CASE tools CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering) is the tools that provide the assistance to the developer

in the development of software. The main purpose of the CASE tools is to decrease the development time and increase the quality of software. Advantages 1. They provides better perceptive of system. 2. Facilitates communication among team members. 3. Tools are more effective for large scale systems and immense projects. 4. CASE tools provide visibility of processes and logic. 5. CASE tools improve quality and productivity of software. 6. CASE tools reduce the time for error correction and maintenance. 7. CASE tools provide clear readability and maintainability of the system Disadvantages Costly The cost of CASE tools is very high. For this reason small software development firms do not invest in CASE tools.2. Learning Curve In general, programmer productivity may fall in the initial phase of implementation as users need time to learn this technology.3. Tool Mix It is important to make proper selection of CASE tools to get maximum benefits from the tools, as the wrong selection may lead to the wrong results.

Various examples of systems which have been built using CASE TOOLS Enterprise Architect

Components of CASE Tools CASE Tools are made up of a number of components, depending upon their category and complexity. The six components are Diagramming Tools, Analysis Tools, Repository, Code Generators, Form and Report Generators and Documentation Generators Diagramming Tools Diagramming Tools are the fundamental and indispensable component of a CASE Tool. Systems can be modeled in a graphical form using Diagramming Tools. Outputs from techniques such as data modeling and process modeling can generally be produced more quickly with a CASE Tool than by hand. Analysis Tools Analysis Tools are the component of a CASE Tool that differentiates a CASE Tool from a graphics package. With Analysis Tools a diagram can be automatically checked for inconsistencies, incomplete aspects or incorrect specifications using rules applicable to that diagram. This component is particularly useful when combining the work of several systems analysis. Repository The Repository is the component of a CASE Tool that contains all the information on the diagrams generated by the CASE Tool. The Repository generally consists of two segments, the Information Repository and Data Dictionary.The Information Repository contains details of all the models and parts of the models, whilst the Data Dictionary contains the details of each data item in each part of each model. Code Generators Code Generators are the component of a CASE Tool that automatically generates program and database definition code directly from the models stored in the Information Repository. The Code Generators use standard language conventions so that the code produced can be compiled and executed on a number of platforms.

Form and Report Generators Form and Report Generators are the component of a CASE Tool that supports the creation of forms and reports using the data and corresponding details stored in the Information Repository. This component is useful for allowing users to see how the system looks and feels. Documentation Generators Documentation Generators are the component of a CASE Tool that automatically generates user and technical documentation directly from the details in the Information Repository. Generally the Documentation Generators produce documentation in a basic form that allows tailoring of the documents to suit local standards.

Examples of various CASE TOOLS

Weaknesses in CASE TOOLS

http://www.hit.ac.il/staff/leonidm/information-systems/ch05.html

Suggestions for future CASE TOOLS