The new Architecture Explorer enables individuals to create a visual representation of existing code assets.
From MSDN (with added commentary….)
Modeling that Works with Code
For most businesses only about 20% of the code being written today is for new applications;
(DDN: Not true 100% however that is about right for budgets which is likely what they meant anyway).
the majority of work is being done on existing code bases. A typical issue encountered when working on existing code is not having good tools to help the architect or developer understand the system.
(DDN: Uh.. How about no regression tests? How about no mandate for reuse, framework API quality, etc. etc.? Sure lets not talk about the why, just the ways we can profit from it)
This can make it challenging to not only understand what needs to be done to make the required changes, but it makes it equally challenging to understand the broader impact of the changes. Often it isn’t until much later that an unexpected bug is discovered as a result of a change.
Our modeling tools have tight integration into the actual code of the application. This means that a developer or architect can use models to explore existing code assets.
Ugh.. Rational Round Trip UML nightmare but this should be part of your world at a minimum from code to view.
The new Architecture Explorer in Visual Studio Team System gives developers and architects the capability of creating a full architectural picture of existing code; understanding how they fit together; understanding how they “work.” This leads to better information about how to use, re-use, or even whether or not to discard existing code. The Architecture Explorer provides architects and developers a mechanism for visualizing code assets in a number of ways including graphs, stacked diagrams and dependency matrices.
DDN: OK now I am officially getting scared… I can see all the developers saying ‘look ma! I’m an architect!’
The introduction of the Architecture Layer Diagram means that a developer or architect can use models to enforce constraints on code as well. The Architecture Layer Diagram can be coupled to code making it an active diagram that can be used for validation.
For example, when an architect designs a system where the presentation layer should not talk to the data layer, you want to be able to enforce that model at check-in.
DDN: Oh my god was that last sentence serious? As if that would be a real interesting case?
VSTS 2010 can do that. These capabilities delivered in VSTS 2010 are part of the Microsoft’s overall modeling story.
Learn more about modeling by watching the Trends in Software Modeling webcast featuring Jeffrey Hammond (Forrester Research), Cameron Skinner (Microsoft, Visual Studio Team System), and Clemens Reijnen (Sogeti).
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