Coping with evolution in information systems: a database perspective

• Main Author: Lawrence, Gregory
• Other Authors: Renaud, Karen Vera
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: Software evolution; Requirements change; Schema evolution; Conceptual modelling; Meta-modelling; Model-Driven Architecture; Orthogonal persistence; Persistent application system; Evolvability; Software development life-cycle; Information System design and development; Database design; Database evolution; Application evolution; Unanticipated change; 005.74; Database management; Computer software > Development; Computer architecture
• Online Access: Lawrence, Gregory (2002) Coping with evolution in information systems: a database perspective, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1123>; http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1123

Business organisations today are faced with the complex problem of dealing with evolution in their software information systems. This effectively concerns the accommodation and facilitation of change, in terms of both changing user requirements and changing technological requirements. An approach that uses the software development life-cycle as a vehicle to study the problem of evolution is adopted. This involves the stages of requirements analysis, system specification, design, implementation, and finally operation and maintenance. The problem of evolution is one requiring proactive as well as reactive solutions for any given application domain. Measuring evolvability in conceptual models and the specification of changing requirements are considered. However, even "best designs" are limited in dealing with unanticipated evolution, and require implementation phase paradigms that can facilitate an evolution correctly (semantic integrity), efficiently (minimal disruption of services) and consistently (all affected parts are consistent following the change). These are also discussed === Computing === M. Sc. (Information Systems)