CASE, COMPUTER-AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, IS THE TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTOMATING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE. CASE IS A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE TOTAL SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ENVIRONMENT AND CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND REDUCE THE COSTS OF THE COMPLETE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLES. AS THE TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTOMATING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, CASE IS THE AUTOMATION COMPONENT OF THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ENVIRONMENT. THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF A CASE ENVIRONMENT ARE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF THE TOTAL SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ENVIRONMENT. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF CASE ENVIRONMENTS ALSO ARE DISCUSSED. THE DISCUSSION OF CASE CONCLUDES WITH AN OVERVIEW OF IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS.