Rating: 
Summary: Extremely practical
Review: A very practical book that will teach you the concepts of UML without forcing you to unwanted sleeping sessions.
Three attributes make it so great:
1. It's concise and to the point.
2. It's full of examples that evolve as the models are explained. The second half of the book is one big example, detailing exactly how the UML interacts with actual analysis work, and making it a practical learning and reference tool, as opposed to a university text book.
3. Overall, the book is written in a flowing and interesting manner, making it an interesting read.Overall: Very practical, very interesting.
If all technical books were the same, life would be much easier.
Rating:
Summary: Good, if you want to get a quick intro into UML
Review: I bought this book because I needed a quick and dirty inroduction into UML for a software requirements document I had to write.
I managed to read the book in a few hours and the same day I was designing Use Cases, Activity Diagrams and Sequence Diagrams for my project. This book by no means is an exhaustive guide to UML, neither is it an in-depth tutorial. I guess it's more geered towards those that aren't software engineers by training that want to learn UML basics quickly. I gave it 5 stars because it achieves its stated objective, have you writing UML documents in a day.
Rating: 
Summary: One of best to start with...
Review: I first read most of this book which I had borrowed from library. Then I had to return the book and bought it from amazon. It's a good book to start with. I have studied other books, but I feel I got the basic ideas from this one. It could be perfect if it gave some clues of how to actually implement the diagrams in widely used modelling software like Rational Rose. Sometimes it's a headache to do that!
Rating:
Summary: Best UML Book
Review: I have read a couple UML books and I am recommending this one to my colleagues, especially if they are UML novices. It is wonderful for people who have not had any experience in UML or system flows, as it assumes you know nothing, which is a good place to start. Not only is it very readable, easy to understand and well written, but I'd especially recommend it for managers who need an understanding of UML and its benefits. I generally don't enjoy reading these kinds of books, but I did enjoy reading this one and got a great deal out of it. Joseph Schmuller is an excellent writer who unlocks the potentials of UML in the real world. One you read this book, UML will be a useful tool for which you see many possibilties for using it.
Rating: 
Summary: 1st Half Great - but then...
Review: I picked up the book with the goal of learning UML as fast as I could for a complex project. The first half of the book sticks to this mission. Good job. But rather than focus on going into the intracacies of UML (what I needed), the author's focus switches to introducing (marketing) his "Grapple" technique. The first half of the book appears to be a disguise for this purpose. The details of UML are thus not quite there. I wish the author would have finished the UML job and written a separate book on "Grapple."
Rating:
Summary: Look No Further... This is the Book
Review: I purchased this book back in March along with a copy of 'Applying UML and Patterns'. Both books are quite good, but this one is easy to read, has 24 nicely designed one-hour exercises, and is perfect if you want some structure in your learning. I'm glad I found it! If you want to learn UML, it's hard to imagine a better way to do it.
Rating:
Summary: You need a Book to start from..
Review: I was asked to start studying UML in order to begin applying it in our next project, it wasn't my responsibility to draw and create the diagrams from scratch, but at least i should understand them. I wanted a book that is written for a beginner,a book that will help me through my first step, i looked around on the other books,they were so huge and so detailed oriented, and most of them were for a higher level than a beginner. Whats so good about this book? - Style of writing,its so good, you can notice this right from the introduction. - The way he took the reader to the new world of diagramming through UML, he first explains what is UML..then why do we need it, and starts to give a brief about its component so you can imagine the big picture, in addition to the Object Oriented Design concepts. - The examples are very well chosen, simple yet so powerful to illustrate and understand. - The way he guides you through his explanation by starting with a simple model in each chapter that eventually ends as a different model by adding every thing you read to it. -The case study is very helpful to implement and make sure that you understand what you read. I recommend this book for every one who starts reading UML, its not the reference but its definitely the book you want to start with, after that you can move to another advanced book, and ofcourse i would recomend the modified modeling language refrence manual for the three amigos, although thier are many good and not detailied books such those books that deals with Java and UML or C and UML if you are to be specialaized oin one prgramming language.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent intro to a powerful business tool
Review: I'm a big fan of the SAMS series of books, as I've found they're a great way of getting up to speed with complex technologies quickly and easily. "Teach Yourself UML.." is no exception. Each lesson is easy to understand and relevant. The pace of the entire book, moreover, takes you through the "big picture" aspect of UML right down to the fine details. UML is typically thought of as a programming technology, but as this book illustrates, UML is a methodology that can be used throughout the enterprise. In any instance where someone needs to communicate a process, UML is a powerful tool. Much of it is based on self-evident analogies that most anyone familair with flowcharting can understand. "Teach Yourself UML..." helps put the rest into context. One fact to keep in mind with this book is that it is an *introductory* text. Although it takes the reader quite far into the methodology, advanced practitioners shopping for UML books will likely want to keep looking. The fact that UML is also so intiutive adds to this book's utility. Many readers may find that this book -- along with possibly one or two more advanced books -- are all they need to understand and work with UML, saving themselves the time and expense of a classroom course.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent intro to a powerful business tool
Review: I'm a big fan of the SAMS series of books, as I've found they're a great way of getting up to speed with complex technologies quickly and easily. "Teach Yourself UML.." is no exception. Each lesson is easy to understand and relevant. The pace of the entire book, moreover, takes you through the "big picture" aspect of UML right down to the fine details. UML is typically thought of as a programming technology, but as this book illustrates, UML is a methodology that can be used throughout the enterprise. In any instance where someone needs to communicate a process, UML is a powerful tool. Much of it is based on self-evident analogies that most anyone familair with flowcharting can understand. "Teach Yourself UML..." helps put the rest into context. One fact to keep in mind with this book is that it is an *introductory* text. Although it takes the reader quite far into the methodology, advanced practitioners shopping for UML books will likely want to keep looking. The fact that UML is also so intiutive adds to this book's utility. Many readers may find that this book -- along with possibly one or two more advanced books -- are all they need to understand and work with UML, saving themselves the time and expense of a classroom course.
Rating:
Summary: Great UML book and Best Technical Read I've seen
Review: I've got a technical library of more than 500 books. Most of them I read until I learn what I need and then they sit on the bookshelf only to be used as a reference. This book is different. I felt that I needed to learn the ins and outs of UML quickly in order to function well in my job as an analyst doing system architecture work. This book had everything I needed and a lot more. It gave me a quick and comprehensive grasp of UML, in a way that was VERY readable, enjoyable, and (dare I say this for a technical book?) even humorous at times. I feel that I am ready to fully apply UML to my work place in a way that will really benefit our organization. I'm even reading through the book one more time with an eye on being able to teach UML to our other analysts, and I almost NEVER finish a technical book from cover to cover. I would even consider using this a a textbook if I could convince our local university to let me teach a course on UML. My hat is off to you Joseph Schmuller for writing a truely great technical book on UML. You have displayed a unique gift of technical prowness and superb writing skills that make this book one of the best technical books I've come across - ever.
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