Empirical Evaluation of Complexity Metrics for Component Based Systems

Reuse-based software engineering is gaining currency as an approach for constructing software applications that are based on existing software components. Factors that have contributed to increased reliance on software components include increased dependability, reduced process risk, standards compliance and reduced time to market. Software components are usually delivered and handled as “black boxes,” which tremendously increases risks associated component integration, system testing and deployment. Due to these risks, metrics for evaluating the quality of component-based systems must be developed and validated. In this work, we analyze the Interface Complexity Metric for JavaBeans components and propose an enhanced metric. We also perform validation of the proposed metric and make recommendations for future research work.