Identification and Check of Inconsistencies between UML Diagrams

Abstract

Relationships between Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams are complex. The complexity leads to inconsis- tencies between UML diagrams easily. This paper focus on how to identify and check inconsistencies between UML diagrams. 13 consistency rules are given to identify inconsistencies between the most frequent 6 types of UML dia- grams in the domain of information systems analysis and design. These diagrams are as follows: Use Case Diagrams, Class Diagrams, Activity Diagrams, State Machine Diagrams, Sequence Diagrams and Communication Diagrams. 4 methods are given to check inconsistencies between UML diagrams as follows: manual check, compulsory restriction, automatic maintenance, dynamic check. These rules and methods are helpful for developers to model information sys- tems.