Refining Complexity Metrics of Component Based Softwares by Taking Average Use Factor

Abstract

Component - based software engineering (CBSE) has emerged as an approach that offers rapid development of system using fewer resources and effort. The CBSE gives the idea of reuse and cutting down the development cost. Thus testing of components becomes more complicated when developers are not provided with internal information of these components. As a result of this, understanding control data flow in black box components is a challenge. Component - bas ed software facilitates development of complex systems by allowing black box testing of reusable components. Testing of black box components is a challenging area of research. Our research aims at finding the existing black box component testing techniques and challenges in CBSE. The systematic literature survey is based on International Journals collected from multiple - stage selection process. These journals have been published within the time span of 2004 - 2010. We propose to compute the complexity metric s of component based software in more justified way by taking considerations of their using frequencies. The complexity metrics calculation of the component Based software’s by using black box testing is still not refined. The reason is that the various co mponents are not used by the end users uniformly. Again, use of various components depends upon user to user as per their requirements. So therefore calculating straight forward their complexity on the basis of number of components, their interfaces and da ta types are not sufficient. We must add the factor of their (AUF) average use factor by the customers of different components. As we know that every algorithm or program have 3 complexity states i.e . a) Best Case b) Average case and c) Worst case. As we know that each and every components of software is not used uniformly by the users. So calculating merely on the basis of their no of components, interfaces and data types predicts only theoretical complexity of that software. If we wish to calculate more justified complexity metrics then we must normalize these components on the basis of their frequency of use in normal routine. As it’s quite possible that some modules or components are rarely used by common users. In this case those components hardly inf luence the complexity of that software. Thus we can reduce significantly the complexity of component based software which was earlier hypothetically calculated very high. Keywords — AUF(Average Use Factor), Black box testing, STECC approaches, Logic com ponent, I - BACCI Approach. Black Box Component, CBSD, CBSDO, Component, Reusability Software Architecture