Explanation of the UML arrows

Here‘s some explanations from the Visual Studio 2015 docs:

UML Class Diagrams: Reference: https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/dd409437%28VS.140%29.aspx

5: Association: A relationship between the members of two classifiers.

5a: Aggregation: An association representing a shared ownership relationship. The Aggregation property of the owner role is set to Shared.

5b: Composition: An association representing a whole-part relationship. The Aggregation property of the owner role is set to Composite.

9: Generalization: The specific classifier inherits part of its definition from the general classifier. The general classifier is at the arrow end of the connector. Attributes, associations, and operations are inherited by the specific classifier. Use the Inheritance tool to create a generalization between two classifiers.

13: Import: A relationship between packages, indicating that one package includes all the definitions of another.

14: Dependency: The definition or implementation of the dependent classifier might change if the classifier at the arrowhead end is changed.

15: Realization: The class implements the operations and attributes defined by the interface. Use the Inheritance tool to create a realization between a class and an interface.

16: Realization: An alternative presentation of the same relationship. The label on the lollipop symbol identifies the interface.

UML Class Diagrams: Guidelines: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/dd409416%28VS.140%29.aspx

Properties of an Association

Aggregation: This appears as a diamond shape at one end of the connector. You can use it to indicate that instances at the aggregating role own or contain instances of the other.

Is Navigable: If true for only one role, an arrow appears in the navigable direction. You can use this to indicate navigability of links and database relations in the software.

Generalization: Generalization means that the specializing or derived type inherits attributes, operations, and associations of the general or base type. The general type appears at the arrowhead end of the relationship.

Realization: Realization means that a class implements the attributes and operations specified by the interface. The interface is at the arrow end of the connector.

Let me know if you have more questions. 

UML Designers have been removed; Layer Designer now supports live architectural analysis

We are removing the UML designers from Visual Studio “15” Enterprise. Removing a feature is always a hard decision, but we want to ensure that our resources are invested in features that deliver the most customer value.  Our reasons are twofold:

1. On examining telemetry data, we found that the designers were being used by very few customers, and this was confirmed when we consulted with our sales and technical support teams.
2. We were also faced with investing significant engineering resource to react to changes happening in the Visual Studio core for this release.

If you are a significant user of the UML designers, you can continue to use Visual Studio 2015 or earlier versions, whilst you decide on an alternative tool for your UML needs.