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Integrating Rhapsody® into Customer Platform

Complex development tasks, limited resources, and deadline pressure. To deal effectively with these challenges, the Research Department of Schindler recently switched to Model Driven Development with Rational Rhapsody® from IBM. EVOCEAN supported the project team in integrating the UML tool into the existing development infrastructure and target platform.

The Challenge

Schindler Aufzüge AG is a globally active manufacturer of elevators and escalators. Schindler owes its leading market position in part to its successful implementation of new technologies. But time cycles for developing new products and bringing them to market are being squeezed more tightly even as cost pressure grows. To meet these challenges with limited resources, the company decided early in 2008 to create a consistent and transparent development environment. An important consideration was the ability to rapidly implement the new solution into existing infrastructures.

The Solution

An analysis of the situation showed that the only way to achieve the ambitious goals was by using Model Driven Development with Rational Rhapsody®. This UML-based tool ensures a completely consistent reusable model up to and including the code on the target platform and integrated debugging.

  • UML with Rational Rhapsody® from IBM
  • Target platform with Coldfire and several CAN interfaces
  • IDE GNU / C++
  • RTOS eCosCentric
  • Lauterbach Trace32 debugger.

Seamless integration gives users the best of both worlds by combining the advantages of Model Driven Development with those of traditional debugging.

  • Early testing of the application thanks to executable models (can be used hardware-independently)
  • Complete code generation from models to target platform
  • Direct switching from model debugging to hardware debugging.

The Role of EVOCEAN

EVOCEAN is an “Advanced Business Partner” of IBM in Switzerland. As a Rational Rhapsody® competence center, we have not only access to all tools, but also to the internal know-how and knowledge pool of the Rhapsody® developers. Our team of consultants has broad technical knowledge and many years of experience in the area of Model Driven Development.

This background allowed us to provide highly effective support for Schindler in integrating Rhapsody®:

  • Consulting to select a development environment
  • Clarification of outstanding items and risk evaluations
  • Comprehensive checklists for starting a project efficiently

Integration of Rational Rhapsody® into customer specific development environments and target platform

  • On-site integration and on-the-job training
  • Know-how transfer and exchange of experience
  • Fixed cost and schedule.

Added Value for Customers

Model Driven Development with Rational Rhapsody® radically simplifies software development and helps customers to get a handle on the complexity and risks of a project quickly.

Efficient collaboration with the Schindler project team ensured integration on time and in budget. Both parties were able to apply their strengths and experience optimally in the project.

Looking Ahead

With the integration of the complete development environment future software components will be developed more effectively. To be able to use animation on the model level via the debugger JTAG interface on the target as well, the availability of a development target with more RAM is being evaluated. This would make it possible to benefit from additional advantages of Model Driven Development.

Customers about our services

Bosch

A warm praise to the very motivated trainer. The training content is conveyed in a very enjoyable and entertaining way. It was also very good to review the respective training days at the end. Frank Braun was able to answer every question and also tried, as far as time allowed, to address further topics raised.

N.N.

Systems Engineer

Bernina International AG

„Abstraktion, Simulation, Wiederverwendung und automatische Codegenerierung sind bei Bernina zentral für eine kurze Time-to-Market… und somit der Schlüssel zum Erfolg!“

Giovanni Annunzio

System Architect

SIX Financial Information Ltd

“Our vision was to know at all times in which process phase a change is.”

Michael K. Steinhöfel-Cordova

Head of Quality Management

soplar s.a.

„We would repeat our decision to choose Rhapsody® at any time. The strikingly improved efficiency, higher quality, and flexibility plus reusability of models make any adverse details negligible. Today we develop more machines with fewer resources in less time."

Reinhold Wüstner

Head of Product Development

SIX Financial Information Ltd

„The EVOCEAN continuous improvement method stabilized our processes and had a positive influence on the quality and on the satisfaction of the employees. I would recommend to use this approach at any time. Continuous improvement must become a part of everyday work."

Michael K. Steinhöfel-Cordova

Head of Quality Management

Hamilton Medical AG

"Die direkte Kopplung von Design und Code mit Rhapsody hilft uns, die Komplexität unserer Produkte einfacher zu managen, da Design und Code langfristig konsistent bleiben".

Andreas Anderegg

Senior Software Engineer

soplar s.a. – Training

„Starting to use Rational Rhapsody®without coaching or training is not recommended. Understanding the why behind certain processes is essential to working effectively. Training with EVOCEAN was very valuable for me in this regard."

Vitali Mozgovoi

Software Developer

Rhapsody Training Feedback

I was satisfied with everything. This was the best training I ever attended.

Large Automotive Supplier

Engineer

MCS Engineering AG

"It is very easy to set up and run a Perforce Helix Core proxy server for working with geographically dispersed teams. Downloading data is also very easy. We were amazed at how much time we saved."

Eric Gutmann

Project Leader

Rhapsody Training Feedback

Ich war mit allem zufrieden. Das war das beste Training, das ich je besucht habe.

Grösserer Automobil Zulieferer

Software Engineer