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DevPartner Studio 9.0 Targets Code Quality
Compuware delivers DevPartner Studio 9.0, an upgraded version of its
automated code-scanning and analysis suite.
Compuware Corp. last month released an upgrade of its automated code-scanning and analysis suite with a version designed to help dev shops produce higher quality application code. DevPartner Studio 9.0 includes updates to support recent Microsoft releases, including Visual Studio 2008 and Visual Studio Team System 2008, Windows Server 2008, .NET Framework 3.5, ASP.NET AJAX and Language Integrated Query (LINQ).
Compuware has also bolstered support for legacy tools and languages, including Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Studio 6.0, Visual Studio.NET 2003 and .NET Framework 1.1.
Controlling Code
The source code-scanning feature of DevPartner 9.0 is the most significant new element in the latest release, says Doug Carrier, a Compuware senior product manager. The software scans ASP.NET app code, checking against more than 200 security vulnerabilities and behaviors. Scan results often discover unprivileged code with access to privileged operations, and exceptions that are allowed to drive malicious behavior within an otherwise secure system, he says.
"What this does now is take security out of the realm of large companies that have the money to build and maintain a security practice," Carrier says of DevPartner.
DevPartner is suited to development organizations lacking effective code and process controls, says Bola Rotibi, principal analyst for London, U.K.-based research firm Macehiter Ward-Dutton. Too many companies fail to assert tight quality control over their code, Rotibi adds.
"Applications still fail, and they still fail at too high a frequency," she says. "The bottom line is more organizations need to think about static analysis. But they need to think about it in terms of code quality."
XML-Based Reporting
DevPartner Studio 9.0 adds integrated XML-based reporting, allowing production of detailed and customizable code-quality reports. Carrier says the reports can help managers answer important questions about their apps.
Rotibi says the ability to automate scans and reports at every build is critical, particularly as more and more shops move to more agile development practices. "Static analysis isn't done on just one iteration. It should be done on every iteration, every time you modify that code. Every time a developer goes in to make a change or modification, there's always potential for an error," Rotibi explains.
DevPartner Studio 9.0 is $2,400 per single-seat license.
About the Author
Michael Desmond is an editor and writer for 1105 Media's Enterprise Computing Group.