Development of an expert assistant for software evaluation using a hybrid approach

Evaluation of software can be complex and difficult. There are many tasks performed during the software life-cycle which attempt to answer a range of key concerns. A lack of visibility and understanding of the software products, of the processes used for development, and of the resources which serve as inputs to these processes is seen as a major impediment to providing answers to these concerns. This paper outlines an approach to software evaluation based on the use of description/visualization tools and knowledge-based techniques. We report on an expert assistant which we have developed to support this approach. This tool was developed using a hybrid approach which combines the benefits of database techniques and knowledge-based systems.<>