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The crucial point is that these aspects are directly related to the real world and, therefore, the same language
can be used to define system requirements, specifications, design, and detailed design for functional, resource,
and resource allocation architectures throughout all levels and layers of seamless definition, including hard-
ware, software, and peopleware.
This language based on DBTF can be used to define organizations of people, missile or banking systems,
cognitive systems, as well as real-time or database environments and is, therefore, appropriate across
industries, academia, or government.

Technology
Real-world experience sets the stage for the DBTF technology. Having evolved over three decades, the
theory has roots in the worlds of systems theory, formal methods, and object technology. The DBTF
technology embodies the theory, the language supports its representation, and its automation supports
its application and use. Each is evolutionary (in fact, recursively so), with experience feeding the theory
and the theory feeding the language, which in turn feeds the automation. All are used, in concert, to
design systems and build software.
The DBTF approach had its beginnings in 1968 with an empirical analysis of the Apollo space missions.
A better way was needed to define and develop systems than the ones being used and available because
the existing ones (just like the traditional ones today) did not solve the pressing problems. Research for
developing software for man-rated missions led to the finding that interface errors accounted for approx-
imately 75% of all errors found in the flight software during final testing (in traditional development,
the figure is as high as 90%). Such errors include data flow, priority, and timing errors from the highest
levels of a system to the lowest level of detail. Each error was categorized according to how it could be
prevented just by the way a system is defined. This work led to a theory and methodology for defining
a system that would eliminate all interface errors.
The first technology derived from this theory concentrated on defining and building reliable systems.
Having realized the benefits of addressing one major issue, such as reliability, research continued to evolve
by addressing other major issues the same way, that is, just by the way a system is defined [9–11].
DBTF is a function- and object-oriented approach based on a unique concept of control, which is
lacking in any other software engineering paradigm. The foundations are based on a set of axioms and
on the assumption of a universal set of objects. Each axiom defines a relation of immediate domination.
The union of the relations defined by the axioms is control. Among other things, the axioms establish
the relationships of an object for invocation, input and output, input and output access rights, error
detection and recovery, and ordering during its developmental and operational states. Table 49.1 sum-
marizes some of the properties of objects within DBTF systems.

Process
Where software engineering fails is in its inability to grasp that not only the right paradigm (out of many
paradigms) must be selected, but that the paradigm must be part of an environment that provides an
integrated automated means to solve the problem at hand. What this means is that the paradigm must
be coupled with an integrated system of tools with which to implement the results of utilizing that
paradigm to develop the model of the system.
Essentially, the paradigm generates the model and a toolset must be provided to generate the system.
DBTF provides this next-generation capability.
This DBTF approach is used throughout a life cycle, starting with requirements and continuing with
functional analysis, simulation, specification, analysis, design, system architecture design, algorithm devel-
opment, implementation, configuration management, testing, maintenance, and reverse engineering. Its
users include end users, managers, system engineers, software engineers, and test engineers.
The DBTF process combines mathematical perfection with engineering precision. Its purpose is to
facilitate the “doing things right in the first place” development style, avoiding the “fixing wrong things
up” traditional approach. Its automation is developed with the following considerations: error prevention

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