Introduction

reviewed: 6 January 2025

An Introduction

CaseMaster is a pragmatic (highly opinionated) framework for the rapid development of database applications.

Version 2.x is, obviously, the successor of 1.x. 1.x was based on the Microsoft COM+ architecture, 2.x is based on Microsoft .Net.

From hereon I refer to CaseMaster 2.x as simply CaseMaster.

A Brief History of CaseMaster

The foundations of CaseMaster were created as early as in 1994 when one of the founders of CaseMaster created SoMoSys (short for Software Modeling System) for his thesis. SoMoSys was used for several years within KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to design and test applications and generate PL/I mainframe code.

The rise of the web and cheap (Windows) servers around the turn of the century made the founders realize that some of the concepts of SoMoSys where actually perfectly suited for web development.

A new framework based on the core SoMoSys concepts was developed using VB6 and was used to develop the first systems. The framework was called zX.

The framework quickly evolved and the name was changed to zdX to avoid any confusion with the name zX of ZX 81 and ZX Spectrum fame.

In 2003 a major new version was released (V1.4) and the name was changed to CaseMaster, the name was trademarked and the CaseMaster logo was introduced.

CaseMaster logo

In 2017 CaseMaster 2.0 was released, a complete rewrite of CaseMaster 1.x based on the Microsoft .Net architecture.

What is CaseMaster About?

CaseMaster is not a general purpose language. Instead, it is designed specifically for the development of database systems. Think back-office systems, think ERP, CRM, workflow or case management. This focus on a single type of system means that the framework could be highly optimized for its single purpose.

Systems developed with CaseMaster are inherently flexible. It is easy and low-risk to enhance systems. This means that CaseMaster systems can always be enhanced to keep up with the latest business requirements.

CaseMaster supports the concept of dossiers; an innovative navigation feature which makes CaseMaster systems easy to use.

Data is strictly separated from logic (well before the MVC pattern became popular) and this makes it easy to develop highly generic modules thus speeding up software development.

A built-in scripting language making it easy to develop highly configurable systems and implement complex business rules.

CaseMaster can connect to different relational databases (SQL Server, MySQL, Postgres, DB2, Oracle and SQLite) and has many adapters to make integration with other systems a breeze.

The CaseMaster framework is frequently subjected to pen tests by independent 3rd parties and security is built-in and require very little attention from architect and developer.

We strongly believe that development with CaseMaster can be significantly faster than with other tools and frameworks.

Deployment

CaseMaster applications can be deployed on Microsoft Windows servers (all main versions) as well as servers supported by the Microsoft .Net Core architecture (note that some features may only work on Windows).

CaseMaster can run in cloud environments such as Azure and AWS and lambda modules for serverless deployments are on the roadmap.

Pro's and Cons

Pro's: - Rapid development - Easy to learn - Easy to integrate with other systems - Flexible

Cons: - Flexibility at the expense of performance; scales to thousands of users but not hundreds-of-thousands - Niche language; small pool of developers, not a large eco system such as other frameworks

License Model

CaseMaster is maintained by CaseMaster Technologies Ltd. A UK based company. They maintain and extend CaseMaster on behalf of the companies using CaseMaster as a development tool who have a big say in the roadmap of CaseMaster.

CaseMaster is free for developers but a per-seat-per-month license is due for each user. Contact CaseMaster Technologies Ltd or one of the value added resellers for more information but the license model is summarized as follows:

  • Users are counted on a concurrent, unnamed basis. This means you only pay for the peak number of users accessing a system
  • The license model recognizes two types of users
    • Main users. A main user is a user who accesses the system multiple times during a working day and to whom the system is an important tool
    • Occasional users. An incidental user is a user whom only access the system occasionally; e.g. to complete a weekly timesheet or a monthly quality cotrol form
    • Incidental, anonymous users. An incidental, anonymous user is a user who has to access the system very rarely, perhaps only once. An example of an incidental user is where someone accesses the system to complete a satisfaction survey or enter an application form. This type of user can access the system without a password
  • Occasional and incidental, anonymous user licenses are cheaper than primary users
  • A minimum of 5 concurrent, primary users applies
  • User licenses always cover environments directly related to the live environment such as testing, sandbox, fail-over and load balancing

Developers Support

Developers are supported in a number of ways:

  • Access to a lively forum where CaseMaster developers help one another
  • Access to CaseMaster Technology Ltd for support
  • Access to documentation
  • Free use of all CaseMaster tools and access to the latest versions of runtime and tools
  • Online and face-to-face training
  • Access to the CaseMaster Playground System
  • Input in CaseMaster roadmap