The most significant improvement is that Together now offers “role-based” modelling in the form of Together Designer and Together Developer. Together Designer is for analysts and architects, and provides tools to validate software design and model requirements, while Together Developer is (as you might guess) aimed at developers.
Some of the highlights include:
- Built-in design patterns and re-factoring tools
- Audits and metrics that help coding standards to be measured and tracked
- Built-in unit testing
- Automatic document generation
- Improved workflow management and communication
Of course the new features are in addition to the original range of features and functions, including the LiveSource reverse-engineering technology that provides the “round-trip” capabilities that keeps models and code synchronised at all times. It also supports UML 1.4 and UML 2.0 diagramming. UML 2.0 has significant improvements, including the ability to model very large software systems, better-defined UML run-time semantics, modelling concepts to support automation and support of component-based architecture design.
Perhaps the most important aspect of Together 3.0 is that it brings UML 2.0 model-based design to Visual Studio now rather than later. How it fits in with Microsoft’s own design tools only time will tell. Naturally it integrates with Borland’s full range of “life cycle” tools.
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