What are possible drawbacks to using CASE tools?
There are several drawbacks to using CASE tools, but these drawbacks are common to any situation where a specialized tool is used. One drawback is that CASE tools do not necessarily prevent people from making bad designs. The output from the CASE tool may look nice, but a pig in a dress is still a pig. Another drawback has to do with training. If you already know how to use one tool, learning how to use a new one is not as difficult because the same concepts still apply. If CASE tools are totally new to you, then the time for learning how to use the tool plus someone verifying that you do in fact know how to design in accordance with best practices – must be taken into account. If the CASE tool undergoes a major upgrade/version release, there may be old features lost and new features gained, neither of which may be desirable for your user community. Another drawback is the cost of using these tools. Microsoft Visio 2003 Professional Edition costs almost $500. The database design may be
