asp:review
Compuware DevPartner Studio Professional Edition 7.1
By Mike Riley
I was fortunate enough to have
reviewed the 7.0 version of Compuware's DevPartner Studio Professional product
back in May of 2003, and jumped at the chance to continue reviewing the latest
release in the product line, especially considering that the older release does
not support the 2003 edition of Visual Studio .NET. Thankfully, that problem
has been rectified, along with a bundle of other optimizations and new product
features that make the 7.1 release a compelling upgrade for existing DevPartner
fans.
Because the latest release spans
the gamut of Microsoft development tools from the Visual Studio 6.0 C++ and
Visual Basic environments through VS .NET 2002 and 2003, the number of tools
available in the package can be overwhelming at first. While most of the tools
found in the 7.1 edition are identical to those found in the 7.0 version, this
review will focus on the product enhancements in this point release; check out
the earlier DevPartner
7.0 review.
For ASP.NET developers, the best
new addition to the DevPartner toolset is its expansion of the source code
analysis rules for ASP.NET and ADO.NET. Like the code rules culled from
programming experts in earlier releases of Code Review, 7.1 includes an
extensive database of expert coding practices that teaches as much as it
detects. It's like having a computerized Extreme Programming peer review always
available when you need it. Even during the brief time I've been reviewing this
product, my own code practices have improved as a result - good job, Compuware!
Another addition specifically for
the .NET developer is DevPartner's extensive ability to analyze memory consumed
by every program class and object created, track every reference to those
objects and quickly highlight the lines of code responsible for memory
allocation. It certainly takes the guesswork out of determining which portions
of an application are the most resource intensive and, by doing so, reduces or
in some cases entirely eliminates bottlenecks or contentions that weren't
obvious during the application design phase.
The most colorful addition to the
new release is its ability to diagram code call graphs. Remember the first time
you saw a Web tool display a graphical site link map? You'll get that same
feeling when you review the call graphs. Like site maps, the call graphs allow
developers to quickly traverse the applications dependencies and isolate
problem areas (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. The call graph feature is
just one of many new enhancements available in the latest release of
Compuware's DevPartner Studio Professional edition.
Other minor tweaks have been made
to the product to help make developers' lives easier. A difference engine now
exists to show the changes between two separate profiling runs, making code
change improvements considerably easier to identify. Although this could be
fudged in the previous version, its fully supported inclusion is a welcome
addition. DevPartner Studio also now helps developers using threading to easily
identify thread deadlock scenarios, helping to avert painful bug hunts.
About the only criticism I have of
this latest upgrade is the price. I have reviewed other code evaluation and
instrumentation tools since the 7.0 release and, as a potential purchaser of
these tools, my expectations have been reset as a result of lower cost
alternatives that deliver nearly as much value as the previous DevPartner
suite. Additionally, some developers might feel strong-armed into paying a
hefty fee just to achieve VS .NET 2003 support while some .NET tool vendors
have opted instead for a free upgrade for existing customers. It's obvious that
the 7.1 version is not just a patch, but it would have been nice to reward
current 7.0 licensees with a more reasonable price break.
Even with the high cost, DevPartner
Studio is still the leader in the field of Visual Studio .NET code review and
optimization toolsets.
Rating:
Web Site: http://www.compuware.com/products/devpartner/studio.htm
Price: approximately US$1,495 per seat;
US$700 for upgrade