CASE tools evaluation: an automatic process based on fuzzy sets theory

This paper describes the architecture of a software tool for CASE products evaluation. The tool is based on the ISO software product quality evaluation process model, which has been extended using fuzzy sets theory for achieving more reliable results. The evaluation tool can determine which CASE product is the most appropriate for a specific application and can generate the initial models of the system for further processing by the selected CASE tool. This is achieved by using an inference process based on fuzzy rules for mapping user's specifications into software metrics. Fuzzy sets are employed to express concepts such as the strength of each criterion involved in the evaluation, its relative importance, etc. The evaluation tool architecture is modular while the fuzzy rules, the definition of the used fuzzy sets and the tool database can be easily modified by the user for accurately describing his requirements.