SysML(Systems Modeling Language) is best known for providing graphical representations with a semantic foundation for modeling system requirements, behavior, structure, and parametrics, which is used to integrate with other engineering analysis models.
SysML is particularly useful for composing diagrams such as requirement diagrams, which is a static structural diagram that shows the relationships among requirement constructs, model elements that satisfy them, and test cases that verify them.
The purpose of requirement diagrams is to specify both functional and non-functional requirements within the model so that they can be traced to other model elements that satisfy them and test cases that verify them.
A use case diagram on the other hand shows communications among system transactions and external users in the context of a system boundary. Actors may represent wetware software systems, or hardware systems. Defining relationships between the system subject and the system actors is an effective informal way to define system scope.
SysML is the overwhelming choice of systems engineers because it can be used to type a wide range of basic structural elements by their values and can also include information about associated quantity kinds and units of measure.
ValueTypes are applied to type many structural elements in a SysML model, including:
- Blocks: Value Properties, Operation parameters & return values, atomic Flow Ports
- Associations/Connectors: ItemFlows, Item properties
- Activities: ObjectNodes, Pins, Activity Parameters
- ConstraintBlocks: Constraint parameters
According to the OMG (Object Management Group), SysML defines three kinds of ValueTypes:
- has no internal structure. SysML pre-defines four Primitive ValueTypes (String, Boolean, Integer, Real) and you can define more as needed.
- has internal structure, defined as Value Properties, and can be recursively nested.
- is a list of literal string values, equivalent to a UML (Unified Modeling Language) Enumeration.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers SysML Training, a 3-day course that provides participants with technical details of SysML as a systems engineering modeling language. The syntax of SysML is covered and each concept is explained through a number of hands-on practical application workshops and a complete SysML v1.3 Reference Guide.
Tonex also offers another 20 courses in MBSE Training, including:
MBSE Fundamentals for DoD (3 days)
Hands-On MBSE Training (3 days)
MBSE Training Crash Course (4 days)
Model Based Testing Training Workshop (3 days)
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