What is a key benefit of static analysis?

A key benefit of static analysis is that it enables the identification of defects that might not be caught by dynamic testing. Static analysis involves examining the code without executing it. This allows testers to uncover issues such as coding standard violations, data flow problems, potential bugs, and security vulnerabilities early in the development process. Since static analysis doesn't rely on the execution of the software, it can detect problems that only manifest when specific conditions are met during runtime, which may not be tested in dynamic testing.

The other options do not accurately capture the primary strengths of static analysis. Early defect identification can indeed reduce the need for extensive documentation, but this is not specific to static analysis itself; dynamic testing can also lead to early defect detection. Early execution of the code to gauge code quality aligns more closely with dynamic testing rather than static analysis. Lastly, stating that tools are not needed suggests a misunderstanding of static analysis, which typically relies on specific tools to effectively analyze and detect defects in code without executing it.