CASE Tools

Computer-Aided Systems Engineering

To support each phase of the system development life cycle
with a set of laborsaving tools.

CASE tools are programs (software) that automate

or support one or more phases of a systems
development life cycle.

Intended to accelerate the process of developing systems and

to improve the quality of the resulting systems..
CASE is not a methodology or an alternative to methodologies.
CASE is an enabling technology that supports a methodologys
preferred strategies, techniques, and deliverables.

Why CASE?

1. Increasing costs of software development due to

the extreme intensive labor required.
2. System development is often conducted in an ad
hoc fashion.
3. Avoid simple human errors in software
development.
4. CASE offers an important opportunity to alleviate
the problems of application development and
maintenance that can have catastrophic
consequences.

CASE Tool Classification

Upper-CASE describes tools that automate or

support the upper or earliest phases of systems
development
Lower-CASE describes tools that automate or
support the lower or later phases of systems
development
I-CASE (integrative case) support the entire SDLC

CASE Objectives

Create development process standards

Improve overall application quality
Decrease design time and improve time to market
Decrease required effort and time in application
testing
Encourage integration of development projects
Improve effectiveness of project management
activities
Decrease required effort and time in application
maintenance activities
Promote organization-wide reusable program code
Improve portability of applications across
platforms and operating environments

The Good and Bad News about CASE

Development process
productivity and quality
increases are realizable
Portability of new systems
to other platforms is greatly
enhanced
Analyst skill set will improve
due to greater
understanding of the
process
Time to delivery of new
applications will decrease
Conformity to development
standards will increase

CASE acquisition costs are

extremely high
Training of analysts and
administrators is costly and
time-consuming
Most organizations do not
have clear standards for
application development
CASE tools can be viewed
as a threat to job security
CASE tools do not have a
great reputation due to early
benefits not being realized

CASE Tool Repository

Heart of CASE
tool is the
central
repository
Stores all the
information to
analyze, create,
design and
modify an
application
from feasibility
to
implementation
and

Central Repository

Detailed
Analysis
Findings

Project
Documentation
Data
Element
Specifications

Reusable
Code
Libraries

Program
Source
and
Object
Code

General
Project
Information

Logical
Model
Diagrams
Form
and
Report
Layouts

CASE Tool Components

INPUTS:
models,
descriptions
and
prototypes

OUTPUTS:
reports,
problems,
and
analyses

Graphics
Tools
Repository
Server
imported
and
exported
knowledge

Housekeeping
Tools

links

Des
T

Modeling and Diagramming Tools

Support logical model development (data and

process)
Process Modeler
can be used to develop a diagram which illustrates the
activities within an organization system and the sequence in
which they take place.

Function Hierarchy Diagrammer

facilitates the modeling of the hierarchies of all the functions
that are performed by a business and can assist in identifying
which parts of the business are currently, or can be automated.

Data Flow Diagramming Tools

Entity Relationship Diagramming Tools
Not just drawing packages!

Prototyping and Transformation Tools

Enable the rapid conversion of analysis
requirements into default database and application
designs.
Application transformers
The application transformers create a first-cut application
design based on an existing database design and on the
functions and business rules placed in the repository during
detailed analysis.

Database Transformers
The database transformer creates and maintains database
designs based on entity models recorded in the central
repository.
Reverse-engineering

Form and Report Generators

Automate the activities necessary for the analyst to design
how the various users will interact with the system.

Documentation and Code Generators

The documentation generators generate phasespecific documentation from the data in the central
repository.
Code generators produce high-level code from the
various diagrams, models, forms, reports, and
data definitions contained with the central
repository.
Reverse Engineering and Reengineering
Reverse engineering function allows for the generation of
design specifications and models from existing program
code and data structures.
Reengineering functions are advanced reverse
engineering modules that provide a certain level of
automation to the redesign process and make
recommendations as to the logic of a program.