Are the UML modelling tools powerful enough for practitioners? A literature review

Abstract

Unified Modelling Language (UML) is essentially a de-facto standard for software modeling and supported with many modeling tools. In this study, 58 UML tools have been analysed for modelling viewpoints, analysis, transformation & export, collaboration, tool integration, scripting, project management, and knowledge management. The analysis results reveal important findings: (i) 11 UML tools support multiple viewpoints, (ii) 17 tools support large-viewpoint management, (iii) Umple and Reactive Blocks support formal verification, (iv) 9 tools support the simulation of activity diagrams, (v) while 14 tools check pre-defined well-formedness rules, 8 of them support user-defined rules, (vi) 16 tools support scripting, (vii) 29 tools support code-generation and 18 of them support round-trip engineering, (viii) Java is the top popular language, (ix) 38 tools export UML models as image, 32 tools export as HTML, and 32 tools export as XML/XMI, (x) 17 tools enable versioning and 13 of them support multi-user access, (xi) 15 tools support the plug-in extensions and 12 tools support the IDE integration, (xii) 6 tools support project management, and (xiii) while most tools provide user-manuals, interactive guidance is rarely supported. The results will be helpful for practitioners in choosing the right tool(s) and the tool developers in determining the weaknesses/ strengths.