Using Case-Based Reasoning for
Reusing Software Knowledge

Carsten Tautz and Klaus-Dieter Aithoff


Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering
Sauerwiesen 6, D-6766l Kaiserslautern, Germany
E-mail: {tautz, althoff}@iese.fhg.de


Abstract. Reuse of software knowledge is a principle for improving
productivity and reliability of software development. To achieve this, reuse must
be done systematically. This means that processes for retrieving, reusing,
revising, and retaining have to be defined. At the same time organizational issues
(such as the establishment of a separate organizational unit responsible for
organizational learning) must be considered. In this paper we compare software
knowledge reuse models to the CBR cycle of Aamodt and Plaza [1] and show
that the approaches are very similar. We suggest to extend the CBR cycle by
including organizational issues explicitly and conclude that CBR is a promising
technology for realizing software knowledge reuse if our suggested
organizational extensions are considered.
7 References

[1]	Agnar Aamodt and Enric Plaza. Case-based reasoning: Foundational issues,
methodological variations, and system approaches. AICOM, 7(1):3959, March
1994.

[2]	K.-D. Althoff, E. Auriol, R. Barletta, and M. Manago. A Review of Industrial
Case-Based Reasoning Tools. Al Intelligence. Oxford (UK), 1995.

[3]	Klaus-Dieter Althoff. Evaluating case-based reasoning systems: The Inreca
case study. Postdoctoral thesis, University of Kaiserslautern, July 1996. (submitted).

[4]	Klaus-Dieter Althoff and Agnar Aamodt. Relating case-based problem solving
and learning methods to task and domain characteristics: Towards an analytic
framework. AICOM, 9(3): 109116, September 1996.

[5] Klaus-Dieter Althoff and Brigitte Bartsch-Sprl. Decision support for case-based 
applications. Wirtschaftsinformatik, 38(1): 816, February 1996.
[6]	Klaus-Dieter Aithoff and Wolfgang Wilke. Potential uses of case-based reasoning 
in experienced based construction of software systems and business process
support. In R. Bergmann and W. Wilke, editors, Proceedings of the 5th German
Workshop on Case-Based Reasoning, LSA-97-01E, pages 3 138. Centre for
Learning Systems and Applications, University of Kaiserslautern, March 1997.

[7]	Brigitte Bartsch-Sprl, Klaus-Dieter Althoff, and Alexandre Meissonnier.
Learning from and reasoning about case-based reasoning systems. In Proceedings 
of the 4th German Conference on Knowledge-Based Systems (XPS97),
March 1997.

[8]	Victor R. Basili, Gianluigi Caldiera, and H. Dieter Rombach. Experience Factory. 
In John J. Marciniak, editor, Encyclopedia of Software Engineering,
volume 1, pages 469476. John Wiley & Sons, 1994.

[9]	Victor R. Basili and H. Dieter Rombach. Support for comprehensive reuse.
IEEE Software Engineering Journal, 6(5):3033 16, September 1991.

[10]	R. Bergmann and U. Eisenecker. Case-based reasoning for supporting reuse of
object-oriented software: A case study (in German). In M. M. Richter and
F. Maurer, editors, Expert Systems 95, pages 152169. infix Verlag, 1996.

[11] 	C. Fernndez-Chamiso, P. A. Gozales-Clero, M. Gmez-Albarrn, and
L. Hernndez-Yanez. Supporting object reuse through case-based reasoning. In
I. Smith and B. Faltings, editors, Advances in Case-Based Reasoning, pages
135149. Springer-Verlag, 1996.
[12]	Janet Kolodner. Case-Based Reasoning. Morgan Kaufmann, 1993.
[13]	Eduardo Ostertag, James Hendler, Rubn Prieto-Daz, and Christine Braun.
Computing similarity in a reuse library system: An Al-based approach. ACM
Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, 1(3):205228, July
1992.
[14]	Rubn Prieto-Daz and Peter Freeman. Classifying software for reusability.
IEEE Software, 4(l):616, January 1987.
[15]	H. Dieter Rombach. New institute for applied software engineering research.
Software Process Newsletter, pages 1214, Fall 1996. No. 7.
[16]	Wilhelm Schfer, Rubn Prieto-Daz, and Masao Matsumoto. Software Reusability. 
Ellis Horwood, 1994.
[17] 	Carsten Tautz and Klaus-Dieter Althoff. Using case-based reasoning for reusing 
software knowledge. Technical Report IESE-Report No. 004.97/E, Fraunhofer 
Institute for Experimental Software Engineering, Kaiserslautern
(Germany), 1997.
[18]	Mansour Zand and Mansur Samadzadeh. Software reuse: Current status and
trends. Journal of Systems and Software, 30(3): 167170, September 1995.
