Microsoft Announces Widespread Availability of Visual Modeler

REDMOND, Wash., March 18, 1997 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Microsoft® Visual Modeler, a modeling tool for representing large-scale component-based applications and a key component of the Enterprise Editions of the Microsoft Visual Tools, will be available for download from the Microsoft World Wide Web site on Wednesday, March 19. Visual Modeler, which is the result of a several year marketing and development collaboration with Rational Software Corp., enables enterprise developers to automate component-based development of applications for the enterprise and the Internet.

Microsoft Visual Modeler will be available tomorrow for customers using the Enterprise Editions of the Visual Basic® 5.0 programming system and the Visual Studio
™
97 development tools, and will be downloadable from a secure Enterprise Edition user Web site accessible from the home pages for Visual Basic and Visual Studio at http://www.microsoft.com/vbasic/ and http://www.microsoft.com/vstudio/ , respectively. In addition, Visual Modeler is scheduled to be available soon for users of the Enterprise Edition of the Visual C++® development system version 5.0.

“As developers using Microsoft Visual Tools move into high gear developing multitiered and enterprise applications, modeling becomes an essential, time-saving task,” said Paul Gross, vice president of developer tools at Microsoft. “Visual Modeler lets developers move quickly from the design to the implementation phase, in a familiar iterative manner, creating component-based business applications.”

Essential Modeling Task Now More Accessible

Visual Modeler provides tools for the design and implementation of component-based applications. By combining component-based design techniques with Microsoft Visual Tools, Visual Modeler enables the following:

  • Reuse. Reuse capabilities allow developers to create models from existing components and applications.

  • Tight integration with Visual Basic and the Visual FoxPro

    ™

    database management system.
    Round-trip engineering facilities keep designs synchronized with code and class libraries or modules, ensuring that the model and the application remain synchronized.

  • Multitiered architecture support. This support provides visual application partitioning for architectures most often found in successful business applications.

New Visual Modeler Connection Wizards for Users of Visual FoxPro 5.0

Developers using Microsoft Visual FoxPro 5.0 will further benefit from the Visual Modeler technology with the addition of Visual Modeler Connection Wizards, currently in beta and downloadable from http://www.microsoft.com/vfoxpro/ The Code Generation Wizard enables developers to take either Visual Modeler or Rational Rose object models and translate object designs into Visual FoxPro 5.0 class libraries and the Reverse Engineering Wizard will translate Visual FoxPro 5.0 class libraries into object designs. This capability enables developers to move quickly from the model to the implementation phase in designing complex component-based applications.

Visual Modeler Supports Industry Standards

Microsoft Visual Modeler supports an easy-to-learn subset of the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Developed at Rational and endorsed by Microsoft and other industry leaders, the UML defines a graphical language for describing various components of a software system.

“Modeling is essential to automating component-based development,” said Mike Devlin, president of Rational. “Visual modeling makes it possible for developers to manage the complexity of component-based development with an architecture-driven approach. We are excited to see the years of joint development work come to fruition with the release of Visual Modeler. Microsoft and Rational’s collaborative efforts will provide customers with an open, comprehensive solution for automating the creation of component-based solutions for enterprise and Internet applications.”

Widespread Modeling Industry Support Allows for Highest Level of Interoperability

Leading modeling vendors have pledged support to the enterprise initiative to develop a unified modeling language (UML) information model. The UML information model will allow interoperability with designs created in the Microsoft Visual Modeler through the Microsoft Repository 1.0. This interoperability will enable teams of corporate developers to share models developed with different modeling tools easily, enabling higher-quality component-based application development and reuse. Currently, more than 20 vendors including LogicWorks Inc., Popkin Software and Systems Inc. and Rational Software Corp. support the initiative. A complete listing of these vendors appears below.

Advanced Software Technologies Inc.

Graphical Designer

(http://www.advancedsw.com/)

CASEwise Systems Inc.

Modeler

(http://www.casewise.com/)

Cayenne Software Inc.

ObjectTeam, GroundWorks, Terrain

(http://www.cayennesoft.com/)

Evergreen Software Tools Inc.

EasyER EasyOBJECT

(http://www.esti.com/)

ICON Computing Inc.

Headstart, Catalysis

(http://www.iconcomp.com/)

IntelliCorp Inc.

LiveModel SAP R/3 Edition

(http://www.intellicorp.com/)

INTERSOLV Inc.

Allegris Series, AppMaster Designer

(http://www.intersolv.com/)

LogicWorks Inc.

Erwin

(http://www.logicworks.com/)

PLATINUM technology inc.

PLATINUM Paradigm Plus

(http://www.platinum.com/)

Popkin Software and Systems Inc.

System Architect, SA/BPR and

SA/Object Architect

(http://www.popkin.com/)

Rational Software Corp.

Rational Rose for Visual Basic

(http://www.rational.com/)

Riverton Software Corp.

HOW

(http://www.riverton.com/)

SELECT Software Tools Inc.

SELECT Enterprise

(http://www.selectst.com/)

Siemens-Nixdorf Information Systems Inc.

ComUnity Visual Framework

(http://www.sni-usa.com/)

Softlab

Enabler

(http://www.softlabna.com/)

Software One Ltd.

Software One EXCHANGE

(http://www.software1.com/)

Sterling Software Inc.

KEY:Workgroup

(http://www.key.sterling.com/)

Sybase Inc.

Powersoft S-Designor

(http://www.powersoft.com/)

Texas Instruments Software

Composer

(http://www.ti.com/software/)

Vision Software Tools Inc.

Vision Builder

(http://www.vision-soft.com/)

Visio Corp.

Visio Professional

(http://www.visio.com/)

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, Visual Basic, Visual Studio, Visual C++ and Visual FoxPro are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.


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