When we talk about the background in the development of systems we have to talk of CASE tools (Computer Aided Software Engineering).

These tools are a compendium of resources or applications of computing facilities that aim to increase productivity and decrease the cost of the entire system development activity (software), and their successful implementation results in significant savings in time and money.

However, the utility of CASE tools are not limited to the early development of a system, but partners in the aftermath of the same, such as the application instance of such systems, helping to design projects, making cost estimates, adaptation and automatic application of codes within certain designs, constant vigilance for errors, failures, documentation and information gathering, and so on.

1. CASE Tools

Among the many functions of a CASE tool is found to improve the efficiency (productivity) and speed of the software development process and the quality of services, reduce costs while increasing the effectiveness of time spent in both development and maintenance, facilitating planning by organizing and automating various types of processes, and just depending on which of these processes with which the tool is that it works can be divided into: Upper CASE (led to instances of implementation planning, requirements study and strategy), Middle CASE (analysis and design of it) and lower case (focused on automating the processes of building codes and programs that detect errors).

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herramienta_CASE

2. Components of a CASE tool

The functional structure of a CASE tool is based on the following pillars: a repository (or dictionary) containing stored items created by the same tool and are managed by a system specifically prepared for it, ready for framing a metamodel techniques and methodologies covering the tool, application loading and unloading data, allowing you to exchange information with other systems or tools, error checking, user interface, where traditional graphic design and editing text with those defined matrices, diagrams, etc.

http://www.slideshare.net/guestf131a9/herramientas-case#btnNext

3. Most popular CASE tools

Among the many CASE tools that are used today we highlight some, such as Visible Analyst, used by thousands of users worldwide, is one of the best integrated with standard development methodologies, and includes all design techniques and analysis, a vast repository and flexibility to integrate data managers used (http://ceds.nauta.es/Catal/Products/Catalogo_2.htm); another is Easycase, whose advantage is the possibility to automate certain instances of application development, including analysis and design, capable of supporting a large number of structured methodologies, reuse diagrams, generate database schemas and data and reverse engineering share this data, model them and protect them (thanks to a system of its dictionary) to different levels of access control (http://www.ecured.cu/index.php/EasyCASE) ; other known CASE tools are System Architect, Oracle Designer, Imagix 4D, Green UML, CodeLogic (these last three mostly used in reverse engineering) among many others.

The development of all types of CASE tools will continue to grow as the industry application topologies required more flexible, and better mobile applications, greater control and security, and, above all, while still raising the efficiency (and profitability) of programming process.