In This Issue

We have a particular focus in this issue on measurement. Piattini, Calero and Genero propose some complexity metrics tailored for relational database systems in “Table Oriented Metrics for Relational Databases.” Khoshgoftaar and Allen also discuss complexity metrics in “Empirical Assessment of a Software Metric: The Information Content of Operators,” but the focus of their work is on programs. On the other hand, metrics cannot be used in a vacuum. Blin and Tsoukias explore the use of metrics within a decision-making framework in “Contribution of Multicriteria Methodology to Software Quality Evaluations.” This work is interesting because it proposes a sophisticated mechanism by which characterizations of software and systems can be used to support decision-making. The final contribution diverges from the idea of measurement, and instead addresses a somewhat unique topic. Although most of the field focuses on traditional software systems, it would be an understatement to say more “programs” are written using high-level systems such as spreadsheets than we could ever hope to create using languages such as C, C++, Java, etc. In “Quality Control in Spreadsheets: A Visual Approach Using Color Codings to Reduce Errors in Formulae,” Chadwick, Knight and Rajalingham study the occurrence of errors in spreadsheets. This is a long-neglected focus for software quality research, but promises to be of significant benefit to the community of non-professional “programmers.” Journals such as the Software Quality Journal are much more than simply the sum of the papers that appear each quarter. Rather, I’d like to think that a technical publication such as SQJ represents a community of individuals with a shared interest. From that perspective, the Journal really belongs to all of us. If you’d like to share any thoughts or concerns with me about our journal or our community, I can be reached by e-mail at warren@cs.pdx.edu. If you’d like to learn more about SQJ, please visit our home page at http://www.wkap.nl/journalhome.htm/ 0963-9314.