CASE Tools

Software Quality Management Unit – 3 G. Roy Antony Arnold y y Asst. Professor /CSE GRAA• Computer‐Aided Software (CASE) Computer Engineering is the scientific application of a set of tools and to a software is methods system which meant to result in high‐quality, defect‐free, and maintainable software products products. • CASE tools automate methods for designing, documenting and producing structured documenting, computer code in the desired programming language. GRAA• Architecture Management – Model, design, and rapidly build Software, Systems, and Computer Application Programs. • Change Release Management and – Improve software delivery and lifecycle traceability, from requirements through deployment deployment. • Software Development Management – Align projects for improved predictability productivity and predictability. • Quality Management – Ensure software reliability and functionality, performance throughout development and production. GRAA• CASE software supports the software process activities such as requirement engineering, design, program development and testing. • Therefore, CASE tools include design editors, data dictionaries, compilers, debuggers, system building tools, etc. • The term CASE was originally coined by software g y y company Nastec Corporation of Southfield, Michigan in 1982 with their original integrated g g g graphics and text editor GraphiText GRAA• Supply basic functionality, do routine tasks pp y y, automatically – Be able to support editing of code in the particular programming language, supply refactoring tools • Enhance productivity – Generate code pieces automatically • Increase software quality • Intuitive use • Integration with other tools g – For example, code editor works with code repositoryGRAA• They classified as Upper, Lower and Integrated CASE tools. • Upper CASE Tools support strategic planning and construction of concept‐level products and ignore the design aspect, such as ER diagrams, Data flow diagram, Structure charts, Decision Trees, Decision tables, etc. E.g. Excelerator L CAS l h b k d i i i f • Lower CASE Tools concentrate on the back end activities of the software life cycle, such as physical design, debugging, construction testing component integration maintenance construction, testing, integration, maintenance, reengineering and reverse engineering. E.g. Telon • Integrated CASE Tools aim to support the whole development cycle. E.g. IEF (Information Engineering Facility) GRAARequirement Analysis System Design Coding Testing Operation & Maintenance Integrated CASE Tools (ICASE) e.g. IEF Upper CASE /Front End Lower CASE /Back End e.g. Excelerator e.g. Telon Upper CASE Mid CASE Lower CASE /Back End GRAA• It is also called front end Tools as CASE • They assist in requirement analysis & design • They may be tied to a specific methodology or may user’s allow the use of the user s own methodology. E l • Example: • These tools are associated with analysis and y design methodologies such as SAM or SSADM GRAA• The typical responsibilities of an UpperCASE Tool are to support the following tasks: – Requirement Analysis: • Application Visioning • Requirements Reuse • Requirements Identification R i A l i • Requirements Analysis • Requirements Specification – Design: g • Design Production • Design Refactoring • Design Reuse • Design DocumentationGRAA• These tools are concerned with the implementation stages of the lifecycle, typically coding and documentation coding, testing documentation. • They aim to increase the reliability, adaptability and productivity of the delivered code. • 4GLs may be considered as back‐end CASE T l h T l Tools, such as Telon. GRAA• The typical responsibilities of a LowerCASE Tool is owerCAS to support the performance of the following tasks: – Implementation: • Implementation Reuse • Programming • Debugging – Integration Tasks: • Integration Planning C tI t ti • Component Integration • Integration ReportingGRAA• Aim to support the whole development cycle and are linked to specific methodologies. • They are often complex and expensive but expensive, offer the developer the greatest integrity of all approaches through a single data the use of encyclopaedia throughout the lifecycle. ( f • Example: IEF Information Engineering Facility), IEW (Information Engineering Workbench) GRAA• Help standardization of notations and diagrams p g • Productivity increases • Help communication between development team members • Automates the methodology – this improves gy p consistency, but restricts creativity. • Reduction of time and effort • Automated tools are provided to prepare documentation • Complexity of maintenance decreases. GRAA• Cost Increases: Costs for purchase + training • Expertise needed • Training issues • Not mapping to current methods or applications. • May lead to restriction to the tool’s capabilities p • Limitations in flexibility of documentation• Common CASE risks and controls associated include: I d d di i – Inadequate standardization – Unrealistic expectations – Slow implementation – Weak repository controls GRAA