Predicting defects in SAP Java code: An experience report

Which components of a large software system are the most defect-prone? In a study on a large SAP Java system, we evaluated and compared a number of defect predictors, based on code features such as complexity metrics, static error detectors, change frequency, or component imports, thus replicating a number of earlier case studies in an in- dustrial context. We found the overall predictive power to be lower than expected; still, the resulting regression mod- els successfully predicted 50-60% of the 20% most defect- prone components.