Enhancement of Consistency of UML Diagrams by Cross Checking Rules

Abstract

UML is a rich semantic language, but it is difficult to ensure consistency of the diagrams you have written. In this paper, we propose cross checking rules to improve consistency among UML diagrams, especially between UML static and dynamic diagrams. We derive integrated metamodels in order to reflect more clear interactions of UML elements in the checking rules and use OCL(Object Constraint Language) to represent the checking rules accurately. By comparing with the well-formed rules of UML specification, we study on consistency of UML diagrams. We also derive integrated metamodels of static and dynamic diagrams by analyzing the relationships of UML diagrams. Finally, we test the usability of derived rules through a case study.