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On the Multiplicity Semantics of the Extend Relationship in Use Case Models

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Software and Data Technologies (ICSOFT 2008)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 47))

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Abstract

Use cases are a useful and simple technique to express the expected behavior of an information system in successful scenarios or in exceptional circumstances. The weakness of use cases has been always the vague semantics of the relationships, in particular the extend relationship. The main contribution of this article is an attempt to clarify the different interpretations that can be adopted. A major revision of the UML standard would be impractical, but the extension point concept could be completed, including minimum and maximum multiplicity attributes. Using these minor changes, the legal combination of base/extending use cases in the requirements models would be unequivocally defined. Therefore, the ambiguity of the original UML models would be removed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Valladolid, Campus M. Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain

    Miguel A. Laguna & José M. Marqués

Authors
  1. Miguel A. Laguna
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  2. José M. Marqués
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Control and Communication (INSTICC), Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information,, Rua do Vale de Chaves, Estefanilha, 2910-761, Setúbal, Portugal

    José Cordeiro

  2. Interdisciplinary Institute for Collaboration and Research on Enterprise Systems and Technology – IICREST, P.O. Box 104, 1618, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Boris Shishkov

  3. INSTICC, Avenida D. Manuel I, 2910, Setúbal, Portugal

    AlpeshKumar Ranchordas

  4. School of Computing, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland

    Markus Helfert

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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Laguna, M.A., Marqués, J.M. (2009). On the Multiplicity Semantics of the Extend Relationship in Use Case Models. In: Cordeiro, J., Shishkov, B., Ranchordas, A., Helfert, M. (eds) Software and Data Technologies. ICSOFT 2008. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 47. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-05201-9_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-05201-9_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-05200-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-05201-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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