A knowledge and data base for software systems

The authors discuss a knowledge/data centered architecture for CASE (computer-aided software engineering) environments that has at its heart a knowledge and database management system (repository) on which all CASE tools rely for knowledge and data services. The repository has three entity kinds: objects, procedures, and rules. Data reside in the objects while knowledge resides in the procedures, rules, and special fields in the objects. The authors discuss why a third generation database management system, which incorporates data, object, and knowledge services, is a good choice for the knowledge manager. They use an object-oriented model of software systems to analyze the storage requirements of program documents in the repository and show how the procedures and rules can be used to efficiently maintain multiple software document representations. It is then shown how the repository can effectively support a software reuse library and reuse processes throughout the life-cycle