On the Synergy between Search-Based and Search-Driven Software Engineering

Two notions of “search” can be used to enhance the software engineering process — the notion of searching for optimal architectures/designs using AI-motivated optimization algorithms, and the notion of searching for reusable components using query-driven search engines. To date these possibilities have largely been explored separately within different communities. In this paper we suggest there is a synergy between the two approaches, and that a hybrid approach which integrates their strengths could be more useful and powerful than either approach individually. After first characterizing the two approaches we discuss some of the opportunities and challenges involved in their synergetic integration.