3.

11 SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT TOOLS AND PRODUCTIVITY AIDS System development tools and
productivity aids include code generators, CASE applications and 4GL.

3.11.1 CODE GENERATORS Code generators are tools, often incorporated with CASE products, dusingthat
generate program code based on parameters defined by a systems analyst or on data/entity flow
diagrams developed by the design module of a CASE product.

3.11.2 COMPUTER-AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Application development efforts require collecting.

organizing and presenting a substantial amount of data at the application, systems and program levels. A
substantial amount of the application development effort involves translating this information into
program logic and code for subsequent testing, modification and implementation. This often is a time
consuming process but it is askesary to develop, use and maintain comsputer applications.

CASE is the use of automated tools to aid in the software dev eloptment process. Their use may include
the application of software tools for software requirements capture and analysis, software design, code
production, testing, document generation other software development activities.

CASE products are generally divided into three categories

1. Upper CASE-Products used to describe and document business and application requirements. This
information includes data object definitions and relationships, and process definitions and relationships.

2. Middle CASE-Products used for developing the detailed designs. These include screen and report
layouts, editing criteria, data object organization and process flows. When elements or relationships
change in the design, it is necessary to make only minor alterations to the automated design and all
other relationships are automatically updated

3. Lower CASE-Products involved with the generation of program code and database definitions. These
products use detailed design information, programming rules and database syntax rules to generate
program logic, data file formats or entire applications

Some CASE products embrace two of these categories or all three of them.

CASE tocls are available for mainframe, minicomputer and microcomputer environments. These tools
can provide higher quality systems more quickly CASE products enforce a uniform approach to system
develupment, facilitate storage and retrieval of documents, and reduce the manual effort in developing
and presenting system design information. This power of automation changes the nature of the
development process by climinating or combining some steps and altering the means of verifying
specifications and applications

The IS auditor needs to recognize the changes in the development prucess brought on by CASE. Some
CASE systems allow a projoct team to produce a complete system from the DFDs and data elements
without any traditional source code. In these situations, the DFDs and data elements become the source
cods.
The IS auditor shoald gain assurances that approvals are obtained for the appropriate specifications,
users continuc to be iavolved in the development process, benefits in quality and speed. Other key issues
the IS auditor nceds to consider with CASE include the following :

CASE tools help in the application design process but do nut ensure that the they fully meet the needs of
the organization.

CASE tools should complement and fit into the application development methodology, but there nocds
to be a project and investments in CASE tools yield design, programs and system are correct or that
methodology in place for CASE to be effective. The methodology should be understood and used
effectively by the organization's software developers

The integrity of data moved between CASE products or between manual and CASE processes needs to be
monitored and controlled

Changes to the application should be reflected in stored CASE product data.

Just like a traditional application, application controls need to be designed

The CASE repository (the database that stores and organizes the documentation, models and other
outputs from the different phases) needs to be secured on a need-to-know basis. Strict version control
should be maintained on this database

The IS auditor may also become a user of CASE tools as several features facilitate the audit process.
DFDs, which may be the product of upper and middle CASE tools, may be used as an alternative to other
flowcharting techniques. IS auditors whose IS departments are inoving into CASE are using CASE-
generated documentation as part of the audit. Some are even experimenting with the use of CASE tools
to create audit documentation. In addition, CASE tools can be used to develop interrogation software
and embedded audit modules (EAMs). Repository reports should be used to gain an understanding of
the system and to review controls over the development process.

3.11.3 FOURTH-GENERATION LANGUAGES

While a standard definition of a 4GL does not exist, the common characteristics of 4GLs are the
following

Nonprocedural language-Most 4GLs do not obey the procedural paradigm of continuous statement
execution and subroutine call and control structures. Instead, they are event-driven and make extensive
use of object-oriented programming concepts such as objects. properties and methods.

For example, a COBOL programmer who wants to produce a report sorted in a given sequence must first
open and read the data file, then sort the file and finally produce the report. A typical 4GL treats the
report as an object with properties, such as input file name and sort order, and methods such as soit file
and print report.
Care should be taken when using 4GLs. Unlike traditional languages, the 4GLs can lack the lower levcl
detail commands necessary to perform certain types of data intensive or onlin operations. These
operations are usually required when developing major applications. For this reason, the use of 4GLs as
development languages should be weighed carefully against traditional languages already discussed. .

Environmental independence (portability)-Many 4GLs are portable across computer architectures, OSs
and telecommunications monitors. Some 4GLs have been implemented on mainframe processors and
microcomputers.

Software facilities -These facilities include the ability to design or paint retriev al screen formats, develop
computer-aided training routines or help screens, and produce graphical outputs .

Programmer workbench concepts-The programmer has access through the terminal to easy filing
facilities temporary itorage, text editing and OS commands. This type of a workbench approach is closely
associated with the CASE application development approach. It is often referred to as an integrated
development environment (IDE)

SImple language subsets-4GLs generally have simple language subsets that can be used by less-skilled
users in ar information center

subscts

4GLs are often classified in the following way

Query and report generators-These specialirzed lainguages can extract and produce reports (audit
software) Recently more powerful languages have been produced that can access database records,
produce complex online outputs and be developed in an almost natural language

Embedded database 4GLs-These depend on self-contained database management systems. This

characteristic often makes them more user-friendly but also may lead to applications that are not
integrated well with other production applications Examples include FOCUS, RAMIS II and NOMAD 2 .

Relational database 4GLs-These high-level language products are usually an optional feature on a
vendors DBMS product line. These ailow the applications developer to make better use of the DBMS
product, but they often are not end-user-oriented. Examples include SQL+. MANTIS and NATURAL