1. Tools of Software Development
2 types of tools used by software engineers:
Analytical tools
Stepwise refinement
Cost-benefit analysis
Software metrics
CASE tools
The Tools of the Trade
Software engineers need two types of tools
1) Analytical tools used in software development
such as stepwise refinement and cost-benefit analysis
theoretical tools
2) Products that assist the teams of software engineers in developing and maintaining software
usually termed CASE tools (computer-aided software engineering tools)

2. CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) Tools
Software that is used to support software process activities
Provides software process support by
automating some process activities
providing information about the software being developed
Currently used in every phase/workflow of life cycle
Computer AIDED Software Engineering
Not automated; still takes human intervention; ASSISTS the human
Software that automates all or part of the development process
Software tool that assists in some aspect of the production of software
Software that helps carry out much of the dredge work associated with software development (e.g., documentation creation and organization)
Organizations use CASE tools to:
Improve the quality of the system
Increase speed of design and development
Ease and improve the testing process
Improve integration of development activities
Improve quality and completeness of documentation
Improve management of the project
Simplify program maintenance
Promote reusability

3. CASE Tools Benefits Improve software quality Enforce discipline
Help communication between development team members
Information is illustrated through diagrams that are typically easier to understand
Development information is centralized
CASE tools
Should not be considered a silver bullet for project development
Advanced CASE tools are complex applications that require significant training and experience to achieve real benefits
Often CASE serves only as a glorified diagramming tool that supports the practices of behavioral and structural modeling
Has been shown to be a helpful way to support the communication and sharing of project diagrams and technical specifications (as long as it is used by trained developers who have applied CASE on past projects)
2) Enforce discipline
By helping with the standardization of notations and diagrams

4. CASE Tools Benefits Reduction of time and effort
Tasks are much faster to complete and alter
Enhance reuse of models or models’ components
Can reduce maintenance costs
CASE tools
Should not be considered a silver bullet for project development
Advanced CASE tools are complex applications that require significant training and experience to achieve real benefits
Often CASE serves only as a glorified diagramming tool that supports the practices of behavioral and structural modeling
Has been shown to be a helpful way to support the communication and sharing of project diagrams and technical specifications (as long as it is used by trained developers who have applied CASE on past projects)

5. CASE Tools Problems Limitations in flexibility of documentation
Major danger: completeness and syntactic correctness does NOT mean compliance with requirements
Costs associated with the use of the tool
Purchase price
Training
Limitations in flexibility of documentation
Documentation templates provided may not match organization’s templates
3) Costs
Purchase price is between $5,000 and $15,000 per year to provide CASE tools to one systems analyst
Training => Very complex tools

6. 3 Categories of CASE Tools
Workbenches
Environments

7. 3 Categories of CASE Tools
Support individual process tasks
Examples:
Checking the consistency of a design
Compiling a program
Comparing test results
Software Tool
A product that assists in just one aspect of the production of software

8. CASE Tools Upper-CASE tools (front-end tools)
Assist developer during requirements, analysis, and design workflows or activities
Lower-CASE tools (back-end tools)
Assist with implementation, testing, and maintenance workflows or activities
Integrated CASE tools (I-CASE)
provide support for the full life cycle
Upper Case has to do with those things done early in development
Once You have decided on your environment, database, communications, etc, you can use the lower
case tools.
Database generation and compilers are considered Lower case tools (back end tools). They also may be provided in integrated CASE tools
REVIEW THE UNIFIED PROCESS to SEE WHERE EACH OF THESE TOOLS ARE USED

9. 3 Categories of CASE Tools
Workbenches
Collection of tools that together support:
Process workflows (requirements, design, etc.)
One or two activities where an activity is a related collection of tasks
Commercial examples:
PowerBuilder
Software Through Pictures
Software Architect
Workbenches
The activities may cross phase boundaries (e.g., support analysis and design tasks)
Generally support some development method
Commercial examples given support:
Data dictionary
Consistency checker
Screen generator
Report generator

10. 3 Categories of CASE Tools
Environments
Support the complete software process or, at least, a large portion of the software process
Normally include several different workbenches which are integrated in some way

11. Taxonomy of CASE Tools
Tool versus workbench versus environment

12. Components of CASE CASE repository Document Generator Design Analysis
tool
Code
Drawing
Tool
Error-checking
tool
Security and
Version Control
Screen and
Report Generator
Prototyping
Database
Generator

13. Components of CASE CASE repository Central component of any CASE tool
Also known as the information repository or data dictionary
CASE repository
Stores the diagrams and other project information
Keeps track of how the diagrams fit together

14. Components of CASE CASE repository Centralized database
Allows easy sharing of information between tools and SDLC activities
Used to store graphical diagrams and prototype forms and reports during analysis and design workflows
Provides wealth of information to project manager and allows control over project
Facilitates reusability

15. Components of CASE CASE repository acts as: Information repository
Combines information about organization’s business information and application portfolio
Provides automated tools to manage and control access
Data dictionary
Used to manage and control access to information repository
Facilities for recording, storing and processing resources
Useful for cross-referencing

16. Components of CASE Diagramming tools
Allow you to represent a system and its components visually
Allows higher level processes to be easily decomposed
Can examine processes or data models at high or low level
Diagramming tools
Allow you to draw DFDs, ERDs, use case diagrams, case diagrams
Allows you to use stepwise refinement in building models (work from high level to low level)

17. Components of CASE Screen and report generators Used to
Create, modify and test prototypes of computer displays and reports
Identify which data items to display or collect for each screen or report
Some tools have templates

18. Components of CASE Analysis tools
Generate reports that help identify possible inconsistencies, redundancies and omissions
Generally focus on
diagram completeness and consistency
data structures and usage
Analysis tools
Types of analyses depend on methodology used and features of CASE environment

19. Components of CASE CASE documentation generator tools
Create standard reports based on contents of repository
Need textual descriptions of needs, solutions, trade-offs, diagrams of data and processes, prototype forms and reports, program specifications and user documentation
High-quality documentation leads to 80% reduction in system maintenance effort in comparison to average quality documentation
Case documentation generator tools
Provide a method of managing documentation
Allow creation of master templates

20. CASE workbenches
A coherent set of tools that is designed to support related software process activities such as analysis, design or testing.
Analysis and design workbenches support system modelling during both requirements engineering and system design.
These workbenches may support a specific design method or may provide support for a creating several different types of system model.

21. An analysis and design workbench

22. Analysis workbench components
Diagram editors
Model analysis and checking tools
Repository and associated query language
Data dictionary
Report definition and generation tools
Forms definition tools
Import/export translators
Code generation tools

23. Computer-aided software engineering
Computer-aided software engineering (CASE) is software to support software development and evolution processes.
Activity automation
Graphical editors for system model development;
Data dictionary to manage design entities;
Graphical UI builder for user interface construction;
Debuggers to support program fault finding;
Automated translators to generate new versions of a program.

24. Case technology
Case technology has led to significant improvements in the software process. However, these are not the order of magnitude improvements that were once predicted
Software engineering requires creative thought - this is not readily automated;
Software engineering is a team activity and, for large projects, much time is spent in team interactions. CASE technology does not really support these.

25. CASE classification
Classification helps us understand the different types of CASE tools and their support for process activities.
Functional perspective
Tools are classified according to their specific function.
Process perspective
Tools are classified according to process activities that are supported.
Integration perspective
Tools are classified according to their organisation into integrated units.

26. Functional tool classification

27. Activity-based tool classification

28. CASE integration Tools Workbenches Environments
Support individual process tasks such as design consistency checking, text editing, etc.
Workbenches
Support a process phase such as specification or design, Normally include a number of integrated tools.
Environments
Support all or a substantial part of an entire software process. Normally include several integrated workbenches.

29. Tools, workbenches, environments