CASE workbenches

⊗ Software tools to support

specific process phases

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 1

Objectives
⊗ To describe different types of CASE workbench
⊗ To discuss the notion of open and closed CASE
workbenches
⊗ To describe the structure and components of
design, programming and testing workbenches
⊗ To introduce meta-CASE tools for CASE
workbench creation

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 2

Topics covered
⊗ Programming workbenches
⊗ Analysis and design workbenches
⊗ Testing workbenches
⊗ Meta-CASE workbenches

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 3

CASE workbenches
⊗ A set of tools which supports a particular phase in
the software process
⊗ Tools work together to provide comprehensive
support
⊗ Common services are provided which are used by
all tools and some data integration is supported

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 4

Types of workbench
⊗ Programming, design and testing workbenches
covered here
⊗ Other types of workbench are
• Cross-development workbenches for host-target development
• Configuration management workbenches (discussed in Chapter
32)
• Documentation workbenches for producing professional system
documentation
• Project management workbenches. Some management tools are
discussed in Chapters 3 and 29

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 5

Open workbenches
⊗ Control integration mechanisms are provided and
the data integration protocols are public. New tools
can therefore be added by users
⊗ Advantages
• The workbench can be tailored to specific organizational needs
• The file outputs may be managed by a configuration management
system
• Incremental workbench introduction and evolution is possible
• Organizations can source tools from different vendors. Diversity
of supply is possible

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 6

Closed workbenches
⊗ Many commercial workbenches are closed
systems. The control and data integration
protocols are proprietary. These are more common
than open workbenches
⊗ Allows for tighter tool integration including
presentation integration
⊗ However, it is impossible to integrate third-party
tools and the user is tied to a single supplier

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 7

Programming workbenches
⊗ A set of tools to support program development
⊗ First CASE workbenches. Include compilers,
linkers, loaders, etc.
⊗ Programming workbenches are often integrated
around an abstract program representation (the
abstract syntax tree) which allows for tight
integration of tools
⊗ Integration around shared source-code files is also
possible

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 8

A programming workbench
⊗ Replace with portrait slide

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 9

Language-directed workbenches
⊗ Integrated around an abstract program
representation
⊗ The system editor has language knowledge and
can edit the abstract representation rather than the
source code text
⊗ A range of program analysis tools may be
supported
⊗ Allow multiple views of the program to be
generated

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 10

Multiple program views

Graphical Text Procedure

program view view heading view

Abstract syntax
tree

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 11

4GL workbenches
⊗ Provide facilities for developing 4GL programs
⊗ Integrated around a database management system
⊗ Components usually include
• Database query language
• Form design system
• Spreadsheet
• Report generator
⊗ Very effective in developing business systems

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 12

A 4GL workbench

DB query Form Report

Spreadsheet
language designer generator

Database Management System

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 13

Design and analysis workbenches

⊗ Support the generation of system models during
design and analysis activities
⊗ Usually intended to support a specific structured
method
⊗ Provide graphical editors plus a shared repository
⊗ May include code generators to create source code
from design information

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 14

An analysis and design workbench
Structured Report
Data
diagramming generation
dictionary
tools facilities

Central Query
Code
information language
generator
repository facilities

Forms Design, analysis

and checking Import/export
creation
tools facilities
tools

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 15

Workbench advantages
⊗ Generally available on relatively cheap personal
computers
⊗ Results in standardized documentation for
software systems
⊗ Estimated that productivity improvements of 40%
are possible with fewer defects in the completed
systems

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 16

Workbench drawbacks
⊗ These systems are usually closed environments
with tight integration between the tools
⊗ Import/export facilities are limited. ASCII and
Postscript diagrams
⊗ Difficult or impossible to adapt method to specific
organizational needs
⊗ Configuration management may either be
excluded or specific to that workbench. Difficult to
integrate with other systems in the organization

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 17

Testing workbenches
⊗ Testing is an expensive process phase. Testing
workbenches provide a range of tools to reduce
the time required and total testing costs
⊗ Most testing workbenches are open systems
because testing needs are organization-specific
⊗ Difficult to integrate with closed design and
analysis workbenches

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 18

A testing workbench
Test data
Specification
generator

Source Test Oracle

code manager Test data

Dynamic Program Test Test

analyser being tested results predictions

Execution File
Simulator
report comparator

Report Test results

generator report

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 19

Testing workbench adaptations

⊗ Scripts may be developed for user interface
simulators and patterns for test data generators
⊗ Test outputs may have to be prepared manually
for comparison
⊗ Special-purpose file comparators may be
developed

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 20

Meta-CASE
⊗ Design and analysis workbenches are conceptually
similar. Often the differences are only in the
diagram types supported and the method rules and
guidelines
⊗ Programming workbenches are integrated around
a syntax representation which may be separately
defined
⊗ Meta-CASE workbenches are tools which assist
the process of creating workbenches. They reduce
the costs of CASE workbench creation
©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 21

Programming workbench generators

⊗ First tools of this type were generated in the early
1980s (Mentor, Synthesizer Generator, Gandalf)
⊗ The syntax and semantics of the programming
language is defined and used to tailor generic
language processing tools

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 22

Environment generation

Language
Environment Language
syntax
generator tables
definition

Semantic
information Language- Generic
oriented environment
environment

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 23

Design workbench generation

⊗ Design and analysis workbenches can be created
by using a method-definition language to define
the method rules and guidelines
⊗ Components of a meta-CASE workbench include
• General-purpose repository
• Tools to create structure editors or textual notations and
programming languages
• A generic diagram editing system
• Code generators for various languages
• Forms and report generators

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 24

A multi-notation design editor

ER ER
description tables

DFD Method DFD Design

description compiler tables editor

FSM FSM
description tables

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 25

Key points
⊗ CASE workbenches are integrated toolsets to
support a phase of the software process
⊗ Workbenches may be open or closed systems
⊗ Programming workbenches, analysis and design
workbenches and testing workbenches are widely
used
⊗ Analysis and design workbenches may include
graphical editors, report generators and a data
dictionary

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 26

Key points
⊗ Testing workbenches may include test managers,
dynamic analyzers, test data generators, file
comparators and different types of emulator
⊗ Meta-CASE workbenches are CASE systems
which are used to generate other CASE systems.
They may be based on descriptions of the
notations and rules of design methods

©Ian Sommerville 1995 Software Engineering, 5th edition. Chapter 26 Slide 27