20.4 Tool Support

Most projects use some form of tool support. Development tools range from the simple, such as an editor, compiler, and linker, to the most complex integrated development environments (IDEs) or fourth-generation development languages (4GLs). Which tool(s) to deploy is a high-level management decision in a project or company-wide. It should not be made in isolation, but in connection with other needs, including configuration management.

Configuration Management Considerations

Configuration management of items developed in simple environments does not usually pose significant problems. In this context, work is done on ordinary files, most often in ASCII format, that are directly accessible and under full control of the developer (and the operating system). It's far more complicated to place items developed in, for example, a 4GL environment under configuration management. These tools organize their working files in internal libraries that do not provide direct access and control.

Part of the selection process for a development tool should be how the tool handles configuration management in context. If the development environment fulfills the requirements, these built-in facilities should be used and fitted into the configuration management process. It may be necessary to export metadata for the sake of status reporting, but that is usually possible.

If the development environment does not fulfill the requirements, the tool(s) may be able to cooperate with the configuration management system, especially the configuration management tool(s). If not, reconsider the choice of tool. IDE and 4GL systems, which can't cooperate with configuration management tool(s), tend to increase the risks of product development rather than reducing them



Configuration Management Principles and Practice
Configuration Management Principles and Practice
ISBN: 0321117662
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 181

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