CASE: CASE stands for Computer Aided Software Engineering which is software that supports one or more software

engineering activities within a software development process, and is gradually becoming popular for the development of software as they are improving in the capabilities and functionalityand are proving to be beneficial for the development of quality software. CASE TOOLS: Whenever a new system is installed, the implementation integrates a number of related and different tasks. The process has to be efficiently organized and it is for this very reason that CASE tools are developed. With the help of CASE, the installation process can be automated and coordinated within the developed and adopted system life cycle. CASE tools are the software engineering tools that permit collaborative software development and maintenance. Almost all the phases of the software development life cycle are supported by them such as analysis; design, etc., including umbrella activities such as project management, configuration management etc. In general, standard software development methods such as Jackson Structure programming or structured system analysis and design method are also supported by CASE tools. CASE tools may support the following development steps for developing data base application: Creation of data flow and entity models Establishing a relationship between requirements and models Development of top-level design Development of functional and process description Development of test cases.

Why CASE tools are developed: CASE tools are designed to enhance and upgrade the computing system adopted and used. This is very important with regards to the dependence on a computer-based environment for business and/or personal pursuits. It is an important part of various business growth strategies. The CASE tools are developed for the following reasons: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Firstly Quick Installation. Time Saving by reducing coding and testing time. Enrich graphical techniques and data flow. Optimum use of available information. Enhanced analysis and design development. Create and manipulate documentation. Transfer the information between tools efficiently. The speed during the system development increased.

How the Organization uses CASE tools: Here are the ways where the CASE tools are used: 1. To facilitate single design methodology:
CASE tools help the organization to standardize the development process. It also facilitates coordinated development. Integration becomes easy as common methodology is adopted.

2. Rapid Application Development:

3. Testing:
CASE tools help in improving the testing process through automated checking and simplified program maintenance.

4. Documentation:
In a traditional software development process, the quality of documentation at various stages depends on the individual. At various stages of SDLC CASE tools improve the quality and uniformity of documentation. It also ensures the completeness of the documentation.

5. Project Management:
It improves project management activity and to some extent automates various activities involved in project management.

6. Reduce the maintenance cost: Use of CASE tools makes the software easy to maintain and hence reduce the maintenance costs. 7. Increase Productivity: Automation of various activities of system development and management processes increases productivity of the development team.

Environment having CASE:

Role of CASE tools: CASE tools play a major role in the following activities:
Project management Data dictionary Code generation User interface design Schema generation Creation of meta-data for data warehouse Reverse engineering Re-engineering Document generation Version control OO analysis and design Software testing Data modeling Project scheduling Cost estimation

Need of CASE tools: The software development process is expensive and as the projects become more complex in nature, the project implementations become more demanding and expensive. That's why software developers always looking for such CASE tools that help them in many different ways during the

different development stages of software, so that they can understand the software and prepare a good end product that efficiently fulfill the user requirements. CASE tools provide the integrated homogenous environment for the development of complex projects. These tools provide computerized setting to software developers to analyze a problem and then design its system model. The CASE tools also provide the environment for monitoring and controlling projects such that team leaders are able to manage the complex projects. Basically, the CASE tools are used to
Reduce the cost as they automate many repetitive manual tasks. Reduce development time of the project as they support standardization and avoid repetition and reuse. Develop better quality complex projects as they provide greater consistency and coordination. Create good quality documentation. Create systems that are maintainable because of proper control of configuration item that support traceability requirements.

Categories of CASE Tools: Sometimes CASE tools are classified in to following categories due to their activities: 1. UPPER CASE Tools 2. LOWER CASE Tools 3. INTEGRATED CASE Tools Upper CASE tools: They support the analysis and the design phase. They include tools for analysis modeling, reports and forms generation. Lower CASE tools: They support the coding phase, configuration management, etc. Integrated CASE tools: It is known as I-CASE and also supports analysis, design and coding phases.

The phases that are supported by the Lower and upper CASE tools are shown in the Waterfall model as under:

Positioning of CASE tools in a Software Application development:

Advantages and Disadvantages of CASE Tools:

Characteristics of a successful CASE Tool: A CASE tool must have the following characteristics in order to be used efficiently:
A standard methodology: A CASE tool must support a standard software development methodology and standard modeling techniques. In the present scenario most of the CASE tools are moving towards UML. Flexibility: Flexibility in use of editors and other tools. The CASE tool must offer flexibility and the choice for the user of editors' development environments. Strong Integration: The CASE tools should be integrated to support all the stages. This implies that if a change is made at any stage, for example, in the model, it should get reflected in the code documentation and all related design and other documents, thus providing a cohesive environment for software development. Integration with testing software: The CASE tools must provide interfaces for automatic testing tools that take care of regression and other kinds of testing software under the changing requirements. Support for reverse engineering: A CASE tools must be able to generate complex models from already generated code. On-line help: The CASE tools provide an online tutorial.

I.

INFORMATION AS A CORPORATE RESOURCE

Data that is (1) accurate and timely, (2) specific and organized for a purpose, (3) presented within a context that gives it meaning and relevance, and (4) can lead to an increase in understanding and decrease in uncertainty. Information is valuable because it can affect behavior, a decision, or an outcome. For example, if a manager is told his/her company's net profit decreased in the past month, he/she may use this information as a reason to cut financial spending for the next month. A piece of information is

considered valueless if, after receiving it, things remainunchanged. For a technical definition of information see information theory.

A. Security as Part of The Total Organization Information security is not simply software or hardware security, and it does not stand apart from the total organization. An organizations policies, plans and procedures may affect security needs, and security practices may affect those policies, plans or procedures. The important point is that a secure system is integral to the total organization. B. Understanding The Organization If a secure system is part of the total organization, then one must understand the organization, its goals, objectives, policies and procedures. If the objectives of an organization are unclear, then implementing new technology will not help. If procedures are not secure, then new technology will not make them secure. Understanding the organization is the first step in planning for a secure system. C. Identifying Sensitive Data After establishing a clear understanding of the organizations function and how it is to complete its objectives, the first step in planning for and developing a secure system is to identify sensitive data. Recognize specific levels of security and that each may not be equally valuable. Identifying sensitive data and determining their value before the fact is a most difficult task for any organization. Unfortunately for most Management Information Systems (MIS) directors, management will more easily recognize the true value of data after the data have been disclosed to unauthorized individuals and are compromised. D. Controlled Sharing of Information and Resources Sharing of information and resources is increasingly possible through increased networking, communications and connectivity. As this data sharing increases, the problem of information security increases exponentially. The problem for management is one of encouraging increased productivity through technology while maintaining what will probably be an increasingly insecure system.

Information systems
TYPES OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS An information system is a collection of hardware, software, data, people and procedures that are designed to generate information that supports the day-to-day, short-range, and long-range activities of

users in an organization. Information systems generally are classified into five categories: office information systems, transaction processing systems, management information systems, decision support systems, and expert systems. The following sections present each of these information systems. 1. Office Information Systems An office information system, or OIS (pronounced oh-eye-ess), is an information system that uses hardware, software and networks to enhance work flow and facilitate communications among employees. Win an office information system, also described as office automation; employees perform tasks electronically using computers and other electronic devices, instead of manually. With an office information system, for example, a registration department might post the class schedule on the Internet and e-mail students when the schedule is updated. In a manual system, the registration department would photocopy the schedule and mail it to each students house. An office information system supports a range of business office activities such as creating and distributing graphics and/or documents, sending messages, scheduling, and accounting. All levels of users from executive management to nonmanagement employees utilize and benefit from the features of an OIS. The software an office information system uses to support these activities include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentation graphics, e-mail, Web browsers, Web page authoring, personal information management, and groupware. Office information systems use communications technology such as voice mail, facsimile (fax), videoconferencing, and electronic data interchange (EDI) for the electronic exchange of text, graphics, audio, and video. An office information system also uses a variety of hardware, including computers equipped with modems, video cameras, speakers, and microphones; scanners; and fax machines. 2. Transaction Processing Systems A transaction processing system (TPS) is an information system that captures and processes data generated during an organizations day-to-day transactions. A transaction is a business activity such as a deposit, payment, order or reservation. Clerical staff typically perform the activities associated with transaction processing, which include the following: 1. Recording a business activity such as a students registration, a customers order, an employees timecard or a clients payment. Confirming an action or triggering a response, such as printing a students schedule, sending a thank-you note to a customer, generating an employees paycheck or issuing a receipt to a client. Maintaining data, which involves adding new data, changing existing data, or removing unwanted data.

2.

3.

Transaction processing systems were among the first computerized systems developed to process business data a function originally called data processing. Usually, the TPS computerized an existing manual system to allow for faster processing, reduced clerical costs and improved customer service.

The first transaction processing systems usually used batch processing. With batch processing, transaction data is collected over a period of time and all transactions are processed later, as a group. As computers became more powerful, system developers built online transaction processing systems. With online transaction processing (OLTP) the computer processes transactions as they are entered. When you register for classes, your school probably uses OLTP. The registration administrative assistant enters your desired schedule and the computer immediately prints your statement of classes. The invoices, however, often are printed using batch processing, meaning all student invoices are printed and mailed at a later date. Today, most transaction processing systems use online transaction processing. Some routine processing tasks such as calculating paychecks or printing invoices, however, are performed more effectively on a batch basis. For these activities, many organizations still use batch processing techniques. 3. Management Information Systems While computers were ideal for routine transaction processing, managers soon realized that the computers capability of performing rapid calculations and data comparisons could produce meaningful information for management. Management information systems thus evolved out of transaction processing systems. Amanagement information system, or MIS (pronounced em-eye-ess), is an information system that generates accurate, timely and organized information so managers and other users can make decisions, solve problems, supervise activities, and track progress. Because it generates reports on a regular basis, a management information system sometimes is called a management reporting system (MRS). Management information systems often are integrated with transaction processing systems. To process a sales order, for example, the transaction processing system records the sale, updates the customers account balance, and makes a deduction from inventory. Using this information, the related management information system can produce reports that recap daily sales activities; list customers with past due account balances; graph slow or fast selling products; and highlight inventory items that need reordering. A management information system focuses on generating information that management and other users need to perform their jobs. An MIS generates three basic types of information: detailed, summary and exception. Detailed information typically confirms transaction processing activities. A Detailed Order Report is an example of a detail report. Summary information consolidates data into a format that an individual can review quickly and easily. To help synopsize information, a summary report typically contains totals, tables, or graphs. An Inventory Summary Report is an example of a summary report. Exception information filters data to report information that is outside of a normal condition. These conditions, called the exception criteria, define the range of what is considered normal activity or status. An example of an exception report is an Inventory Exception Report is an Inventory Exception Report that notifies the purchasing department of items it needs to reorder. Exception reports help managers save time because they do not have to search through a detailed report for exceptions. Instead, an exception report brings exceptions to the managers attention in an easily identifiable form. Exception reports thus help them focus on situations that require immediate decisions or actions. 4. Decision Support Systems Transaction processing and management information systems provide information on a regular basis. Frequently, however, users need information not provided in these reports to help them make decisions. A sales manager, for example, might need to determine how high to set yearly sales quotas

based on increased sales and lowered product costs. Decision support systems help provide information to support such decisions. A decision support system (DSS) is an information system designed to help users reach a decision when a decision-making situation arises. A variety of DSSs exist to help with a range of decisions. A decision support system uses data from internal and/or external sources. Internal sources of data might include sales, manufacturing, inventory, or financial data from an organizations database. Data from external sources could include interest rates, population trends, and costs of new housing construction or raw material pricing. Users of a DSS, often managers, can manipulate the data used in the DSS to help with decisions. Some decision support systems include query language, statistical analysis capabilities, spreadsheets, and graphics that help you extract data and evaluate the results. Some decision support systems also include capabilities that allow you to create a model of the factors affecting a decision. A simple model for determining the best product price, for example, would include factors for the expected sales volume at each price level. With the model, you can ask what-if questions by changing one or more of the factors and viewing the projected results. Many people use application software packages to perform DSS functions. Using spreadsheet software, for example, you can complete simple modeling tasks or what-if scenarios. A special type of DSS, called an executive information system (EIS), is designed to support the information needs of executive management. Information in an EIS is presented in charts and tables that show trends, ratios, and other managerial statistics. Because executives usually focus on strategic issues, EISs rely on external data sources such as the Dow Jones News/Retrieval service or the Internet. These external data sources can provide current information on interest rates, commodity prices, and other leading economic indicators. To store all the necessary decision-making data, DSSs or EISs often use extremely large databases, called data warehouses. A data warehouse stores and manages the data required to analyze historical and current business circumstances. 5. Expert Systems An expert system is an information system that captures and stores the knowledge of human experts and then imitates human reasoning and decision-making processes for those who have less expertise. Expert systems are composed of two main components: a knowledge base and inference rules. A knowledge base is the combined subject knowledge and experiences of the human experts. The inference rules are a set of logical judgments applied to the knowledge base each time a user describes a situation to the expert system. Although expert systems can help decision-making at any level in an organization, nonmanagement employees are the primary users who utilize them to help with job-related decisions. Expert systems also successfully have resolved such diverse problems as diagnosing illnesses, searching for oil and making soup. Expert systems are one part of an exciting branch of computer science called artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the application of human intelligence to computers. AI technology can sense your actions and, based on logical assumptions and prior experience, will take the

appropriate action to complete the task. AI has a variety of capabilities, including speech recognition, logical reasoning, and creative responses. Experts predict that AI eventually will be incorporated into most computer systems and many individual software applications. Many word processing programs already include speech recognition. Integrated Information Systems With todays sophisticated hardware, software and communications technologies, it often is difficult to classify a system as belonging uniquely to one of the five information system types discussed. Much of todays application software supports transaction processing and generates management information. Other applications provide transaction processing, management information, and decision support. Although expert systems still operate primarily as separate systems, organizations increasingly are consolidating their information needs into a single, integrated information system