ABSTRACT
Application templates are generic specifications for specific types of application. They make use of the idea that many of the applications within such fields have a 60% or 70% overlap in data and functionality. The template provides the skeleton data models and processes for these packages and the developer tailors them for a specific application. The most obvious benefit of using an application template to guide the development of an application is that developers’ productivity should improve substantially. Instead of developing new specifications and code they are reusing an existing specification and its code. To gain the most benefit from using application templates it is best to adopt them within the context of a Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tool. A CASE tool supports a software development method that guides the developer through all stages of an application’s development, from planning through to construction. Many CASE vendors provide application templates for their CASE products.
