Identifying Asset Type for Various Reusable Component Storage/Retrieval methods

One of the most important characteristic of a software reuse library is apparently the nature or type of assets that are stored in it. Not only source code is stored in the library but other assets including analysis documents, design descriptions, Design and analysis diagrams in UML notation and so on. The format and structuredness of each type of document varies significantly. The type of method used for storage and retrieval of assets in the reuse library depends heavily on the nature of assets stored in the library. Some library methods are restrictive, in the sense that they work for a single kind of asset, whereas others may work for a wide range of assets. This paper aims to identify which asset types are suitable with which storage-retrieval methods and vice versa. This paper also discusses the use of XML can in developing a generic storage/retrieval method which is suitable for all document types.