Some analysts believe that if the trend toward more powerful CASE tools continues, many tedious development tasks might be performed automatically. Is there a limit to the capabilities of future CASE software? Could a complete information system be designed by describing a business operation and specifying certain inputs and outputs? Explain your answer.

What will be an ideal response?

Given the rapid pace of technology, it is wise never to say “never.” Currently, powerful tools such as Rational System Architect and Visible Analyst enable developers to construct working models that can serve as prototypes for a new system. Also consider the fact that tools such as Visible Analyst allow you to engage in strategic planning by creating a series of statements and functional decomposition diagrams, which are explained as follows (emphasis added):

Planning, Business Planning
Functional decomposition diagrams (FDDs) give you the ability to do high-level planning of business functions diagrammatically while concurrently populating the repository. You can enter business functions (hereafter called simply functions) that you define onto diagrams and break them down into successively finer gradations. At some point, one that is entirely up to you, you can break down functions into processes. These processes are semantically equal to the processes that appear on data flow diagrams.

From where we already are, it might only be a short step to a CASE tool that could go from a strategic plan, to an FDD, to a set of processes, to application structure and code. Stay tuned.