An artifact in the Unified Modeling Language

Unified Modeling Language

Unified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...

 (UML) is the specification of a physical piece of information that is used or produced by a software development process

Software development process

A software development process, also known as a software development life cycle , is a structure imposed on the development of a software product. Similar terms include software life cycle and software process. It is often considered a subset of systems development life cycle...

, or by deployment and operation of a system.

Examples of artifacts include model files, source files, scripts, and binary executable files, a table

Table (database)

In relational databases and flat file databases, a table is a set of data elements that is organized using a model of vertical columns and horizontal rows. A table has a specified number of columns, but can have any number of rows...

 in a database system

Database system

A database system is a term that is typically used to encapsulate the constructs of a data model, database Management system and database....

, a development deliverable, or a word-processing document

Document

The term document has multiple meanings in ordinary language and in scholarship. WordNet 3.1. lists four meanings :* document, written document, papers...

, a mail

Mail

Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...

message.

In UML 2.0, artifacts are the physical entities that are deployed on Nodes, Devices, and Execution Environments. Other UML elements such as classes and components are first manifested into artifacts and instances of these artifacts are then deployed. Artifacts can also be composed of other artifacts.