主從架構應用系統快速開發工具(rapid application development tools, RADTs)是目前 軟體工業中，成長最快速的產品之一。因工具各有不同的特性與能力，有時間一功能其所提供之支援程度亦不同，故對系統開發效率有極大的影響。在競爭的環境中，工具的選擇是否適當已成為資訊系統開發成敗的一項關鍵因素，但關於評估RADTs之研究仍非常少見。本研究乃有系統的整理和歸類文獻與技術報告上所述工具之一般性評估準則，且以需求導向之由上而下分析概念，從大量之評估準則中找出與問題域相關之重要準則，進而以省政府之統計決策支援系統為例，說明此概念之應用。這包括從瞭解問題域及所欲解決之問題特性，分析欲滿足這些特性之系統應具備哪些功能，進而分析開發工具應具備哪些能力才能開發出具有上述功能之系統，並深入探討Visual Basic、Delphi、PowerBuilder與Power Objeds等四種RADTs之功能特性，且應用ELECTRE I多準則決策方法評選出開發統計決策支援系統最適合之工具。此成果不但對深入瞭解RADTs之各功能特性有很大的幫助，更對如何應用需求導向之由上而下分析與多準則決策模式，配合問題特性以選擇最適合之開發工具提供了非常實用的示範。

Rapid application development tool (RADT) is one of the fast-growing products for client/server application in the software industry. Each RADT has its specific features and capabilities. Two tools have same capability, but they may provide different degree of supports in problem solving. Thus, these have great impact on the efficiency of system development. In a competing environment, the selection of a right tool has become a key factor leading to the eventual success of an organization or an information system. However, the research regarding to the selection of a RADT is lacking. This research summarized the important criteria from literature, applied requirement-oriented analysis method to identify the specific criteria that are crucial particularly to solving the target problem, and used an example to illustrate the analysis process. This included defining the problem domain and analyzing the problem, identifying the needed functions for solving the above problem, analyzing the needed capabilities for a tool to provide those functions, exploring the strength and weakness of the four candidate RADTs based on the specific criteria, and applying ELECTRE I method to evaluate the candidate RADTs. This research will improve our understanding of the RADT and provide a practical basis for utilizing multi -criteria decision making model to the selection of tools.