Specialized CASE tools can be combined together to provide a wider support to software process activities. An effective integration for framework makes evolution possible as new systems ate added without disturbing the existing system. In system engineering environment, there are five
different levels of integration of case tools as discussed below.
i) Platform integration: Platform integration means that the tools or work benches to be implemented run on the same platform where platform means either a single computer/operating system or a network of systems.
ii) Data integration: Data integration is the process of exchange of data by CASE tools. The result from one tool can be passed as input to another tool.
There are a number of different levels of data integration such as shared files, shared data structure and shared repository.
iii) Presentation integration: Presentation or user interface integration means that the tools in the system use a common metaphor or style and a set of common standards for interaction.
There are three different levels of presentation integration such as window system integration, tools which are integrated, interaction etc.
iv) Control Integration: Control integration is the mechanism of one tool in a workbench or environment to control the activation of other tools in the CASE system. The tool is able to
start and stop other tools. The tool can also call the sources of another tool in the system. These services are accessed through program interfaces.
v) Process integration: Process Integration means that the CASE system has embedded knowledge about the process activities, their phasing, their constraints and the tools needed to support their activities. The CASE system participates in the scheduling of these activities and in checking that the required activity reference is maintained.
Process integration requires that the case system maintains a mould of the software process and use this mould to drive the process activities. In a sense, activities and deliverables are identified, a coordination strategy defined and the tools required to support activities are specified. All of this is embedded in the mould and a process interpreter then extracts this mould to drive the software process.