunt it and distill things down to the necessary 20% that is all you need 80% of the time. More accurately, perhaps it is more accurate to say he covers the necessary 35%-40% that covers 90% of what you need to be effective.

The negative reviews come from people who are likely purists or are taken aback by his somewhat fun and informal style. As we have seen with books such as `Head First Design Patterns' I have seen greater success with books that take this format for people who are starting out. The other books can come later if needed.

You can buy much more academic books that will go into great detail on the semantic meanings of UML 2.0 model elements such as stereotypes that are almost never used or understood, advanced concepts in categorizing classes in a class diagram that are rarely used, etc. but you will rarely see any of them in practice. Rather then waste your time learning these items why not learn what you need to learn so you and your team can start communicating in Visual Diagrams as quickly and efficiently as possibly?

Kind Regards,
Damon Carr

Summary: Read This Book!
This book should really be called "Agile Models Distilled" or perhaps "Agile Model Driven Development". It does for modeling what UML Distilled does for UML: it provides a concise overview of a wide range of modeling techniques. One thing that is a real eye opener in this book is how many simple techniques exist work involving your users in the modeling process, as well as developers who may not want to learn the complex UML tools which management foists on them.

A huge benefit of the book is that it actually covers the entire software development lifecycle. It describes testing techniques that you can use throughout your project and shows how TDD fits together with modeling. The simple and straightforward approach to modeling that's covered in this book fits incredibly well with the TDD approach favored by many agile developers; it's a great way to increase your productivity as a developer. The book works through a case study, showing how to model and then code portions of a business application, so you get a pretty good idea how to actually do this stuff in practice.

This book shows how to be effective at modeling on agile projects, something few other books show how to do. It shows that you need to go beyond the UML although makes it clear that the UML is still an important part of your modeling effort. The book shows how it all fits together, but doesn't go into the excruciating details of how to apply each modeling
technique: if it did that it would be several thousand pages long. If you want to gain an understanding of the types of modeling skills you need to learn to be effective, this book is it.

Summary: A Good Book if You are the Right Audiance
This book is an overview of agile model-drive development, while uses a story about practice agile development for a university system. This application is so simple that it may take only one small incremental step to develop. The author does not care to complete this system at the end since he knows it is very simplistic. It is not necessary to carry out any refectory and iteration. On the journey, the author often stops to tell his experience and point out some treasures exposed along the path. However, at the end, you realize that you are still at Disney Land, although this time guided by a real pathfinder who repeatedly told us it is for real. The author provided several UML diagrams supposedly developed on a white board. But it makes no difference whatsoever if they are printed. They are just decorations to make it looks real. Actually, it is hard to read, as complained by other reviewers.

The main title of the third edition, The Object Primer, is misleading. This book is mainly about agile model-driven development, which is part of the subtitle. A better title of this book should be The Primer of Agile Model-Driven Development. This book does not teach you very much about object itself. Chapter 2 gives you a review of object-oriented concepts. If you are new to OO, such brief coverage will not help you very much. This is not a book that teaches you UML either. UML 2.0 is used throughout this book in straightforward cases. If you are new to UML, you have to read other books first.

This is a well-written book and you may learn a lot IF you are one of the targeted audiences. The author stated, this book is aimed at two primary audiences - existing developers and university/college students who want to gain the fundamental skills required to succeed on modern software development projects. The author give a quite "radical" (his own words) definition of developer as ANYONE involved in the development of a software applications, including programmers, analysts, designers, business stakeholders, database administrators, support engineers, and so on. I understand ANY author wants to sell his/her books as much as possible. But this author is established. He does not have to make us believe that the university registrar needs to read this book merely to be part of the team working on university system mentioned this book. My recommendation is that this book is really written for software developers and students who already have reasonable understanding and certain experience in terms of object-oriented approaches and UML, and they wish to have an overview on how to conduct agile development.

The author provided instructions on how to read this book. I somehow do not total agree with his recommendation. Below is my suggestion following his classification of different groups of readership.

For Programmers, Designers, and Project Managers, the author suggests them to read the entire book. I somehow feel different. If you are a project manager but not that technical, you will feel this book difficult if not impossible. If you are a project manager for a software development project merely since you are PMI certified, you have a lot to learn before you come to this book. If you are a VB programmer and you are not confident on what OO really means, you should read other books.

For Business Analysts and User Representatives, the author said Chapters 4 through 9 is written specifically for you. Well, this is 6 chapters with 144 pages out of a book of 12 chapters with 492 pages. Furthermore, I am not sure why the author believes you need to learn Singleton Design Pattern (12.2.1) and Fa�ade Design Pattern (12.2.2).

For Students, the author asks you to read the book cover to cover. I agree with the author on this, as long as you are the right type of the students who have learned OO and UML and who needs to get the idea how agile approach works and how a project is developed conceptually. If you are still not sure about polymorphism, this book will not help you.

I am an experienced developer and I teach as well at university. I am within the targeted audiences of this book and I do buy many books. I completed this book within days after receiving it since it is quite readable. I am glad I added this book to my collection and I will certainly review it again and again, but perhaps mainly for my teaching duties.

I still give this book a 4-star rating since it gives us a good conceptual model kind of overview on agile model-driven development, with practical advices sometimes. However, he has yet had the time to implement his model (write more substance). He sees the needs of readers and he has made one more incremental deliverable, the 3rd edition. We hope he will get the feedback from us and make another try quickly, one with more implementations. For instance, since this book is an overview, the author should have provided references whenever necessary that lead us to further studies and discussions. The book contains a reference list with more than 100 entries at the end of the book. The problem is that the author expects a developer to figure out what references are relevant when he/she is reading a particular chapter or subject.

The list price of this book is $45; but it sells at $30 with Super Saver Shipping (free shipping) at Amazon.com. As a matter of fact, this book is free for me since I bought it by using the $30 discount I received when I signed up with Amazon Platinum Visa Card.

/* The statement and opinions expresses here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer */

Summary:

search for uml at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, google.com

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