Abstracting the logical processing life cycle for entities using the RECAST method

The reverse engineering into CASE technology method (RECAST) takes the source code for an existing COBOL system and derives a no-loss representation of the system documented in a structured systems analysis and design method (SSADM) format. One key element of the method is the abstraction of logical processing that affects the individual entities of the system. For each entity this processing is extracted from the physical implementation of the system using a program slicing technique and is then transformed into a logical representation (as an entity life history) using a set of translation and transformation rules. How the abstraction is achieved is described, and an example derived from an existing operational system that has been used as a case study for the method is given.<>