The general aim of CASE technology is to provide automated tools to aid
analysts and programmers in the development of software during all the
phases of the systems development life cycle (SDLC).  The state of the art
in CASE includes diagramming tools, prototyping tools, code generators and
project management tools.  The foundation of any CASE environment is the
<I>information repository</I> which stores data definitions, graphics and
other information related to the system being designed. One of the key
problems facing CASE is the inefficiency of software development due to lack
of integration of the tools supporting the different stages of the SDLC.
Related problems are the poor quality of the software produced and the lack
of effective management of the diverse data in the information repository. <P>

In this paper we propose a software engineering-oriented database system
based on a new formal model, called the <I>hypernode model</I>.  The
objective of this database system is to establish a new uniform basis for
supporting software design and development, addressing the shortcomings of
existing approaches identified above.