UML - anyone?

[Izu]

Gh, okay, so I'm working on a project - I have to make a full UML plan for a website - use-cases, activity diagrams, etc - all diagrams. But I cannot understand what the hell is the difference between a Business Use Case and a Use Case. I have to do both and according to my textbooks they are the same.

1.   Business Use-Case Model (at least 7 Major Business Use-Cases per participant)

2.   Use-cases
             2.1.   Textual Descriptions (preconditions, postconditions, flows of events – main, alternative, error/exceptional, nonfunctional requirements, etc. – for all use cases).
             2.2.   Activity Diagrams (for at least 2 Use-Cases per participant)
             2.3   Use-case Diagram(s)

Anyone, any idea what is the difference between 1. and 2. ??

[Vekseid]

The business use case presents the system from the actor's perspective. So one of those cases on Elliquiy would for example be 'Spell Check'. Generally free of jargon and something you could present to a technically inept boss.

The system use case in presents the system's perspective - e.g. actually noting the call to pspell in response to the user's request for a spell check.

[Izu]

And what would be the difference on the two diagrams? Or for the business model a diagram is not needed?

[Vekseid]

For the business case you have the cheesy stick figure actor diagrams with bubbles saying what they will do.

[Izu]

What about 2.3 Use Case Diagram(s) which are for the only Use Case thing?

[Vekseid]

I'm assuming those are from the system's perspective.

It's been a long time since I've taken UML, you may need to ask your teacher.

[Izu]

My teacher is not answering his stupid email :| And he said he will be out of the country until the date we have to turn in the projects :/ So, I'm completely lost. -_-

I have two those two diagrams given as examples for a system that's something like a digital theater.

This is business : http://img413.imageshack.us/i/businessusecasediagram.jpg/

This is just use case: http://img819.imageshack.us/i/mainusecasediagram.jpg/

But I can't figure it out from there... I guess my mind is just completely blocked, so if you (or anyone) can point out the difference... *sighs*

[Oniya]

Just looking at the two diagrams (I know nothing about UML, so feel free to disregard), it looks as though the Business Use Case has the various processes listed very simply (Choose Actors, Direct Actors, Choose Play), where the Main Use Case has each process broken down into steps ('Direct Actors' seems to be broken down to Add New Actor, Add New Actor, Create Stage Map, Add Voice Trigger, Add Gesture Trigger...)

[Izu]

*nods* That's what I thought too... I'm just a bit lost how to make it for my own system that I'll be describing - a social network.

[Oniya]

I'd approach it in a top-down method.  Come up with your 'Business Use' thing first with what broad steps it takes to make a social network, then break it down into the detail that the Main Use thing needs.

[Izu]

I don't know where to stop in the top-down method... -_-

[Oniya]

I wouldn't go so far as actual commands (at that point, it becomes code, rather than pseudocode).

[Vekseid]

They actually look rather the same to me.

The non-business use case might use more jargon, is all. But damn those are horribly designed diagrams. I usually preferred the actors to be on either side and have the actions as a strip running down the middle.

[Izu]

I know :/ That's why I'm so confused. But according to my professor those are A-deserving diagrams :|

Veks, how deep should I go on my diagram? For example a user can upload pictures, name, rename, move them to albums, edit them, etc. Should I include all these? I was thinking about having one Managing Photographs and then it to include the above use-cases?

[Vekseid]

For the business case, if you can group them in a single category, do so. Especially for something as sprawling as a social network. The assignment is specifically asking you for major activities, not details, in the first question.

You'll have a handful of actors:
- Administrator
- Moderator
- Member
- Advertiser (or whatever is generating your revenue stream)
- Visitor

Since he wants seven you may need to be more specific with visitors "Navigate Site, Log In, Register, Password Recovery, Access Help, Social Bookmarking" ... would need to think of one more or divide something. But you probably shouldn't have more than 50 or so overall actions for the social network, just some of them are very broad.

Question 2 is asking you to expand upon these in extreme detail, so you would actually go over the e.g. registration and password recovery processes.

[Izu]

Okay... I think I'm starting to understand... And as a whole - can I do only one big use-case diagram?

[Izu]

For now I have these planned the visitors and users to be able to do. Should I include all these in the diagram? Or divide them somehow into business use cases? or Just use cases?? -lost-


Visitors
1.   Register
2.   View home page
3.   View FAQ


User

1.   Manage Account
-   Create
-   Delete
-   Update

-   Personalize Profile
          o   Skin/Css
          o   Displayed Items
          o   Public vs Private
          o   Allow comments
          o   Blog

2.   Manage Photographs

-   Manage Albums
           o   Access
           o   Cover
           o   Create
           o   Delete
           o   Rename
           o   En- / disable comments

-   Manage Photos
        o   Upload
       o   Edit
       o   Delete
       o   Rename
       o   En- / disable comments
       o   Order

3.   Communications
-   PM system
           o   Receive
           o   Send
           o   View
           o   Delete

-   Relationships
       o   Mutual Friends
       o   Fan 

-   NewsFeed
            o   Receive public news
            o   Receive news about Friends

-   Chat

-   Forum
            o   Start new Topics
            o   Post
            o   Browse

4.   Competitions
-   Participate
-   Vote
-   Comment

5.   Browsing
    -   View profiles
            o   Comment
            o   Friends Request
            o   Fan
    -   View albums  and pics
            o   Comment
            o   Like/Dislike

[crystaltears]

Wouldn't that all be part of the business use case since it's what users and visitors can do?

I would think the main use cases would be more the technical side of the site functions... Like for instance:

System Processes
1. Add new user
    a. Assign user ID
    b. Set default settings
    c. Store custom settings
2. PM
    a. Save State (Read/Unread)
    b. Alert User of New PMs
    c. Save PMs in specified format (as individual PMs / in a thread format)


Those might not be the best examples and we didn't really cover much of UML at my technical school (I think it had one paragraph one day sadly), but from what I've been reading and from the images you shared that would be my impression.

[Izu]

I don't think that the System can be an actor... Once I get to the textual description of the Use Cases I know how to make the difference between a Business Use Case and a simple Use Case where I'll note and the interaction with the system... But I need to get there first...

I will add Admin and a Moderator as roles too... Maybe Only their functions will go on the Use case and the ones I've stated above will go on the Business Use case? I don't know...

[crystaltears]

*Nods* Again we didn't spent much time on it, but if you know how to make the difference then that's good at least.

I would think Admin and Moderator would both go in the Use Case, and perhaps parts of the User (like changing settings).

[Izu]

I don't know...  ???  :'(