UML Demystified

I used UML Demystified as a crash-prep book while studying for the Sun Certified Java Associate. I was dissatisfied with Cameron McKenzie's treatment of UML in his SCJA prep books (which are otherwise excellent books), and at the end of my prep I had to do something to solidify the concepts. As such, I didn't go through the entire book - however, it was an excellent reference for the basics of UML (class representation and relationships was my focus). I ended up scoring fairly well on the UML section of the exam. For those of us who are toward the beginning of our journey as analysts, this one is a good one to get things rolling.

Bravo! Bravo! Prometheus has brought UML fire to the forsaken and dank world of UML neophytes. UML Inherently lends itself as an acutely idiomatic abstraction on the science of software engineering, and could be a rather knotty topic to elucidate. Paul has created a dazzling masterpiece for those of us who have been frazzled and bedazzled by attempts to understand the language to any practicable extent. His prose is sufficiently balanced with literary invites and his techno jargon is tamed enough to foster a pleasant reading experience. Now that I have exposed the relevance of this book to me, I will offer a few words on how it might benefit you. With a desire for more than an a cursory excursion into the study of UML, you might ask yourself these questions: how can this enhance my career? or how can I employ this newfound knowledge? Well, it will prepare you to overshadow the initial daunting feeling you might experience on your first encounter with a UML CASE tool; this type of software engineering tool could enable you to become very productive in a respectable time span, but this feat is achieved only after you have had a profound understanding of the robust and industry-proven design methodology that is inherent in UML--this book will bolster your confidence for that mission. Again, Bravo!

I tried reading two other UML books before I found Paul's. After the first two I didn't even know what I had read. I almost gave up but work kind of made me keep trying. When I found Paul's book, everything started to make sense. Not only did I seem to be able to actually use the diagrams in useful ways but his book enhanced my understanding of object oriented programming, which was a bonus. I highly recommend this to anyone who has been baffled by UML in the past. It's the first time I have seen how really valuable the whole process is. Now I'm hooked. Also, his book keeps me awake and is well thumbed, the other books would make me nod off.

Paul really nailed this subject on the head with this book. His title was very apt as although I have 5+ years working with UML, I was largely mystified by this modelling language and even more often by the implementations of it. After completing the book this past week I felt my understanding of UML to be pleasantly refreshed and clear. Paul does an excellent job taking UML and describing it in a manner that is clear a concise - cutting through the technical details and giving you truly useful information and tips. Paul has a solid grasp of what is important, and even more key in my opinion, what is not important. As well as cutting through the details that people often get bogged down with when using UML, the book is surprisingly easy to read considering the oft-dry subject matter! Kimmel's writing style turns this subject into an enjoyable learning experience and left me with motivation and energy to implement UML successfully in the future for my clients. Newbies and "experts" alike will find this particular UML reference a valuable tool.

Let's face it... Reading a book on UML in far too many cases is akin to poking your eye with a sharp stick. You only feel good when you stop. Therefore, any book that can make the whole subject of UML more readable has my commendations. And UML DeMystified by Paul Kimmel falls into this category... Contents: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Lines of Code; Start at the Beginning with Use Cases; Diagramming Features as Processes; Discovering Behaviors with Interaction Diagrams; What Are the Things That Describe My Problem?; Showing How Classes Are Related; Using State Chart Diagrams; Modeling Components; Fit and Finish; Visualizing Your Deployment Topology; Final Exam; Selected Bibliography; Index Kimmel takes a subject that can be overloaded with lofty terminology and concepts, and boils it down to applicable, tangible examples. You'll learn the most critical parts of UML, such as use case diagramming and process flow diagrams. I'm sure people who make a living doing analysis with UML might think that the material is over-simplified, but that's the benefit of it. Most developers are not going to live in the world of UML. It's a communication tool that is designed to help convey design, not the actual system itself. Kimmel's approach removes the jargon, strips out the esoteric items that are more academic in nature, and focuses on the parts that actually benefit a project 95% of the time. Using a conversational tone with plenty of illustrations and practical examples, he allows the reader to soak in the information without getting bogged down in minutiae. This would be a good starter text for developers being exposed to UML for the first time. They'll understand what is trying to be accomplished, and they can refer back to the material over time to reinforce the concepts.