Software analysis pattern

Software analysis patterns or "simply analysis patterns" in software engineering are conceptual models, which capture an abstraction of a situation that can often be encountered in modelling. An analysis pattern can be represented as "a group of related, generic objects (meta-classes) with stereotypical attributes (data definitions), behaviors (method signatures), and expected interactions defined in a domain-neutral manner" say Purao, Storey and Hancite journal | last = Purao | first = Sandeep | coauthors = Storey, Veda C., and Han, Taedong | title = Improving Analysis Pattern Reuse | publisher = Information Systems Research, Vol. 14, No. 3 | pages = pp. 169–290 | year = 2003 | month = September | url = http://purao.ist.psu.edu/journal-papers/ISR-Purao-Storey-Han-2003.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2007-01-31 | id = ISSN: 1526-5536 ] .

Overview

Martin Fowler defines a pattern as an "idea that has been useful in one practical context and will probably be useful in others"cite book | last = Fowler | first = Martin | authorlink = Martin Fowler | title = Analysis Patterns: Reusable Object Models | publisher = Addison-Wesley | date = 1996-11-27 | isbn = 0201895420 | quote = A pattern is an idea that has been useful in one practical context and will probably be useful in others.] . He further on explains the analysis pattern, which is a pattern "that reflects conceptual structures of business processes rather than actual software implementations". An example:

Martin Fowler describes this pattern as one that "captures the memory of something interesting which affects the domain"cite web | last = Fowler | first = Martin | authorlink = Martin Fowler | title = Accounting Patterns | work = Analysis Pattern | url = http://www.martinfowler.com/apsupp/accounting.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2007-01-31 ] .

Describing an Analysis Pattern

Fowler does not detail in his book a formal way to write or to describe analysis patterns. Suggestions have been raised since to have a consistent and uniform format for describing them. Most of them are based on the work from Erich Gamma, Frank Buschmann and Christopher Alexander on patterns (in architecture or computer science). One of them, proposed by Hahslercite web | last = Hahsler| first = Michael | coauthors = Geyer-Schulz, Andreas | title = Software Engineering with Analysis Patterns | url = http://wwwai.wu-wien.ac.at/~hahsler/research/virlib_working2001/virlib/ | year = 2001 | month = November | accessdate = 2007-02-01 ] , has the following structure:

* Pattern name: a pattern name should really reflect the meaning of what it is abstracting. It should be simple so that one can refer to it during analysis.
* Intent: the intent aims to describe the goal the pattern is trying to achieve. It should also describe the problem it tries to solve.
* Motivation: "A scenario that illustrates the problem and how the analysis pattern contributes to the solution in the concrete scenario"cite book | first = Erich | last = Gamma | authorlink = Erich Gamma | coauthors = Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides | year = 1995 | title = | others = hardcover, 395 pages | publisher = Addison-Wesley | id = ISBN 0-201-63361-2 ]
* Forces and context: "Discussion of forces and tensions which should be resolved by the analysis pattern"cite book | first = Christopher | last = Alexander | authorlink = Christopher Alexander | year = 1979 | title = The Timeless Way of Building, volume 1 of Center for Environmental Structure Series | location = New York | publisher = Oxford University Press | id = ISBN 0195024028 ]
* Solution: "Description of solution and of the balance of forces achieved by the analysis pattern in the scenario in the motivation section. Includes all relevant structural and behavioural aspects of the analysis pattern."
* Consequences: this should emphasise how the goal is achieved by the analysis pattern with its limitation.
* Design: Suggestions of design implementations of this pattern.
* Known uses: Real world examples of this pattern usage.

See also

* Design pattern (computer science)
* Object-oriented analysis and design
* Problem frames approach is another approach to software requirements analysis.
* Role class model an example of analysis pattern applied to the role concept.
* Requirements analysis

References

Further reading

* cite paper
author = Haitham, Hamza and Fayad, Mohamed E.
title = A Pattern Language for Building Stable Analysis Patterns
publisher = Computer Science and Engineering Dept., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
date = 2002
url = http://hillside.net/plop/plop2002/final/PLoP02-A%20Pattern%20Language%20for%20Building%20Stable%20Analysis%20Pattern.fnl.pdf
format = PDF
accessdate = 2007-01-31 This paper on pattern language for analysis pattern was presented at the PLoP 2002 ("Pattern Languages Of Programs" annual conference)
* cite book
first = Frank
last = Buschmann
coauthors = Regine Meunier, Hans Rohnert, Peter Sommerlad, and Michael Stal
year = 1996
title = Pattern-oriented Software Architecture, Volume 1: A System of Patterns
publisher = John Wiley & Sons
id = ISBN 0-471-95869-7

External links

* [http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/patterns-intro.html Patterns and Software: Essential Concepts and Terminology]
* [http://www.martinfowler.com/articles.html#id2251582 A list of analysis pattern examples by Martin Fowler]