UNC-Layout: an upper CASE tool to get UML diagrams out from pre-conceptual schemes

Abstract

CASE tools have been traditionally focused in activities concerned with the final stages in a software’s operational life, e.g. code creation. That is why this kind of tools, known as Lower CASE, have not been able to lend real support to analysts in processes like the creation of conceptual schemes from a natural language. To accomplish this, CASE tools focused on the starting stages (known as Upper CASE) have been developed. However, those tools continue to have some drawbacks, as most of them are focused in a single diagram, and those which create several diagrams use different intermediate representations to achieve them. This might result in consistency problems in the generated diagrams. This paper shows the development of a UNC-layout, an Upper CASE tool for the generation of UML 2.0 diagrams from the so-called Pre-conceptual Schemes in an attempt to overcome its drawbacks. The use of the UNC-Layout is shown in a case study.