Software Development Tools

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Software Development Tools
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Contents

• Tools what are they, why are they needed?
• Software Development Tools why are they needed
• Existing Toolkits
• Integration
• CASE

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Tools

• Ref. Longmans dictionary
• An implement that is used, .., to carry out work
  of a mechanical nature
• Something used in performing an operation or
  necessary in the practice of a vocation or
  profession
• Why use tools?
• To make tasks easier
• To increase productivity (volume, strength or
  quality of outputs)
• Allow larger or more complex products to be
  produced

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The need for Software development tools

• 1960s Wages were low,
• hardware costs high
• 1990s Wages extremely high,
• hardware costs low
• Thus need to make software development efficient,
  so reducing costs
• Advent of more complex and more critical software

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Costs in Software Development

• Analysis and Design time-consuming
• Systems are complex to comprehend
• Coding may be tedious
• Testing can be all of the above
• Documentation may become out-of-date
• Fast turn-over of staff

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Aims of Software Development Tools

• To increase
• Productivity
• Product quality
• Use of less skilled staff
• Staff satisfaction

• To reduce
• Software development time
• Amount of testing
• Training
• Errors
• Costs

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Programmers Toolkit

• Basic needs Operating system utilities, Editors,
  Translators
• Further assistance language sensitive editors,
  debuggers, utility programs (e.g. sorts),
  component libraries
• Extra test data generators, code generators,
  report generators, configuration managers

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Designers Toolkit

• Screen painters, data dictionary, wizards for
  table/form/report/query design, diagram
  manipulators for flowcharts

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Analysts Toolkit

• Diagram manipulators for models, model
  consistency checkers, word processors

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Computer Aided Software Engineering Tools

• Classified by function (ref. Appendix)
• Project management
• Support
• Analysis and design
• Programming
• Integration and testing e.g. simulation e.g. test
  management
• Prototyping e.g. 4GLs
• Maintenance e.g. reverse engineering

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Computer Aided Software Engineering Tools

• Classified by level
• Lower-CASE specific to an architecture
• Upper-CASE architecture-independent
• Integrated-CASE

Planning System investigation Systems
analysis System design Implementation
Review and maintenance
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Integration

• Most people do not work alone these days tools
  must incorporate group work, job overlaps and
  flow between tasks
• Integrated tools have been available since 1980s
  e.g. Cradle e.g. Select SSADM e.g. Select
  Enterprise - Any problems??
• Groupware
• Process-centred software engineering environments

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Summary Software Engineers as Producers

• Engineers use their skills and a toolset, at a
  workbench, in a workshop, to make products
• Software engineers
• The skills analysis, design, programming, etc.
• The tools useful facilities e.g. program editor
• The workbench the environment in which the tool
  sits e.g.Microsofts Visual Basic software
• The workshop an Integrated Project Support
  Environment

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Conclusion

• Software engineering A technological and
  managerial discipline concerned with the
  systematic production and maintenance of high
  quality software products that are developed and
  modified on time and within cost estimates
• Software development tools aim to increase the
  chances of success in an ever-changing
  discipline, with ever-changing technology.

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Appendix 1
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Project Management Tools

• cost estimating e.g. Cocomo, Putnam
• time/resource scheduling e.g. Pert, Network
  Analysis
• metrics for productivity, quality, complexity
  e.g. McCabe method, e.g. Halstead method

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General Support Tools

• documentation
• infrastructure
• configuration, traceability, re-use repositories

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Analysis and Design Tools

• for diagrams and their attributes
• consistency checking - between levels, between
  diagrams

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Programming Tools

• 3GL coding tools
• 4GL tools
• object oriented tools

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Integration and Testing Tools

• data collection
• static measurement
• dynamic measurement
• simulation
• test management

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Prototyping Tools

• executable language specifications
• very HLLs
• 4GLs
• operating system utilities

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Maintenance Tools

• reverse engineering
• code restructuring and analysis