Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.12
EAN: 9780201895421
ISBN: 0201895420
Label: Addison Wesley
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: November 27, 1996
Publisher: Addison Wesley
Studio: Addison Wesley

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
Besides general-purpose designs, patterns can be specific to particular areas of computing. Martin Fowler's Analysis Patterns: Reusable Object Models contributes to the literature of patterns by defining more than 70 patterns derived from the health care and financial areas.

The book begins with some intriguing patterns from the business world including the Party and Accountability patterns, which define the players in organisations and whom they report to. A considerable number of patterns are drawn from the health care industry--principally doctor-patient interactions--with patterns such as Observation, Measurement and Protocol. Obviously, these will be most applicable to object modellers who work in this industry (though, of course, patterns can often be used profitably in other fields).

The patterns for financial markets will probably be more interesting for most readers. Fowler defines a Transaction pattern (and related patterns) as well as several for the accounting of objects. He moves on to modelling stock markets with patterns for Portfolio, Quote and Scenario (which defines how a price for a stock is defined for a given moment). Interestingly, he defines patterns for Forward Contracts (for derivatives) as well as Options, and so takes on a complicated area of so much activity in today's financial markets.

The book benefits from the author's considerable design experience in these fields. The author defines each pattern in text and in software-engineering diagrams, but rarely provides implementations of these designs, Implementations that are included are in Smalltalk, making this a book for those experienced with object design. --Richard Dragan

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Patterns for Business/Systems Analyst
Analysis Patterns are fast catching Design Patterns as a modus operandi. This book not only presents analysis models that you can use from day 1, but also gives you an insight into a master analyst at work. I recommend all Martin Fowler's books, but this is a good place to start for the BA.

Rating:

- Excellent book for all analysts
This is simply an excellent book; quite possibly the best book I have read on analysis.

Martin Fowler cheats by actually being able to write. He has a very lucid prose style making this a very readable book (a strength that also manifests itself in his book UML Distilled) even though it deals with complex subjects.

The book deals with using patterns to address particular business areas. However, it has a great deal to offer anybody interested in analysis or modelling (whether they are working in the OO world or not) and provides one of the best explanations I have read of the purpose and objectives of modelling.

Each problem area is presented very clearly and a number of different solutions are presented at different levels of abstraction (and hence complexity) with lots of useful insight into the factors that would determine the appropriate model.

Analysis Patterns is a book that bears reading and re-reading. I frequently refer it as an excellent source of interesting ideas on ways of approaching complex modelling & analysis issues. I have never managed to take one of the patterns and apply it as is; however, the ideas and concepts expressed in the book influence many of my models (even when the business problem I am tackling initially appears to be entirely unrelated to any of the patterns).

Frankly, this is a book I wish I had written.

Rating:

- Excellent practical experience
This book is clearly derived from practical experience using OO analysis on real projects. Added to that the chapters are well structured and build upon each other nicely.

Upon first reading I immediately saw how the patterns reflected things I was seeing in my current project. Having read the book from beginning to end it now lives on my desk for regular reference during day to day work.

Rating:

- indispensable for those using OO analysis
I've got most of the books on patterns and find that this is the one I use the most. The writing is clear, the patterns address problems that I run into, and mostly the solutions are just what I need. This book is great to give to analysts who are having trouble agreeing with each other, because they often are persuaded by the book. It is great to give to analysts who are trying to master OO concepts, or to programmers who don't understand why things have to be so complicated. Everybody I know who has read it likes it. I just wish more people would read it!

The only thing I don't like about the book is the notation. I wish he had used UML. On the other hand, after you spend a few days with it, it isn't hard to understand. It is just one more notation.

Rating:

- Strong advocate for the domain analyst
The analysis model is often forgotten. Too often designers will do just that -- design, i.e., solve the problem before serious inquiry into requirements analysis. This book addresses that which is between the use-case and detailed design model. It is the domain analysis model. Fowler is an excellent student of M. Odell, and it's high time that Odell's thinking was made accessible to the domain analyst. Fowler's book is general enough to get across the point that it is how we think about the problem that is the important part of modeling, and not some arcane "modelling process" that is significant to methodologists. A note about reusability, as pertains the title: to my mind it is this thinking which Fowler describes that is a part of modelling that is reusable. The output of his thinking, the actual models in his examples deriving largely from the financial domain, could be in fact reused. But it is the thinking that is important. The only bad thing I can say about this book is that I fear, by its title, it may not reach its desired audience of the domain analyst, because these are, quite frankly, the scientist, the doctor, the finance expert, etc. that can really benefit from modelling since they have the in-depth knowledge of the domain. It is the job of whoever reads this book to spread the message. Power to the domain analyst!

Try searching the Internet for "Analysis Patterns Reusable Object Models (OBT)" or Ebay for "Analysis Patterns Reusable Object Models (OBT)".

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