Actor

An Actor in a Use Case Diagram represents an external entity that interacts with the system. It can be a person, an organization, or another system that has a role in interacting with the system being modeled.

With Actors in Modeldraw's Use Case Diagram, you can:

• Identify and represent the different users or external systems that interact with your system

• Clarify the boundaries of your system by showing what's external to it

• Illustrate the various roles that interact with your system's functionalities

• Create a foundation for defining the system's use cases and their associations

• Demonstrate the scope of your system from an external perspective

An Actor

Understanding Actor

An Actor in Modeldraw's Use Case Diagram tool is typically represented by a stick figure. Actors are essential components of Use Case Diagrams as they initiate use cases and interact with the system. Key points to understand about Actors include:

• An Actor represents a role rather than a specific individual or system. For example, "Customer" could be an Actor, representing anyone who uses the system as a customer.

• Actors are always external to the system being modeled. They represent the users or systems that interact with your system.

• A single Actor can be associated with multiple Use Cases, indicating that they can perform various actions within the system.

• Actors can have parent-child relationships, where one Actor is a more specialized version of another.

• Not all Actors are human users. They can also represent other systems, organizations, or even time (e.g., a scheduler).

Remember that Actors should represent distinct roles that interact with your system. When naming Actors, choose clear and descriptive names that reflect their roles in relation to the system.