Abstract
Conceptual modeling is traditionally regarded to be a static picture of the Real World. This opinion is also manifested in UML, where the class instance is defined as a “snapshot” of the modeled domain object. In this paper, we argue for the idea that causality, as a regular part of the modal logic should be also regarded as a part of the Real World conceptual model. In the paper, we describe the use of the life cycle model for the extension of a traditional conceptual model that allows us to enrich the traditional conceptual modeling with the Real World causality model. We also introduce the methodology for modeling business systems MMABP, which is a methodical basis for the proposed combination of Class Diagram and State Chart, and describe its principles, and rules for this combination. The importance and effects of the use of the State Chart as a complement to the Class Diagram are then illustrated by an example. By this example, the basic related problems and specifics of this way of expressing the causal Real World logic are also discussed. In the Conclusions section we then summarize the importance and position of the life cycle model in MMABP and shortly discuss its general methodical contribution to the conceptual modeling.
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Notes
- 1.
As it is stated in [2], this interpretation contradicts the UML definition of the object instance as “an instance at a point in time (a snapshot)” [12], which requires regarding every single life phase as a standalone object with an individual identity. This inability of the language to cope with the dynamic aspects of the Real World logic causes the traditional, and still common opinion, that the conceptual model is a clearly “static” picture of the Real World.
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The paper was supported by the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics, Prague University of Economics and Business.
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Řepa, V. (2023). Extending Conceptual Model with Object Life Cycles. In: Hinkelmann, K., López-Pellicer, F.J., Polini, A. (eds) Perspectives in Business Informatics Research. BIR 2023. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 493. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43126-5_20
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