| dc.description.abstract | Specification languages usually can provide simple abstract descriptions of complex behaviors of software systems. A large number of specification languages have been introduced for software development. One categorization of specification languages is formal vs. informal. Z and UML are the well-known formal and informal objectoriented specification languages, respectively. In this thesis, related work on Z and UML is reviewed. An overview of Z and UML is also provided. Z and UML are compared from the language aspects based on a set of criteria. In order to provide a practical basis, Z and UML are also compared, based on another set of criteria, using two classic case studies: the library database system and the elevator concurrent control system. The results of the comparison carried out in this thesis are listed. Z is a formal specification language. Specifications in Z are abstract and are based on mathematical definition. Z is mature and there are lots of tools to support it. UML is an informal objectoriented specification language. UML notations are icons, graphics, and English. Specifications in UML are easy to understand, but have the potential to be ambiguous. UML is getting more popular now and there are lots of tools to support UML. In addition to the theoretical comparison, Z and UML are compared using two classic case studies: the library database system and the elevator concurrent control system. The practical experience revealed that UML provided a good approach to modeling the main concepts using use case diagrams, collaboration diagrams, and state diagrams, while Z provided a precise model for specification of the problem. Z and UML appear to be complementary. Combining Z and UML in different phases and aspects is the recommended approach. | |
