Month Year Issue

August 2001 Issue: 21

Journal of Conceptual Modeling
www.inconcept.com/jcm

MS VSEA ORM CASE
by Scot A. Becker

MS VSEA ORM CASE

With the release of the new Microsoft ORM tool, I am perplexed to find a convenient way to refer to it. It hadn't occurred to me until I tried to write about it for this very issue.

You see, the old tool was an individual executable and that executable had a name (first "InfoModeler" and then, later, "VisioModeler"). Sure, some of us were lazy and abbreviated it as "IM" or "VM" but still, you could talk about it.

Then, the ORM solution was moved into a Visio stencil. You then had to refer to the tool as being the "ORM Solution of Visio Enterprise 2000".

ORM experts will recognize this as a reference mode situation. At first, the product name was good enough to uniquely identify your ORM tool. Then, you had to supply a compound, or co-referenced reference mode. For example, we need the product name ("Visio", or "Visio Enterprise"), version ("2000"), and stencil ("ORM").

Now, the ORM solution is included with the Enterprise Architect edition of the new version Visual Studio. You see, when you install this version of the .NET development platform, you get a copy of Visio 2002 Professional and the ORM and UML solutions. So now, the reference mode has expanded to include: the product name (Visual Studio), version (.NET), edition (Enterprise Architect), and stencil (ORM). Of course, for clarity sake, you can't just refer to a "stencil" without mentioning that it is a "Visio", or better yet, a "Visio 2002 Professional" stencil.

Therefore, the product name, for the sake of precisely writing about it, is now... ahem:

"Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect Visio 2002 Professional ORM Solution".

You'll forgive me if I don't abbreviate that to "VS.NET EA V2002 Pro ORM".

A free subscription to the JCM will go to the first person who figures out a brief, convenient, and precise way to refer to this product.

The Beta is Pretty Good

While you are thinking about that, don't forget to read about the new tool in this issue. We have 3 articles which discuss various features of it.

I've been using the new tool (in beta) side by side with VisioModeler at my client sites, and it is holding up pretty well. It's different than VisioModeler, but I think it is ready for "prime time", so to speak.

There is a lot to good things that can arise from the tool now being (usable) in the Visio platform. Stay tuned, I think you'll see some cool stuff develop from all of this.

Preface

This issue of the JCM includes Dr. Halpin's next installment on the new Microsoft ORM tool, Patrick Hallock's discussion of re-usable conceptual model components, Scot Becker's new tool primer for experienced VisioModeler users, Adrian Miley's next installment on meta-modeled domain validation, an article on workflow flexibility by Maxim Khomyakov and Ilia Bider, and Dr. Sharp's new analysis problem and last issue's solution.

Scot A. Becker is a software consultant and the founder of Orthogonal Software Corporation. He is also a certified ORM consultant and trainer, a certified Visio trainer, and former Editor of the Journal of Conceptual Modeling.

Contact Information:

Scot A. Becker
Orthogonal Software Corporation
scot@orthogonalsoftware.com
www.orthogonalsoftware.com