Better Software - March 2008 - (Page 42)

on the following heuristics: Can this requirement category impact the context of a use case? and Is this requirement category sufficiently scattered, affecting more than one to two use cases? As a result, we identified the following list of crosscutting concerns: • User Roles—In the HMS application, different users can have different privileges (user roles). Depending on her user role, a given user can or cannot execute some use cases. • Status—Some entities in the HMS application—e.g., reservation, company, bank, or travel group—have a certain lifecycle composed of different statuses. Some use cases can or cannot be executed depending on a status of the related entity. Hence, the system should validate the entity status before allowing the user to execute such use cases. • Field Validation—This concern relates to validating individual data-entry fields. If validation fails, a use case’s flow is interrupted and the system responds with an error message asking the user to correct data. • Data Dependency—This concern relates to validating a combination of two or more fields. Even if individual fields have passed their field validation, their combination might fail the data dependency validation. Again, if validation fails, the use case scenario is interrupted. • Concurrency Control—This concern relates to validating concurrent manipulation with the same data at the same time by more than one user. Failure of concurrency validation will result in the interruption of a use case scenario. • Connectivity—Most business applications have complex architectures composed of different components implementing front end, middleware, and back end. The connectivity among components is not always stable, which means that the front-end component can go into a disconnected state. The HMS system should implement generic functionality, first to validate whether the front end stays connected while a user completes a use case and, second, to define the alternative behavior in case the front end goes into a disconnected state. • System Interface—This concern relates to sending data to and receiving data from other systems, which is a part of many use cases—for example, a new reservation is sent from the HMS system to the central reservation system, or credit card charges are sent to a credit card vendor system. Figure 2: Test coverage by use cases 42 BETTER SOFTWARE MARCH 2008 www.StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Better Software - March 2008

Better Software - March 2008 Contents Mark Your Calendar Contributors eLightenment Technically Speaking Code Craft Test Connection Management Chronicles Cover Story: Breaking Ground On SOA Software Development Worst Practices Mind the Gap Product Announcements 10 Things You Might Not Know About... The Last Word Ad Index

Better Software - March 2008

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