Software Systems Needs : Knowledge and Database

We discuss a knowledge/data centered architecture for Computer Aided Software Engineering environments that has at its heart knowledge and data base management system (repository) on which all Computer Aided Software Engineering tools rely for knowledge and data services. The repository has three entity kinds: objects, procedures, and rules. Data resides in the objects while knowledge resides in the procedures, rules, and special fields in the objects. We then discuss why a third generation DBMS, which incorporates data, object, and knowledge services, is a good choice for the knowledge manager. We use an object oriented model of software systems to analyze the storage requirements of program documents in the library, as well as reuse processes throughout the life-cycle. We conclude by repository, and show how we use the procedures and rules to efficiently maintain multiple software document representations. We then show how the repository can effectively support a software reuse outlining the future directions of our research.