Automatic metadata-based development

Time-to-release is a challenge for organizations which develop software systems. A special kind of system, called information system (IS), can be modeled as a set of data catalogues. A data catalogue can be conceived as a functional data-depending unit composing the IS. An IS usually contains hundreds of data catalogues. Each data catalogue has its own user interface, constraints, and functionalities such as a built-in query tool, a printer tool, a filter tool, etc. This work describes a successful technical strategy developed to reduce the system coding and testing time. The technical strategy is based on metadata descriptions of data catalogues and a run-time component-based framework called data catalogue infrastructure (DCI). This work describes the most important elements of the DCI. Some measurements about the coding and testing time in real projects are presented. These measurements show a significant reduction in coding and testing time with a rate around 80%.