CASE is an acronym for Computer Aided Software Engineering. This is a category of software that permits teams of programmers to participate in development projects. In an analogy, CASE tools permit the development and maintenance of software, much like a mechanic who uses specialized tools to assemble and maintain a vehicle.

A plethora of CASE tools exist to support a multitude of development applications. The following examples are but several of many applications supported by CASE tools: two and three-dimensional graphics, animation and simulation, automated documentation, business modeling, data collection, data modeling, flow charting, object-oriented programming, real time modeling, and report generation. Editors, compilers, debuggers, code generators, and access control are but a few examples of CASE tools.

There are various levels of CASE tools. Upper CASE tools focus on activities associated with the early stages of systems development. Lower CASE tools focus on the later...