Configuration Management Systems

Managing the development process, especially in distributed application development projects, has always been a major headache. Unfortunately, it is becoming more important just as development projects are getting more difficult. Thanks to the Internet and the World Wide Web, today's development cycles are often much shorter and require more code reuse.

Just as source code management tools evolved into configuration management (CM) systems, CM systems will continue to absorb the functionality now provided by disparate tools. Vendors are looking beyond standard CM functionality and beginning to focus on supporting the entire application development life cycle. In light of this, configuration management technology will continue to evolve by expanding current functionality and merging with other tools to become an integrated part of the development life cycle.

Different roles within the development process, from modeling to QA testing, will continue to be handled by different user groups. This integration of CM into the development life cycle should therefore not be targeted at the user level. Instead, it must be based on a recognition of the critical need for management of the overall development process. This column analyzes the forces driving the CM market and details specific capabilities that IT managers should look for when evaluating CM systems.

Expanding CM Functionality

Process-management functionality will become more integrated with existing organization-wide workflow tools. It is important to note that most of today's tools support a configuration management workflow, not a complete development life cycle workflow. Although it is possible for users to extend this workflow functionality, the modeling languages are complex and tedious to apply properly. To be successful in the long term, vendors' CM solutions will need to include visual process-modeling tools for modifying process management functionality.

Build management is another area of functionality that will become increasingly important in repository-based development environments. As the use of components increases, developers will need to use more tools on more platforms throughout the development process. As a result, vendors need to provide direct support for organizations that do regular cross-platform builds. The infrastructure used to implement distributed builds across a single platform should be extended to work across disparate platforms. Equally important, this functionality should support cross-tool build management. Developers will then be able to initiate, monitor, and control builds for all supported platforms and tools from a single location with a single tool.

Integration with Other Tools The recent announcements in both the QA testing and the CM markets are good examples of the trend towards increased integration. Rational Software Corp. recently announced a merger with testing tool company SQA Inc., the purchase of Microsoft Corp.'s Visual Test testing tool, and the acquisition of Requisite Inc., a provider of requirements management software. Also in the past year, Pure Software and Atria Software merged to form Pure Atria, an organization with a unified configuration management and testing tools story. Configuration management, like QA testing, is still a relatively immature market. Users must be convinced that CM is something they need to do. Vendors are attempting to address this need by integrating functionality to make the overall process easier to adopt and control.

The consolidation that is taking place within the QA testing and CM markets is only a first step. Other potential areas for integration include analysis and design and requirements management. Platinum Technology Inc., Rational Software Corp., Intersolv Inc., and Pure Atria are vendors that appear to be positioning themselves to support the application development life cycle. Other vendors will need to position their products as integral to the development life cycle and create more leverage by partnering or rounding out their product lines.

The Effect of the Internet on Configuration Management

Providing Internet-based problem-tracking systems is a logical first step. Customers can directly access a problem-report database from any Web browser. This can reduce support costs by allowing users to access information directly, where and when they want it, instead of via expensive customer support personnel. It is also a very effective way to improve the efficiency of beta tests because it provides vendors with an inexpensive way to open up their development process and incorporate feedback from a wide range of sources. Security is not an issue, because the vendor can define and limit access as required.

The Web also offers users the possibility for greater integration between configuration and application management. Problem-tracking systems will likely be accessible from the World Wide Web as a series of forms. This will allow vendors to integrate problem-tracking systems with call-tracking systems to provide complete, end-to-end accountability for all reported problems. Without this functionality, users would have no structured way to guarantee that reported problems are routed back to the appropriate development and maintenance groups.

The Internet and the Hyper-Tier development paradigm (see "Leveraging Chaos," DBMS, April 1997, page 10) have also made release management a much more important part of configuration management systems. Documents and applications posted to the World Wide Web need to be tracked constantly. The rapid pace of change means that new content and functionality are often posted daily. Release-management functionality within a CM solution can be an essential tool in the fast-paced Web site development and maintenance environment. Although most systems can directly handle the text and image types typically found on a Web site, the sheer pace of change may expose weaknesses in less capable CM systems.

Configuration management vendors are being forced to provide additional CM functionality as well as increased integration with other tools. Total solutions from one vendor are not necessarily the best option for users. However, the application development process involves many interrelated steps that are not clearly differentiated. Leaving any steps out of the process can adversely affect overall development and may have a direct, negative impact on an organization's bottom line. In this scenario, trading some flexibility for increased integration may be a small price to pay.

Look to vendors that clearly understand and can articulate the business value of their tools. Support for different development scenarios, including the use of components and Web-based development, is essential. Most IT shops will also require heterogeneous system support. Vendors do not need to provide an entire life cycle solution. (In fact, point products may still be a better option for some development teams.) However, be certain that the tool you choose is well integrated with other products and provides complete support for the application development life cycle.