Mappings between UML elements from Rational System Architect and Rational modeling products

This content applies to version 7.5.1 or later. When you import data from Rational® System Architect, and export data from other Rational modeling products to Rational System Architect, each product supports a subset of UML elements.

Element mappings when you import data from Rational System Architect into other Rational modeling products

When you import data from Rational System Architect, the other Rational modeling products support a subset of UML 2.1 elements.

The following table summarizes how UML elements from Rational System Architect map to UML elements in other Rational modeling products.

UML element in Rational System Architect UML 2.1 element in other Rational modeling products
Action state (in an activity) Opaque action
Action state (with embedded actions) Structured activity node
Action transition (in an activity) Control flow
Activity diagram Diagram owned by the activity that is generated from UML semantic elements
Activity model Activity
Actor (a class with the «actor» stereotype applied) Actor
Association of the following kinds: directed, bidirectional, aggregation, or composition Association of the appropriate kind
Association end Association member if the end is non-navigable, or a property owned by the class at the navigable end
Class with no stereotype applied Class
Class attribute Property owned by a class or interface
Class diagram Class diagram with relative symbol positioning
Collaboration diagram Communication diagram owned by the interaction, and generated from the UML semantic elements
Complex transition (in an activity) Join node
Decision node (in an activity) Decision node
Dependency relationship Dependency relationship
Diagram note, also called a description UML diagram note (no semantic element)
Extends relationship (between use cases) Extends relationship
Final node (in an activity) Final node
Formal parameter Parameter (owned by the operation)
Generalization relationship (between use cases) Generalization relationship
Includes relationship (between use cases) Includes relationship
Inherits from relationship (between classes) Generalization relationship
Initial node (in an activity) Initial node
Interface (class with the «interface» stereotype applied) Interface
Method Operation owned by a class or interface
Message (in a sequence diagram, with an associated method) Message (an asynchronous call)
Message (in a sequence diagram, without an associated method) Message (asynchronous signal)
Object (lifeline in sequence diagram) Lifeline
Organizational unit (swimlane in an activity) Activity partition
Package Package (hierarchy maintained)
Port Port (owned by a class)
Port link Connector (owned by a special collaboration for showing port connections)
Realizes relationship Realization relationship
Realizes relationship (with a target interface) Interface realization relationship
Sequence diagram Sequence diagram owned by the interaction, and generated from the UML semantic elements
One or more stereotypes applied to an element
For stereotypes that are applied to Rational System Architect elements, an equivalent stereotype is applied in the other Rational modeling products if both the following conditions are true:
  • The stereotype from Rational System Architect maps to an equivalent stereotype in a profile in the other Rational modeling products
  • The equivalent stereotype can be applied to the mapped UML element in the other Rational modeling products

Otherwise, the stereotype name from Rational System Architect is set as a keyword on the element in the other Rational modeling products.

Use case Use case
Use-case association Association
Use-case diagram Use-case diagram with relative symbol positioning

Element mappings when you export data from other Rational modeling products

When you export data from other Rational modeling products, Rational System Architect supports a subset of UML 2.1 elements.

The following table summarizes how UML elements from other Rational modeling products map to UML elements in Rational System Architect.

UML 2.1 element in other Rational modeling products UML element in Rational System Architect
Actor Actor (a class with the «actor» stereotype applied)
Association between classes and interfaces of the following kinds: none, aggregation, or composition Association of the corresponding kind
Association where one end involves a use case Use-case association
Association property owned by a class (navigable end), or a property owned by an association (non-navigable) Association end
Class Class with no stereotype applied
Connector between ports (either owned by a collaboration or a class) Port link

The export functionality in other Rational modeling products detects connectors between ports that are defined in collaboration elements or in classes, and creates corresponding port link definitions in the exported XML data. In version 11.2 and later of Rational System Architect, when you reconcile the data that you export from Rational modeling products, even though the semantic definitions for these port links exist in the Rational System Architect data encyclopedia, the exported port links are not displayed in class diagrams.

Extends relationship Extends relationship (between use cases)
Generalization relationship (between use cases) Generalization relationship (between use cases)
Generalization relationship (between classes or interfaces) Inherits from relationship (between classes)
Includes relationship Includes relationship (between use cases)
Interface Interface (a class with the «interface» stereotype applied)
Operation owned by a class or interface Method
Package Package (hierarchy maintained)
Parameter (owned by the operation) Formal parameter
Port (owned by class) Port
Property owned by a class or interface (a non-association property) Class attribute
Realization relationship Realizes relationship
Interface realization relationship Realizes relationship (with a target interface)
Stereotypes and keywords applied to an element Stereotype property

If only one stereotype or keyword was applied in the other Rational modeling products, the stereotype property, which is a string, contains the name of the stereotype or property. If multiple stereotypes or keywords are applied, the stereotype property is a comma-separated list that contains the corresponding names.

For actor and interface objects, the corresponding stereotype name is always at the beginning of this list.

Use case Use case

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