IBM Rational® Rose® XDE® enables architects and designers to practice model-driven development with the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Users can produce platform independent models of software architecture, business needs, reusable assets, and management-level communication. Industry standard UML support and a powerful pattern engine allow users to create a semantically rich application architecture that meets business needs and is readily understood by the development team. Architects and designers can use Rational Rose XDE Modeler's multimodel support to separate concerns of analysis, architecture, design and implementation. Developers can use architectural models and patterns as the basis for implementation, thereby accelerating the development of applications to conform to their architecture.

This tool provides support for the activities of the following team members: Designer, Implementer, Integrator and Software Architect.

To gain the full benefits from this tool, users need to have the following skills:-

• Object Orientation
• Unified Modelling Language

Training for this tool can be found in the following courses:-

• Essentials of Rational XDE for Java
• Essentials of Developing VB.NET Applications with Rational XDE
• Essentials of Visual Modelling with UML

IBM Rational Rose XDED provides:-

• Model-driven development with UML support
• Multiple model support for Model-Driven Architecture (MDA)
• Runs either stand-alone orintegrated with IBM WebSphereor Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
• Create platform-independent archi­tectures that can be implemented on Java and .NET platforms
• User definable patterns to create, customize, and leverage architectural design patterns
• Cross-model references and versioning down to the class and diagram level allow structuring to fit any project
• Maintain traceability between analysis, design, and implementation models
• Free-form modeling
• Web publishing and reporting