SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING ENVIRONMENT

The invention is directed to method of generating database encoded software for controlling operation of a data processing device. The method comprises providing a formal language specification representative of source code for the software, translating said formal language specification into data suitable for storing in database structures and in a form suitable for being queried by a database query language and storing said data in database structures of a database. The method includes using a software development tool in a software development and testing environment to manipulate the database encoded software using a database query language such as SQL and XQuery to develop new software features. The query language can also be used to control replication and/or synchronization of the database encoded software with the contents of a data processing device control program database by way of installing said control program on said device or upgrading the control program software of said device.