Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE)

What is CASE? Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) is the use of software tools to assist in the development and maintenance of software. Tools used to assist in this way are known as CASE Tools. What is CASE Tool? A CASE tool is a computer- ased product aimed at supporting one or more software engineering activities within a software development process. Computer-Aided Software Engineering tools are those software which are used in any and all phases of developing an information system! including analysis! design and programming. "or e#ample! data dictionaries and diagramming tools aid in the analysis and design phases! while application generators speed up the programming phase. CASE tools provide automated methods for designing and documenting traditional structured programming techni$ues. The ultimate goal of CASE is to provide a language for descri ing the overall system that is sufficient to generate all the necessary programs needed. Components of CASE Tools CASE Tool are used to support a wide variety of S%&C. CASE Tools are used to help in the pro'ect identification and selection! pro'ect initiation and planning! and design phase! and in the implementation and maintenance phases. The components of CASE Tools are categori(ed into ) mainly*

UpperCASE Tool +pperCASE Tool is a Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) software tool that supports the software development activities upstream from implementation. +ppercase tool focus on the analysis phase ( ut sometimes also the design phase) of the software development lifecycle (diagramming tools! report and form generators! and analysis tools) LowerCASE Tool &owerCASE Tool Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) software tool that directly supports the implementation (programming) and integration tasks. &owerCASE tools support data ase schema generation! program generation! implementation! testing! and configuration management. I CASE Tools that integrate oth upper and lower CASE! for e#ample making it possi le to design a form and uild the data ase to support it at the same time. An automated system development environment that provides numerous tools to create diagrams! forms and reports. ,t also offers analysis! reporting! and code generation facilities and seamlessly shares and integrates data across and etween tools.

Types of CASE Tools The general types of CASE tools are listed elow.. Diagramming tools: ena le system process! data and control structures to e represented graphically. /. Computer display and report generators: help prototype how systems look and feel. ,t makes it easier for the systems analyst to identify data re$uirements and relationship. ). Analysis tools: automatically check for importance! inconsistent! or incorrect specifications in diagrams! forms! and reports. 0. Central repository: ena les the integrated storage of specifications! diagrams! reports and pro'ect management information. 1. Do umentation !enerators: produce technical and user documentation in standard formats. 2. Code generators: ena le the automatic generation of program and data ase definition code directly from the design documents! diagrams! forms! and reports. What is "uality to CASE Tool? The reason for using case may e very straight forward and practical decision such as eing easier to use and makes life etter. 3owever from a roader perspective! 4uality to using case implies how Case tools have improved the $uality of software development. Case tool has improved software development in the following*

,mprove the $uality of the system developed. ,ncrease the speed with which systems are designed and developed. Ease and improve the testing process through the use of automated checking. ,mprove the integration of development activities via common methodologies. ,mprove the $uality and completeness to documentation. 3elp standardi(e the development process. ,mprove the management of the pro'ect. Simplify program maintenance. 5romote reusa ility of modules and documentation. ,mprove software porta ility across environments.

What is produ ti#ity to CASE Tool? And how it helps Software %evelopment. 5roductivity can e said to e the state or $uality of producing something or the effectiveness of the productive efforts. Therefore productivity to case can e the achievements gained or the effectiveness of using the CASE technology. 5roductivity has helped in the development of software in the following ways*

5rovide new systems with shorter development time. ,mprove the productivity of the systems development process. ,mprove the $uality of the systems development process.

,mprove worker skills. ,mprove porta ility of new systems. ,mprove the management of the systems development process.

There are ertain disad#antages of CASE tools$ These are: 1. 6ay e difficult to customi(e. 2. ,nitial investment cost is high. 3. 7e$uires training 4. ,t takes long time to esta lished the system. 1. 7e$uire more e#tensive and accurate definitions of user needs and re$uirements. %un tions of a CASE Tool .. Analysis CASE analysis tools automatically check for incomplete! inconsistent! or in correct specifications in diagrams! forms and reports. /. Design This is where the technical lueprint of the system is created y designing the technical architecture 8 choosing amongst the architectural designs of telecommunications! hardware and software that will est suit the organi(ation9s system and future needs. Also designing the systems model 8 graphically creating a model from graphical user interface! screen design! and data ases! to placement of o 'ects on screen ). Code generation CASE Tool has code generators which ena le the automatic generation of program and data ase definition code directly from the documents! diagrams! forms! and reports. 0. Do umentation CASE Tool has documentation generators to produce technical and user documentation in standard forms. Each phase of the S%&C produces documentation. The types of documentation that flow from one face to the ne#t vary depending upon the organi(ation! methodologies employed and type of system eing uilt. Summary "irst! it defined CASE and :hat is CASE tool! the components of CASE tool which include upper CASE! lower CASE and ,ntegrated CASE ! each covering different stages of the S%&C. The types of CASE tools were also discussed. Secondly in the contents it stated what $uality means to CASE tool! what is productivity to CASE tool and how it helps to the development of software. "unction of CASE tools which include- analysis! design! code generation! and documentation.
References

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