1. CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) Tools
Software that is used to support software development and evolution processes
Provides software process support by
automating some process activities
providing information about the software being developed
Currently used in every phase of the software life cycle
Computer AIDED Software Engineering
Not automated; still takes human intervention; ASSISTS the human
Software that automates all or part of the development process
Software tool that assists in some aspect of the production of software
Software that helps carry out much of the dredge work associated with software development (e.g., documentation creation and organization)
Organizations use CASE tools to:
Improve the quality of the system
Increase speed of design and development
Ease and improve the testing process
Improve integration of development activities
Improve quality and completeness of documentation
Improve management of the project
Simplify program maintenance
Promote reusability

2. CASE tools Upper CASE tools: support for the analysis and design
(front-end tools)
Assist developer during requirements, analysis, and design activities
Lower CASE tools: support for construction and maintenance
(back-end tools)
Assist with implementation, testing, and maintenance activities
Nowadays…
Integrated CASE tools (I-CASE)
Offer extensive support for the full life cycle

3. Computer-aided software engineering
Activity automation
Graphical editors for system model development;
Data dictionary to manage design entities;
Graphical UI builder for user interface construction;
Debuggers to support program fault finding;
Automated translators to generate new versions of a program.

4. CASE tools: Automated Diagram Support
Checks for syntactic correctness
Data dictionary support
Checks for consistency and completeness
Navigation to linked diagrams
Requirements traceability
Automatic report generation
System simulation
Performance analysis

5. CASE tools: Software construction and maintenance
Code generators
…Generate code from the design model…
Think of the advantages!
…may also generate database schemata…
Maintenance tools
Reverse Engineering
Analysis of program code

6. CASE Tools Benefits Improve software quality Enforce discipline
Help standardize notations and diagrams
Help communication between development team members
Information is illustrated through diagrams that are typically easier to understand
Development information is centralized
CASE tools
Should not be considered a silver bullet for project development
Advanced CASE tools are complex applications that require significant training and experience to achieve real benefits
Often CASE serves only as a glorified diagramming tool that supports the practices of behavioral and structural modeling
Has been shown to be a helpful way to support the communication and sharing of project diagrams and technical specifications (as long as it is used by trained developers who have applied CASE on past projects)
2) Enforce discipline
By helping with the standardization of notations and diagrams

7. CASE Tools Benefits Reduction of time and effort
Tasks are much faster to complete and alter
Enhance reuse of models or models’ components
Can reduce maintenance costs
CASE tools
Should not be considered a silver bullet for project development
Advanced CASE tools are complex applications that require significant training and experience to achieve real benefits
Often CASE serves only as a glorified diagramming tool that supports the practices of behavioral and structural modeling
Has been shown to be a helpful way to support the communication and sharing of project diagrams and technical specifications (as long as it is used by trained developers who have applied CASE on past projects)

8. CASE Tools Problems Limitations in flexibility of documentation
May lead to restriction to the tool’s capabilities
Major danger: completeness and syntactic correctness does NOT mean compliance with requirements
Costs associated with the use of the tool
Purchase price
Training
Limitations in flexibility of documentation
Documentation templates provided may not match organization’s templates
3) Costs
Purchase price is between $5,000 and $15,000 per year to provide CASE tools to one systems analyst
Training => Very complex tools

9. Case technology
Case technology has led to significant improvements in the software process. However, these are not the order of magnitude improvements that were once predicted
Software engineering requires creative thought - this is not readily automated;
Software engineering is a team activity and, for large projects, much time is spent in team interactions. CASE technology does not really support these.

10. 3 Categories of CASE Tools
Workbenches
Environments
Your environment is the one you program in for a project.  You may have both DB2 and Oracle databases on your workbench but only use DB2 for this project
Tools include IDE's, DB, drawing tools, Rational Rose, etc. 
A tool might be on a workbench or included in an IDE, for example you can get a free refactoring tool and pattern search tool and plug it into Eclipse (an IDE). 
An example of a general tool is the word processor, text editor, spreadsheet used in software development.
Definitions from Software Engineering, 7th Edition:
CASE
Computer-aided software engineering. The process of developing software
using automated support.
CASE tool
A software tool, such as a design editor or a program debugger, used to
support an activity in the software development process.
CASE workbench
An integrated set of CASE tools that work together to support a major
process activity such as software design or configuration management.

11. 3 Categories of CASE Tools
Support individual process tasks
Examples:
Checking the consistency of a design
Compiling a program
Comparing test results
Software Tool
A product that assists in just one aspect of the production of software

12. 3 Categories of CASE Tools
Workbenches
Collection of tools that together support:
Process workflows (requirements, design, etc.)
One or two activities where an activity is a related collection of tasks
Commercial examples:
PowerBuilder
Software Through Pictures
Software Architect
Workbenches
The activities may cross phase boundaries (e.g., support analysis and design tasks)
Generally support some development method
Commercial examples given support:
Data dictionary
Consistency checker
Screen generator
Report generator

13. 3 Categories of CASE Tools
Environments
Support the complete software process, or at least, a large portion of the software process
Normally include several different workbenches which are integrated in some way

14. categorization of CASE Tools
Tool versus workbench versus environment

15. Components of CASE CASE repository Document Generator Design Analysis
tool
Code
Drawing
Tool
Error-checking
tool
Security and
Version Control
Screen and
Report Generator
Prototyping
Database
Generator

16. Components of CASE CASE repository Central component of any CASE tool
Also known as the information repository or data dictionary
CASE repository
Stores the diagrams and other project information
Keeps track of how the diagrams fit together

17. Project Documentation Detailed Analysis Findings
CASE Tool Repository
Central Repository
Project Documentation
Form
and
Report
Layouts
Logical
Model Diagrams
Program
Source
Object
Code
Detailed Analysis Findings
General
Project
Information
Data
Element
Specifications
Reusable
Libraries

18. Components of CASE CASE repository Centralized database
Allows easy sharing of information between tools and SDLC activities
Used to store graphical diagrams and prototype forms and reports during analysis and design workflows
Provides wealth of information to project manager and allows control over project
Facilitates reusability

19. Components of CASE CASE repository acts as: Information repository
Combines information about organization’s business information and application portfolio
Provides automated tools to manage and control access
Data dictionary
Used to manage and control access to information repository
Facilities for recording, storing and processing resources
Useful for cross-referencing

20. Components of CASE Diagramming tools
Allow you to represent a system and its components visually
Allows higher level processes to be easily decomposed
Can examine processes or data models at high or low level
Diagramming tools
Allow you to draw DFDs, ERDs, use case diagrams, case diagrams
Allows you to use stepwise refinement in building models (work from high level to low level)

21. Components of CASE Screen and report generators Used to
Create, modify and test prototypes of computer displays and reports
Identify which data items to display or collect for each screen or report
Some tools have templates

22. Components of CASE Analysis tools
Generate reports that help identify possible inconsistencies, redundancies and omissions
Generally focus on
diagram completeness and consistency
data structures and usage
Analysis tools
Types of analyses depend on methodology used and features of CASE environment

23. Components of CASE CASE documentation generator tools
Create standard reports based on contents of repository
Need textual descriptions of needs, solutions, trade-offs, diagrams of data and processes, prototype forms and reports, program specifications and user documentation
High-quality documentation leads to 80% reduction in system maintenance effort in comparison to average quality documentation
Case documentation generator tools
Provide a method of managing documentation
Allow creation of master templates

24. CASE classification
Classification helps us understand the different types of CASE tools and their support for process activities.
Functional perspective
Tools are classified according to their specific function.
Process perspective
Tools are classified according to process activities that are supported.

25. Functional tool classification

26. Activity-based tool classification

27. CASE Tools 27
Some CASE tools will automatically generate code from designs stored in the repository.
Example: Rational Rose and others; often based on a design model and parameters supplied….
Some CASE tools provide for ‘reverse engineering’
These are used to recover and/or replicate design documents from running, well-established (legacy) software systems.
These tools may create completed updated repository and design documents based on the code.

28. Tools to Software Product Quality
Contribution of CASE
Tools to Software Product Quality 28
Simply stated, CASE tools can significantly contribute to a reduction of errors in each development phase. Consider some of the tools you use
Cause of software errors
Extent of
contribution to quality
1. Faulty requirements definition
Almost none
2. Client-developer communication failures
3. Deliberate deviations from software requirements
High
4. Logical design errors
5. Coding errors
Very high
6. Non-compliance with coding and documentation instructions
7. Shortcomings in the testing process
8. User interface and procedural errors
Limited
9. Documentation errors

29. Great contribution in discovering29
Note that most of the contributions are not addressing faulty requirements definition – (this likely with poor requirements management) are the most frequent causes of software failures.
But most of the contributions are in traceability based on data in the repository and tracing tools.
Great contribution in discovering
design errors
coding errors
testing
documentation!

30. Contribution of CASE tools to Software Maintenance Quality30
To Corrective Maintenance: (Errors)
    * CASE-generated updated documentation enables easier and more reliable identification of software failure causes.
* Cross-referenced queries enable better anticipation effects of proposed correction.
* Correction by means of lower CASE or integrated CASE tools provides automated coding and documentation of corrections.

31. Contribution of CASE tools to Software Maintenance Quality31
Contribution of CASE tools to
Software Maintenance Quality
To adaptive maintenance:
Full and updated documentation by CASE tools enables thorough examination of possible software adaptations for new applications.

32. Contribution of CASE tools to Software Maintenance Quality32
Contribution of CASE tools to
Software Maintenance Quality
To perfective maintenance:
* Use of the repository assures consistency of new applications and improvements with existing software systems.
* Cross-referenced repository queries enable better planning of changes and additions.
* Changes and additions carried out by means of lower CASE or integrated CASE tools enable automated coding and documentation of the changes and additions.

33. Contribution of CASE Tools for Improved Project Management33
Contribution of CASE Tools for Improved Project Management
There is little question that projects supported by CASE tools can have dramatic positive impacts on Project Management.
CASE tools can reduce the project budgets and development time
But from a quality perspective, we are interested in improvements in budget control and timetables.
CASE tools can significantly contribute from deviations of budget and schedule from a plan and the reduction of high error rates and shorter correction cycles when needed..