Hermxx

Keywords: business process modeling, data modeling, entity relationship, HERM, Storyboards

Affiliation: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU)

Area of Application

Modeling is a science and an art. Choosing the right tool(s) as an instrument is important for the communication between developers and users. This tool "HERMxx" allows the user to get access of the following arts of modelling for developing and designing systems and their processes.

 

  • HERM (Higher Order Entity Relationship Model)
    • The area of application of this aspect is data modeling.
      The Higher-Order-Entity-Relationship-Model (HERM) is an extension of the classical ER model and was developed by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Thalheim in "Entity-Relationship Modeling: Foundations of Database Technology". It allows the use of nested attributes, hierarchical relation types and cluster types as well as their integrity conditions.

 

  • BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation)
    • While HERM is responsible for data modeling, BPMN focuses on business processes. BPMN as a language graphically represents processes using defined symbols. The current version can use BPMN 2.0.

 

  • Story Board
    • Story Board's are used to visualize a concept or user interfaces. It allows a different view of the data and includes the user.

Abstract

Modeling is a science and an art. Choosing the right tool(s) as an instrument is important for communication between developers and users. Before the start of development, a project should be analyzed and designed in order to allow later programming. This requires certain perspectives on the project. HERMxx allows the presentation of some possible views through the above mentioned tools. Each tool represents different aspects of modeling1. Through the different tools within HERMxx not only different views on data and processes are considered, but also aspects on different levels. This supports developers not only in programming, but also in communication with customers and project participants as well as in project validation.

 

1: At the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU) we have developed our own understanding of models and tools ("Kiel Approach of Science and Art of Modelling, https://www.is.informatik.uni-kiel.de/is/verschiedenes/mmm/).