copy code,drag or close
Understanding the scope and uses of modeling tools is vital, but many commentators over- rate e.g. UML. UML has limited usefulness for designing the relational Database layer; in fact E-R and DFD, combined with ORM techniques are still the preferred realistic choice for many.
The desire to understand and appreciate the role of architecture has led many to over-emphasis the importance and usefulness of what are essentially drawing tools.
From a developers perspective there are many times where it is essential to be able to get a "bigger picture" that no one tool, technique or methodology can provide.
To be able to view some page code (USL), step into the BLL, then to the DAL, then to the SPROC, then to the related tables, then to one of perhaps several E-R diagrams.
The truth of the matter is that these are abstractions, many of which are useful and practical enough that we think of them as different levels or layers.
This does work, but again only to point.
I am yet to spend much time with Visual Studio Team Edition for Architects, my only excuse is that I have been constantly cutting code and developing over the last year. However it seems that Visio has disappeared and been "absorbed into" into the Architects version.
I eagerly await a chance to see if has made the entire soup to nuts process a lot more integrated and in particular whether it has true two way synchronized engineering.
Whilst for many years others have provided for forward and reverse engineering none seemed to offer both and more importantly for us one man army types, the ability to do both at anytime without loosing, overwriting or sacrificing any work, some sore memories flood back.