Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

A Data-Centric Algorithm for Identifying Use Cases

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Software Engineering Perspectives and Application in Intelligent Systems ( ICTIS 2017, CSOC 2016)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 465))

  • 857 Accesses

Abstract

Creating use case models is a popular method of requirements analysis. Unfortunately, guidelines for the identification of use cases are quite general. Thus, inconsistencies with state machines that model lifecycles of entity types can easily appear. Traditionally, one writes use cases as requirements and uses these as an input for creating analysis models. We propose a data-centric algorithm that partially turns this process upside down. It takes a set of system actors, a set of their informational requirements, an initial conceptual data model, and state machines of the main entity types as an input. It produces a set of use case descriptions, each of which contains the name of the use case, its primary actors, and general understanding of its functionality. One would use this model for the elaboration of use cases and writing their textual specifications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Jacobson, I.: Use cases—Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Softw. Syst. Model. 3, 210–220 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. OMG Unified Modeling Language TM (OMG UML) Version 2.5

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cockburn, A.: Writing Effective Use Cases. Addison Wesley (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Larman, C.: Applying UML and Patterns. An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and the Unified Process, 2nd edn. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Sein, M.K., Henfridsson, O., Purao, S., Rossi, M., Lindgren, R.: Action design research. MIS Q. 35, 37–56 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Shu, X.: Fitting design patterns into object-oriented methods. PhD thesis, Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Chicago (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Ferg, S.: What’s Wrong with Use Cases? (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Rational Unified Process. http://sce.uhcl.edu/helm/rationalunifiedprocess/

  9. Zachman, J.A.: The Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture TM. The Enterprise Ontology, Version 3.0. http://www.zachman.com/about-the-zachman-framework

  10. Dijkman, R.M., Joosten, S.M.M.: An algorithm to derive use case diagrams from business process models. In: 6th International Conference on Software Engineering and Applications, pp. 679–684 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Zhang, L., Qin, T., Zhou, Z., Hao, D., Sun, J.: Identifying use cases in source code. J. Syst. Softw. 79, 1588–1598 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Tiwari, S., Gupta, A.: Statechart-based use case requirement validation of event-driven systems. In: 27th ACM Symposium on Applied Computing, pp. 1091–1093. ACM, New York (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Somé, S.S.: Supporting use case based requirements engineering. Inf. Softw. Technol. 48, 43–58 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Kanyaru, J.M., Phalp, K.T.: A lightweight state machine for validating use case descriptions. Technical report, ESERG, Bournemouth (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Yue, T., Ali, S., Briand, L.: Automated transition from use cases to UML state machines to support state-based testing. In: France, R.B., Kuester, J.M., Bordbar, B., Paige, R.F. (eds.) ECMFA 2011. LNCS, vol. 6698, pp. 115–131. Springer, Heidelberg (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Verelst, J., Silva, A.R., Mannaert, H., Ferreira, D.A., Huysmans, P.: Identifying combinatorial effects in requirements engineering. In: Proper, H., Aveiro, D., Gaaloul, K. (eds.) EEWC 2013. LNBIP, vol. 146, pp. 88–102. Springer, Heidelberg (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Yue, T., Briand, L.C., Labiche, Y.: A systematic review of transformation approaches between user requirements and analysis models. Requirements Eng. 16, 75–99 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Fliedl, G., Kop, C., Mayr, H.C., Salbrechter, A., Vöhringer, J., Weber, G., Winkler, C.: Deriving static and dynamic concepts from software requirements using sophisticated tagging. Data Knowl. Eng. 61, 433–448 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Estañol, M., Queralt, A., Sancho, M.R., Teniente, E.: Artifact-centric business process models in UML. In: La Rosa, M., Soffer, P. (eds.) BPM 2012 International Workshops. LNBIP, vol. 132, pp. 292–303. Springer, Heidelberg (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Estañol, M., Sancho, M.R., Teniente, E.: Reasoning on UML data-centric business process models. In: Basu, S., Pautasso, C., Zhang, L., Fu, X. (eds.) ICSOC 2013. LNCS, vol. 8274, pp. 437–445. Springer, Heidelberg (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Eessaar, E.: A set of practices for the development of data-centric information systems. In: 22nd International Conference on Information Systems Development, pp. 73–84. Springer (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Burns, L.: Building the Agile Database. How to Build a Successful Application Using Agile Without Sacrificing Data Management. Technics Publications, LLC, New Jersey (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Sandhu, R.S.: Separation of duties in computerized information systems. In: IFIP WG11.3 Workshop on Database Security, pp. 179–190 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Parnas, D.L., Clements, P.C.: A rational design process: how and why to fake it. IEEE Trans. Softw. Eng. SE-12, 251–257 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Informatics, Tallinn University of Technology, Akadeemia tee 15A, 12618, Tallinn, Estonia

    Erki Eessaar

Authors
  1. Erki Eessaar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Erki Eessaar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlín, Czech Republic

    Radek Silhavy

  2. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlín, Czech Republic

    Roman Senkerik

  3. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlín, Czech Republic

    Zuzana Kominkova Oplatkova

  4. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlín, Czech Republic

    Petr Silhavy

  5. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlín, Czech Republic

    Zdenka Prokopova

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Eessaar, E. (2016). A Data-Centric Algorithm for Identifying Use Cases. In: Silhavy, R., Senkerik, R., Oplatkova, Z.K., Silhavy, P., Prokopova, Z. (eds) Software Engineering Perspectives and Application in Intelligent Systems. ICTIS CSOC 2017 2016. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 465. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33622-0_28

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33622-0_28

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-33620-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-33622-0

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics