Object-modeling technique

OMT object diagram

OMT state diagram

The object-modeling technique (OMT) is an object modeling language for software modeling and designing. It was developed around 1991 by Rumbaugh, Blaha, Premerlani, Eddy and Lorensen as a method to develop object-oriented systems and to support object-oriented programming.

OMT was developed as an approach to software development. The purposes of modeling according to Rumbaugh are:^[1][2]

• testing physical entities before building them (simulation),
• communication with customers,
• visualization (alternative presentation of information), and
• reduction of complexity.

OMT has proposed three main types of models:

• Object model: The object model represents the static and most stable phenomena in the modeled domain.^[3] Main concepts are classes and associations with attributes and operations. Aggregation and generalization (with multiple inheritance) are predefined relationships.^[2]
• Dynamic model: The dynamic model represents a state/transition view on the model. Main concepts are states, transitions between states, and events to trigger transitions. Actions can be modeled as occurring within states. Generalization and aggregation (concur-rency) are predefined relationships.^[2]
• Functional model: The functional model handles the process perspective of the model, corresponding roughly to data flow diagrams. Main concepts are process, data store, data flow, and actors.^[2]

OMT is a predecessor of the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Many OMT modeling elements are common to UML.

Functional Model in OMT: In brief, a functional model in OMT defines the function of the whole internal processes in a model with the help of "Data Flow Diagrams (DFD's). It details how processes are performed independently.

References

1. ^ Rumbaugh et al. (1991:15)
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Terje Totland (1997). 5.2.7 Object Modeling Technique (OMT) Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim.
3. ^ (Rumbaugh et al.,1991:21)

Further reading

• James Rumbaugh, Michael Blaha, William Premerlani, Frederick Eddy, William Lorensen (1990). Object-Oriented Modeling and Design. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-629841-9

• Terri Quatrani, Michael Jesse Chonoles (1996). Succeeding With the Booch and OMT Methods: A Practical Approach. Addison Wesley. ISBN 0-8053-2279-56

External links

• Some of the early history of OMT