| Repository Support |
• Does the tool allow you to share components of a model with other developers?
• What type of datastore is used for the repository? |
| Round-Trip Engineering |
• Can you generate source code from your model?
• Can you create a model from your source code?
• Does the tool preserve your source code the way you want it to? |
| HTML Documentation |
• Can you create usable HTML documentation for your model?
• Is the HTML created in a reasonable amount of time? |
| Full UML 1.3 Support |
• Does the tool at least support the following diagrams:
Use Case, Class, Collaboration, Sequence, Package, and State |
| Pick Lists |
• On a sequence diagram, can you select a message from a list of valid messages for an object?
• On a class diagram, can you select a class to import from a list of classes in a package? |
| Data Modeling Integration |
• Does the tool provide facilities for creating a data model from the object model? |
| Versioning |
• Can you preserve and restore versions of your object model? |
| Model Navigation |
• Does the tool provide a directory of all the classes in your model?
• Can you use easily zoom and pan in the diagram viewer to get to the area of interest? |
| Printing Support |
• Is it easy to print out the diagrams in the model?
• Can a diagram be fit to the size of a page? |
| Diagram Views |
• Can detail be easily shown or hidden on a class diagram? |
| Exporting Diagrams |
• Can diagrams be exported as GIF, PNG or JPEG files for embedding in other documents? |
| Scripting |
• Can you use scripting to access your model to produce reports and other artifacts?
• Can you write scripts in a popular scripting language such as Python or VB?
|
| Robustness |
• Does the tool crash?
• Does it cause the loss or corruption of a model? |
| Platform |
• On which platforms does the tool run? Unix, Windows or both?
• Is the user interface consistent across platforms? |
| New Releases |
• Does the vendor consistently produce new releases of the tool?
• Are new, useful features being added to the product? |
| Advanced Features |
| Integrated Editor |
• Can you navigate to the source code for the classes in your design?
• Can you edit the source code directly in the tool?
• Are changes in the source code reflected back to the model? |
| Auto-generation |
• Can the tool automate the generation of sequence diagrams based on a trace of running code? |
| Management Tools |
• Can the tool integrate with project management tools for tracking progress? |
| Metrics |
• Can you view metrics on your model? |
| SVG |
• Can the tool export diagrams in SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format? |
| XMI |
• Does the tool support export and import of models using XMI? |
