SysML Distilled: A Brief Guide to the Systems Modeling Language

by Lenny Delligatti

Overview

The Systems Modeling Language (SysML) extends UML with powerful systems engineering capabilities for modeling a wider spectrum of systems and capturing all aspects of a system’s design.  SysML Distilled is the first clear, concise guide for everyone who wants to start creating effective SysML models.

(Drawing on his pioneering experience at Lockheed Martin and NASA, Lenny Delligatti illuminates SysML’s core components and provides practical advice to help you create good models and good designs. Delligatti begins with an easy-to-understand overview of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and an explanation of how SysML enables effective system specification, analysis, design, optimization, verification, and validation. Next, he shows how to use all nine types of SysML diagrams, even if you have no previous experience with modeling languages. A case study running through the text demonstrates the use of SysML in modeling a complex, real-world sociotechnical system.

Modeled after Martin Fowler’s classic UML Distilled, Delligatti’s indispensable guide quickly teaches you what you need to know to get started and helps you deepen your knowledge incrementally as the need arises. Like SysML itself, the book is method independent and is designed to support whatever processes, procedures, and tools you already use.

Coverage Includes

• Why SysML was created and the business case for using it
• Quickly putting SysML to practical use
• What to know before you start a SysML modeling project
• Essential concepts that apply to all SysML diagrams
• SysML diagram elements and relationships
• Diagramming block definitions, internal structures, use cases, activities, interactions, state machines, constraints, requirements, and packages
• Using allocations to define mappings among elements across a model
• SysML notation tables, version changes, and sources for more information

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780133430332
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	11/08/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	160,791
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Lenny Delligatti holds the OMG Certified Systems Modeling Professional (OCSMP): Model Builder Advanced certification. As a senior systems engineer with Lockheed Martin, he created SysML models for NASA’s Mission Control Center: 21st Century (MCC-21) project at Johnson Space Center. Lenny is a member of the Object Management Group (OMG) SysML Revision Task Force (RTF). He has delivered hundreds of hours of training to hundreds of systems and software engineers, enabling many to earn certifications and lead MBSE projects.

 

Table of Contents

Foreword by Rick Steiner         xvii

Foreword by Richard Soley         xix

Preface         xxv

Acknowledgments         xxxi

About the Author         xxxiii

 

Chapter 1: Overview of Model-Based Systems Engineering         1

1.1 What Is MBSE? 2

1.2 The Three Pillars of MBSE 4

1.3 The Myth of MBSE 9

 

Chapter 2: Overview of the Systems Modeling Language         11

2.1 What SysML Is–and Isn’t 11

2.2 Yes, SysML Is Based on UML–but You Can Start with SysML 13

2.3 SysML Diagram Overview 14

2.4 General Diagram Concepts 17

 

Chapter 3: Block Definition Diagrams         23

3.1   Purpose 23

3.2   When Should You Create a BDD? 24

3.3   The BDD Frame 24

3.4   Blocks 26

3.5   Associations: Another Notation for a Property 44

3.6   Generalizations 49

3.7   Dependencies 52

3.8   Actors 53

3.9   Value Types 55

3.10 Constraint Blocks 57

3.11 Comments 59

 

Chapter 4: Internal Block Diagrams         63

4.1   Purpose 63

4.2   When Should You Create an IBD? 64

4.3   Blocks, Revisited 64

4.4   The IBD Frame 65

4.5   BDDs and IBDs: Complementary Views of a Block 66

4.6   Part Properties 67

4.7   Reference Properties 67

4.8   Connectors 68

4.9   Item Flows 71

4.10 Nested Parts and References 72

 

Chapter 5: Use Case Diagrams         77

5.1   Purpose 77

5.2   When Should You Create a Use Case Diagram? 77

5.3   Wait! What’s a Use Case? 78

5.4   The Use Case Diagram Frame 81

5.5   Use Cases 82

5.6   System Boundary 83

5.7   Actors 83

5.8   Associating Actors with Use Cases 84

5.9   Base Use Cases 85

5.10 Included Use Cases 85

5.11 Extending Use Cases 87

 

Chapter 6: Activity Diagrams         89

6.1   Purpose 89

6.2   When Should You Create an Activity Diagram? 90

6.3   The Activity Diagram Frame 90

6.4   A Word about Token Flow 92

6.5   Actions: The Basics 93

6.6   Object Nodes 95

6.7   Edges 99

6.8   Actions, Revisited 102

6.9   Control Nodes 112

6.10 Activity Partitions: Allocating Behaviors to Structures 119

 

Chapter 7: Sequence Diagrams         123

7.1   Purpose 123

7.2   When Should You Create a Sequence Diagram? 124

7.3   The Sequence Diagram Frame 125

7.4   Lifelines 125

7.5   Messages 129

7.6   Destruction Occurrences 138

7.7   Execution Specifications 139

7.8   Constraints 141

7.9   Combined Fragments 144

7.10 Interaction Uses 151

 

Chapter 8: State Machine Diagrams         155

8.1 Purpose 155

8.2 When Should You Create a State Machine Diagram? 156

8.3 The State Machine Diagram Frame 156

8.4 States 158

8.5 Transitions 162

8.6 Pseudostates 171

8.7 Regions 173

 

Chapter 9: Parametric Diagrams         177

9.1 Purpose 177

9.2 When Should You Create a Parametric Diagram? 178

9.3 Blocks, Revisited 179

9.4 The Parametric Diagram Frame 182

9.5 Constraint Properties 184

9.6 Constraint Parameters 185

9.7 Value Properties 185

9.8 Binding Connectors 187

 

Chapter 10: Package Diagrams         189

10.1 Purpose 189

10.2 When Should You Create a Package Diagram? 190

10.3 The Package Diagram Frame 190

10.4 Notations for Namespace Containment 191

10.5 Dependencies between Packages 193

10.6 Importing Packages 193

10.7 Specialized Packages 194

10.8 Shades of Gray: Are You Looking at a Package Diagram or a Block Definition Diagram? 198

 

Chapter 11: Requirements Diagrams         201

11.1 Purpose 201

11.2 When Should You Create a Requirements Diagram? 202

11.3 The Requirements Diagram Frame 202

11.4 Requirements 204

11.5 Requirements Relationships 205

11.6 Notations for Requirements Relationships 209

11.7 Rationale 213

 

Chapter 12: Allocations: Cross-Cutting Relationships          215

12.1 Purpose 215

12.2 There’s No Such Thing as an Allocation Diagram 216

12.3 Uses for Allocation Relationships 216

12.4 Notations for Allocation Relationships 219

12.5 Rationale 224

 

Appendix A: SysML Notation Desk Reference         227

 

Appendix B: Changes between SysML Versions         245

 

Bibliography         253

 

Index          255

 

Editorial Reviews

In keeping with the outstanding tradition of Addison-Wesley’s technical publications, Lenny Delligatti’s SysML Distilled does not disappoint. Lenny has done a masterful job of capturing the spirit of OMG SysML as a practical, standards-based modeling language to help systems engineers address growing system complexity. This book is loaded with matter-of-fact insights, starting with basic MBSE concepts to distinguishing the subtle differences between use cases and scenarios to illumination on namespaces and SysML packages, and even speaks to some of the more esoteric SysML semantics such as token flows.”

–Jeff Estefan, Principal Engineer, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

“The power of a modeling language, such as SysML, is that it facilitates communication not only within systems engineering but across disciplines and across the development life cycle. Many languages have the potential to increase communication, but without an effective guide, they can fall short of that objective. In SysML Distilled, Lenny Delligatti combines just the right amount of technology with a common-sense approach to utilizing SysML toward achieving that communication. Having worked in systems and software engineering across many domains for the last 30 years, and having taught computer languages, UML, and SysML to many organizations and within the college setting, I find Lenny’s book an invaluable resource. He presents the concepts clearly and provides useful and pragmatic examples to get you off the ground quickly and enables you to be an effective modeler.”

–Thomas W. Fargnoli, Lead Member of the Engineering Staff, Lockheed Martin

“This book provides an excellent introduction to SysML. Lenny Delligatti’s explanations are concise and easy to understand; the examples well thought out and interesting.”

–Susanne Sherba, Senior Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, University of Denver

“Lenny hits the thin line between a reference book for SysML to look up elements and an entertaining book that could be read in its entirety to learn the language. A great book in the tradition of the famous UML Distilled.”

–Tim Weilkiens, CEO, oose

“More informative than a PowerPoint, less pedantic than an OMG Profile Specification, SysML Distilled offers practicing systems engineers just the right level of the motivation, concepts, and notation of pure OMG SysML for them to attain fluency with this graphical language for the specification and analysis of their practical and complex systems.”

–Lonnie VanZandt, chief architect, No Magic, Inc.

“Delligatti’s SysML Distilled is a most aptly named book; it represents the distillation of years of experience in teaching and using SysML in industrial settings. The author presents a very clear and highly readable view of this powerful but complex modeling language, illustrating its use via easy-to-follow practical examples. Although intended primarily as an introduction to SysML, I have no doubt that it will also serve as a handy reference for experienced practitioners.”

–Bran Selic, president, Malina Software Corp.

“SysML is a rather intimidating modeling language, but in this book Lenny makes it really easy to understand, and the advice throughout the book will help practitioners avoid numerous pitfalls and help them grasp and apply the core elements and the spirit of SysML. If you are planning on applying SysML, this is the book for you!”

–Celso Gonzalez, senior developer, IBM Rational

“SysML Distilled is a great book for engineers who are starting to delve into model-based systems engineering. The space system examples capture the imagination and express the concepts in a simple but effective way.”

–Matthew C. Hause, chief consulting engineer, Atego and chair, OMG UPDM Group

“I’ve been deeply involved with OMG since the 1990s, but my professional needs have not often taken me into the SysML realm. So I thought I’d be a good beta tester for Lenny’s book. To my delight, I learned a great deal reading through it, and I know you will too.”

–Doug Tolbert, distinguished engineer, Unisys, and member, OMG Board of Directors and Architecture Board

“SysML Distilled provides a clear and comprehensive description of the language component of model-based systems engineering, while offering suggestions for where to find information about the tool and methodology components. There is evidence throughout the book that the author has a deep understanding of SysML and its application in a system development process. I will definitely be using this as a textbook in the MBSE courses I teach.”

–J. D. Baker, OCUP, OCSMP, member of the OMG Architecture Board

“SysML Distilled is the desktop companion that many SysML modelers have needed for their bookshelves. Lenny has the experience and certifications to help you through your day-to-day modeling questions. This book is not a tutorial, nor is it the encyclopedic compendium of all things SysML. If you model using SysML, this will become your daily companion, as it is meant to be used regularly. I believe your copy will soon be dog-eared, with sticky notes throughout.”

–Dr. Robert Cloutier, Stevens Institute of Technology

“SysML is utilized today in a wide range of applications, including deep space robotic spacecraft and down-to-earth agricultural equipment. This book concisely presents SysML in a manner that is both refreshingly accessible for new learners and quite handy for seasoned practitioners.”

–Russell Peak, MBSE branch chief, Aerospace Systems Design Lab, Georgia Tech

“SysML Distilled is a wonderfully written, knowledgeable, and concise addition to systems modeling literature. The lucid explanations lead a newcomer by the hand into modeling reasonably complex systems, and the wealth and depth of the coverage of the most-used aspects of the SysML modeling language stretch to even enabling advanced intermediate depictions of most systems. It also serves as a handy reference. Kudos to Mr. Delligatti for gifting the world with this very approachable view of systems modeling.”

–Bobbin Teegarden, CTO/chief architect, OntoAge and Board Member, No Magic, Inc.

From the Publisher