Fundamental modeling concepts
Fundamental modeling concepts (FMC) provide a framework to describe software-intensive systems. It strongly emphasizes the communication about software-intensive systems by using a semi-formal graphical notation that can easily be understood.
FMC distinguishes three different diagram types:
- compositional structure
- dynamic structure
- value range structure
The diagram type are bipartite graphs.
Compositional structure diagram
Compositional structure diagrams (also known as block diagrams) show the systems structure as a composition of collaborating system components.
- "There are active system components called agents and passive system components called locations. Each agent processes information and thus serves a well-defined purpose. Therefore an agent stores information in storages and communicates via channels or shared storages with other agents. Channels and storages are (virtual) locations where information can be observed." [1]
Dynamic structure diagram
Dynamic structures are derived from petri nets.
- "They are used to express system behavior over time, depicting the actions performed by the agents. So they clarify how a system is working and how communication takes place between different agents." [2]
Value range structure
Value range structure diagrams (also known as FMC Entity Relationship Diagrams) can be compared with the Entity-relationship model.
- "[They] are used to depict value range structures or topics as mathematical structures. Value range structures describe observable values at locations within the system whereas topic diagrams allow a much wider usage in order to cover all correlations between interesting points." [3]
References
- Knoepfel, Andreas (2005). Fundamental Modeling Concepts - Effective Communication of IT Systes. Wiley. 0-470-02710-X.
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