Unified Modeling Language Reference Manual, The (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series)

Rating:
Summary: Essential reference for all projects
Review: Like all dynamic languages, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is growing more complex over time. While it is true that for most developers, this means that you will regularly use a smaller percentage of the language, the actual percentage will vary from person to person and from day to day. Therefore, no abridged UML manual could possibly be adequate. Written by the three creators of the UML, this manual is clearly definitive and one that all developers should have at extended arms reach. Designed to cover the changes in the recently released UML 2.0, which were significant, a CD with the full text in Adobe PDF form with hotlinks to the definitions of the key terms is also included.
The opening chapter is an overview of the UML and most people can skip it. Chapter two is an overview of models, and this one is worth reading. Short, it introduces some of the fundamental terminology and approaches. A walkthrough of UML is done in chapter three, which introduces the various formal views of a project. They are: static, design, use case, state machine, activity, interaction, deployment, and model management. Each of these views is then explained in a short chapter. These chapters should be required reading for users of the book, as they establish much of the notational and definitional background used in the reference section.
The real value of the book is in the five hundred plus pages of detailed definitions of the key terms and phrases in the UML. Listed in alphabetical order, each entry has the following form:

*) Entry name: the term or phrase.
*) A brief definition, generally one or two sentences.
*) The semantics of the term, generally using several paragraphs. This section Includes the structure,
subordinate items and often an example.
*) The notation of usage. Options and guidelines for use are often included.
*) Discussion (occasional), where the author's opinions and/or a background explanation of the term
are given.
*) History (where appropriate), the changes in how the term is interpreted from earlier versions of the
UML.

Quite frankly, I cannot see how it would be possible for any developer to use anything more than a very tiny subset of the UML if they do not have access to this book. All speakers of a language can use that language in informal communication, but when we want to communicate ideas formally and precisely, a dictionary is essential. That is the role that this book will fill, as no human communication is more precise than when we do it with notations that describe software.

Published in the online Journal of Object Technology, reprinted with permission.

Rating:
Summary: Tip Top for the dedicated UML modeler
Review: I do a lot of UML modelling, and I keep this book by my desk at all times. It has in-depth information, is well-written, and is well-organized.

The Reference Manual and the Users Guide are generally sold as a pair. Quite frankly, if you have the Reference Manual, then you don't need the Users Guide.

If you are just learning UML and are already familiar with any formal design methodologies, then you can do just fine with the Reference Manual alone. However, if you are new to graphical modeling in general, you may want to buy "UML for Dummies" to serve as a useful introduction.

Rating:
Summary: Solid reference source
Review: Let's be clear - this book is a reference manual, not a tutorial. Don't use this book to learn what the UML is all about. But when you want to answer a question about how to show something or what something means, then this book is invaluable. It's my first reference choice because, unlike the specification, it is written with explanation in mind. I turn to it more than any other UML book and so far I've found that when this can't answer my question, it's because the UML designers haven't thought about it yet.

So to sum up: if you use the UML seriously, make sure you have a copy handy.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference
Review: This book is a comprehensive, well-written reference that stays by my side whenever I'm modeling. The accompanying CD-Rom has the book's text stored as a PDF file and is arguably even more useful because it is hyperlinked.

A few others reviewers disagree, but their complaints suggest a misunderstanding of the book's intent. This book is a "Reference Manual." It is not a tutorial and does not cover tangental topics (like good/bad OOAD practices). Think of it as a UML encyclopedia.

If you want a concise description of every UML diagram and notation then this is the book you want.

Rating:
Summary: Power UML developer's companion
Review: This book is by no means an introductory text. It assumes you already know UML. I do not think it would be of any value to managers or students. It is also of little value to developers that are happy downloading the 808 page UML specification and crunching through it. For the power UML engineer that needs to refer to the UML constructs, elements and semantics and discover new ones quickly when designing systems, this book will come in very handy indeed. Unlike other (valuable) UML books, this one will come down from the bookshelf often.

Rating:
Summary: Accurate, complete (for UML 1.*); not for UML beginners
Review: This book is one in a series of three by the three amigos. It is certainly the most authoritative and accurate of all three (the other two being very fuzzy in places). The book consists of the following major sections:

I: Background (some history) II: UML concepts (static, use case, statechart and other 'views') III: Reference

This book is pure syntax and can answer most of the questions that you might have about UML syntax. However, this book is not for beginners because it assumes (in my opinion) that you have applied UML to real-life situations. I find the book to be well-written (even if it is fairly dry) and compares favouably with other books in the UML series. There are different ways that you can use this book. First, you can consult it to check of you are using the correct UML syntax in your applications. Second, you can use it to deteremine what you have still to learn in UML (for example, activity diagrams, statecharts). This book should complement the other, more application-specific UML books. For example, it could be seen as a follow-up of Fowler's somewhat outdated UML Primer.

It would have been a good idea if the authors had included a complete test case showing how all the specific 'views' are documented and how they fit together. UML has about 11 different views and which one to use and when will be a major undertaking if you are embarking on a first project.

This book will be outdated as soon as the new UML 2.0 specification is ready. Do the authors have plans for a new version of their book "UML Reference 2.0"?

Rating:
Summary: Too Theorectical
Review: This book is too theorectical. Needs to elucidate for readers with examples. Unless you are an UML professor or an abstract UML guru, this book does not help to learn UML. Would help if authors shows UML mapping to say, C++ and Java.

Rating:
Summary: Enough whining, these are good books!
Review: This is silly. Some folks think that the Reference manual stinks and the User Guide is their silver bullet. Others feel exactly the opposite.

The fact is that these books are pretty good. Each book has it's place. I have all three, and all are useful depending on the situation. All have errors and yes the writing can be dry. Get over it. They are still good -- not perfect, but the best i've seen yet.

I think you complainers are looking for the proverbial silver bullet and upset at not finding it, propose to judge on what you don't understand. These aren't they; instead these three books are three lead slugs that complement the rest of my tool-ordinance for some significant firepower.

Ted Rallis

Rating:
Summary: Authoritative reference
Review: This is the authoritative reference manual to UML, written by the creators of UML. The reference is complete (at least as far as I can tell).

A CD-ROM is included with the book. This CD-ROM has the complete book as a PDF file, with extensive cross references (as links). I usually hate to read lengthy material on the computer screen and I usually prefer a (paper) book, but the PDF file on the CD-ROM is really great. The cross references makes the PDF file easier to use than the book. (The "standard" document on UML from OMG is also included on the CD-ROM).

The book is written in a formal and boring style. Another thing that makes the book less enjoyable to read is the layout of the text. The lines are too long, and the spacing between the lines is inadequate.

The main part of the book is the alphabetically ordered reference. Before the reference part, the book has a short (85 pages) overview/introduction to UML. When I read the paper book I could not understand who would benefit from this text: the text is too harsh for the novice, but lacks all the details an advanced user would be looking for. However, on the cross referenced CD-ROM this text turned out to be a valuable part.

The book is a very unbiased reference. This is also a weak side of the book. You will not get any advice about good practices, or useful ways to apply UML for different design organizations.

Rating:
Summary: Well written and organized
Review: This isn't something that I would sit down and read just for fun, but it is well written and organized, which makes it easy to use. The bulk of the book is in the dictionary of terms which is organized alphabetically. Each one is described using both a text definition and a notational graphic, and often an example. There is a section on the different types of views at the front of the book.