UML Design Tools
With Scriptable HTML Reports

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa -- December 22, 1997 -- Excel Software is pleased to
announce availability of major upgrades to its software engineering
products for Windows 95, Windows NT and Macintosh. WinA&D 2.0 and MacA&D
6.1 add complete Unified Modeling Language (UML) support to existing system
analysis, software design and code generation capabilities. UML was created
by the joint efforts of leading object technologists and represents a
convergence of several object-oriented analysis and design methods
including Booch, OMT and Jacobson's OOSE. The new WinA&D and MacA&D
products offer extensive integration with HTML documents and allow custom
scriptable HTML reports.

The full UML notation includes use case diagrams and descriptions, class
and package diagrams, state diagrams, collaboration and sequence style
interaction diagrams, activity diagrams and deployment diagrams. Each use
case represents a typical interaction between a user or external agent and
the system being designed. A use case can be linked to analysis, design,
specification or code files allowing two-way traceability. Class diagrams
show the static structure of classes and their relationships expressed with
the UML notation. Each class on a diagram can optionally show its name,
attributes without or without data types, and/or operations with or without
arguments. State and activity diagrams are very useful in the design of
multi-tasking systems to illustrate states, events and concurrent
transition threads. Interaction diagrams show messages being passed between
object instances. Deployment diagrams show the configuration of run-time
processing elements. All diagram types support the package concept so
complex designs can be split into multiple diagram levels.

An HTML report can be generated from any design work done within MacA&D or
WinA&D, making it accessible to a web browser or word processor such as
Microsoft Word 97. The scriptable report generator enables the user to
generate custom reports.

HTML documents can be tightly integrated with objects on each type of
diagram using popular browsers like Netscape or Internet Explorer. Other
applications can be launched from MacA&D or WinA&D using configurable menu
commands. A path object on any diagram can be linked to a foreign document.
The Alignment dialog is a new feature used to evenly align or distribute
selected diagram objects.

MacA&D and WinA&D include an extensive, step-by-step tutorial for a sample
project using the UML notation. Users can generate HTML reports from
supplied scripts or follow the step-by-step tutorial to script their own
custom reports. Over a dozen sample projects with printed tutorials
illustrate other popular methods and features supported by these tools.
Each product includes a printed User's Guide, Introduction & Tutorials
Guide and What's New Guide, plus on-line help.

WinA&D 2.0 is available in three product options, WinA&D Desktop at $1295,
WinA&D Educational at $845 or WinA&D Developer at $1995. WinA&D is a 32 bit
application that requires Windows 95 or Windows NT. MacA&D 6.1 at $1995
runs on Macintosh 68k or PPC. MacAnalyst contains the system analysis and
top level design features of MacA&D, without the detailed design, code
generation or HTML report capabilities and is priced at $995. Each product
can be purchased by single user, 5 User Site or Unlimited User Site license.

Excel products are available through DevDepot
(http://www.devdepot.com), mailto:orders@devdepot.com, Toll free:
800-MACDEV-1, Outside US/Canada: 805-494-9797, Fax: 805-494-9798.

For Information Contact:

Excel Software
Ph: (515) 752-5359
Fax: (515) 752-2435
Web: http://www.excelsoftware.com
Email: info@excelsoftware.com