ComputerAided Software Engineering CASE

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Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE)

• University of Tartu, Winter 1999

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Definition

• CASE Computer Aided Software Engineering
• Stand-alone CASE Tools
• CASE Platform (Framework)
• User Interface
• Repository, Data Management Services
• Messaging Services
• Integration of stand-alone CASE Tools
• CASE Environment
• contains several tools,
• integrated by a platform

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Definition
Software Engineering
Computer aided
Foundation (Formalization)
Methods
Tools
Complex methods become easy to use
CASE
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Intention

• Programming as art until 60s
• structured techniques since end of 60s
• 4GL late 70s
• CASE Beginning of 80s
• OOA, OOD, OOP Beginning of 90s
• OODB, OO-CASE Mid-90s
• Component Software (Java) 1996

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NIST/ECMA Reference Model for CASE Environments
User-interface services
Process-management services
CASE Tool
CASE Tool
CASE Tool
CASE Tool
CASE Tool
CASE Tool
CASE Tool
Plug in a new tool
Message Services
Data-integration services
Repository services
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Objectives of CASE Tools

• Reduce cost / increase revenues (for SW
  producers)
• faster generators instead of manual coding
• easier maintenance
• re-usability
• flexible modifications
• Better quality
• automatic documentation
• re-usable
• automatic checks of consistency and redundancy
• use of validated methods

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Classification of CASE Tools
Enterprise CASE
EI-CASE

• Enterprise Modeling
• Planning
• Analysis
• Design
• Implementation
• Installation
• Maintenance

Upper CASE
Integrated CASE (I-CASE)
Lower CASE
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CASE Tool Requirements

• Consistent use of methods
• Basic functionality
• increase of efficiency in SW development
• increase of SW quality
• automation of manual routine work
• easy to use
• export/import interfaces
• integration in CASE platforms

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Functionality of CASE Tools
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Classification of CASE Environments

• Method-oriented
• Support of early development stages with
  connection to one or several programming
  languages
• used for applications in business/administration
• pre-dominant on the market today
• Example Oracle Designer 2000
• Programming-language-oriented
• environment for only one programming language
• Example Borland Delphi
• Administrative
• support of special aspects, e.g. configuration
  management
• Example Document Management Software
• Meta CASE environment
• CASE Environment to build individual CASE Tools
• Example MIP alfabet (ARIS Toolset)

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Selection of CASE Environments

• Application of quantitative and qualitative
  criteria
• Qualitative criteria Use value analysis
• Define criteria
• classify criteria
• select alternatives
• determine score of each alternative
• chose alternative
• Quantitative criteria
• software license costs
• instruction costs
• estimated development time
• ...

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Requirements of CASE Environments (1)

• Integration (tools, views, development levels)
• Openness
• integrate new/foreign tools
• export/import project data
• User-friendliness
• personalization
• ergonomy
• standardization
• portability
• re-usability of results in new hardware
  environment/operation systems
• General platform services

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Requirements of CASE Environments (2)

• Completeness
• all SW development activities
• all SW management activities
• general office functionality
• Incremental use
• start with only a part of the functionality and
  then extend use
• Evaluation of current CASE environments
• only partially complete
• Users apply and combine their own selection of
  different tools
• problems method break between analysis and
  design

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Criteria for Selection of CASE Environments

• Type of planned system
• Application Domain
• business, technical, real-time, interactive
• Newness
• new, partially new, maintenance, ...
• Size of system (lines of code)
• Hardware environment and operating system
• Language restrictions
• compatibility of CASE languages with existing
  languages
• standard languages?
• Innovative languages?
• Languages compatible with chosen procedure model?
• Project Restrictions / Limited Resources

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Application fields for CASE

• CASE is recommended for
• New applications (no reverse engineering)
• stand-alone applications (no problems of
  interfaces or distribution)
• interactive, database-oriented applications
• medium-size application (small and medium-size
  project teams)
• CASE is not recommended for
• complex, integrated systems
• algorithmic, computing-intensive problems