openEHR 1.0.2 UML resources

Owned by Thomas Beale
Last updated: 20-Apr-2012Version comment
2 min read

Status

This page provides up-to-date UML modelling resources corresponding to the 1.0.2 release of openEHR.

The Reference Model and Data Types: archetyping view

Below are UML diagrams showing the openEHR Reference Model (minus Data Types), the Data Types, the Demographic model, and the EHR Extract model respectively (in openEHR we call all of this the 'RM'). These views are simplified for the purpose of showing which classes are of interest to archetyping. This is a subset (around 65%) of the total classes defined by openEHR. In some of the classes that are shown, a few properties and most operations are hidden.

It is expected that there will be changes to these models as we move to a openEHR 2.x release. These are discussed here and here .

Tooling information and XMI files are below.

Numerous archetypes have been done of the core RM, DT and Demographic part of the openEHR Reference Model, as can be seen on the openEHR CKM. Examples of ADL 1.5 archetypes and templates are here, and can be viewed in the ADL Workbench .

Reference Model

In the following reference model, some key classes like LOCATABLE, from which nearly every other class inherits (not data types) and FEEDER_AUDIT are not shown. Concrete classes relevant to archetyping are shown.  

Data Types

The following diagram removes most operations and a few inherited classes providing semantics to the DV_INTERVAL and date/time classes but is otherwise all-inclusive of the openEHR data types. 

Demograpics

The following shows the Demographic model in the UML tool. It is a sub-optimal (but nevertheless, processable, due to being in the XMI, below) rendering, so for a more faithful image, see here . 

EHR Extract

The following shows the EHR Extract model in the UML tool. It is a sub-optimal (but nevertheless, processable, due to being in the XMI, below) rendering, so for a more faithful image, see here . 

Tool Information

The above diagrams were done using release 5.0.1 of the BOUML UML tool (Windows version) by Thomas Beale. (This tool was originally free, now commercial - €50 / seat). The vast majority of the model definition was done by Eric Browne using a previous release of the same tool. The following XMI 2.x file was generated by the tool and slightly hand-corrected by me, according to fixes advised by Dave Carlson and Michael van der Zel. This file should import correctly into Enterprise Architect 9.3 (don't use earlier versions!) at least.

Limitations: the UML models suffer from the usual limitations of UML tools: imperfect representation of generic types and type binding. The models also do not yet include the class invariants which are used ubiquitously in the openEHR specifications. These may be transcribed to OCL in the future, but it is unclear if the BOUML tool (or indeed most other UML tools) is sufficiently strong for doing this work.

Other XMI generations are possible with this tool. We probably need to rely on people with different UML tools to validate the various XMI possibilities.