Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

System Analysis and Design > 2016 exam > Flashcards

2016 exam Flashcards

1
Q

What is the difference between an information system and a computer application?

A

An application usually refers to only the computer software involved, whereas an information system may include the software, the database, and even the related manual processes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is the purpose of systems analysis? Why is it important?

A

We need to see all sides of a problem to come up with an acceptable solution. Analysis involves studying the system and seeing how they interact with the entities outside as well as inside the system. We then come out with detailed specifications of what the system will accomplish based on the user requirements.
Systems design will take the requirements and analysis into consideration and come out with a high level and low level design that will form the blue print to the actual solution to the problem in hand.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is the difference between systems analysis and systems design?

A

Systems analysis
consists of those activities that enable a person to understand and specify what
the new system should accomplish.
Systems design consists of those activities that enable a person to describe
in detail the system that solves the need. The operative word in this case is
“solves.” In other words, systems design describes “how” the system will work.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is a project?

A

A planned undertaking that has a
beginning and an end, and that produces some
definite result

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are the six core processes for software systems development?

A
  1. Identify the problem or need and obtain approval to proceed.
  2. Plan and monitor the project—what to do, how to do it, and who does it.
  3. Discover and understand the details of the problem or the need.
  4. Design the system components that solve the problem or satisfy the need.
  5. Build, test, and integrate system components.
  6. Complete system tests and then deploy the solution.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is meant by Agile Development

A

An information systems development process that emphasizes flexibility to anticipate new requirements during development. Empowers people to collaborate and make team decisions in addition to continuous planning, continuous testing and continuous integration.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is the purpose of a System Vision Document?

A

It is developed to identify the benefits of the system to the company and the functional capabilities that will be included in the system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is the purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure?

A

identify—or attempt to identify—all the individual tasks that need to be done.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What information is provided by use cases or a use case diagram?

A

A use case documents a single user-triggered business event and the system’s
response to that event.
Used to gather requirements of a system.
Used to get an outside view of a system.
Identify external and internal factors influencing the system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What information is provided by a class diagram?

A

The classes, attributes of the classes and their relationships to other classes.
Used for
Analysis and design of the static view of an application.
Describe responsibilities of a system.
Base for component and deployment diagrams.
Forward and reverse engineering

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

How do a use case diagram and a class diagram drive the system development process?

A

Help you understand the requirements at a detailed level for the system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How does an activity diagram help in user-interface design?

A

It helps you to understand the user’s needs by
Modeling workflow using activities.
Modeling business requirements.
High level understanding of the system’s functionalities.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What new information is provided in a design class diagram (more than a class diagram)?

A

It identifies the OOP (object orientated programming)classes for the system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the purpose of user acceptance testing?

A

User acceptance tests the functions and are done by the
users, who test not only the correctness of the system but its “fitness” to accomplish
the business requirements.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Why is it a good practice to divide a project into separate iterations?

A

-Developing a system in iterations makes the entire development process
much more flexible and able to address new requirements throughout the project.
-by taking a small portion and developing it first, many tough problems
can be addressed early in the project.
- By focusing
on only a small portion, the requirements are fewer and easier to grasp and solve.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

List and briefly describe the five activities of systems

Analysis.

A

-Gather detailed information
Data from future users, current users, and previous users
Information from people who’ve built/worked on similar systems
Study existing systems.Data on how the system should work and what other systems it will interact/interface with.
- Define requirements
Gather information from users and documents
Create mock-ups, models, demos, and previews of how the system should look according to the requirements.
- Prioritize requirements
Establish which requirements are crucial for the system
Categorize requirements based on need, function, and importance.
Develop user-interface dialogs
Use prototypes, models and mock-ups to evaluate what is best for the user and what the client wants.
Evaluate requirements with users
After the above four, run everything through with the user/client to evaluate and ensure everything is what the client wants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What are three types of models?

A

Textual model– something written down, described
Graphical models– diagram, schematic
Mathematical models– formulas, statistics, algorithms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the difference between functional requirements

and nonfunctional requirements?

A

Functional requirements are the activities the system must perform.
The nonfunctional requirements are the other system characteristics.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What types of stakeholders should you include in

fact finding?

A

internal, external, operational, and executive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the purpose of an activity diagram?

A

To describe user (or system) activities, the person who does each activity, and the sequential flow of these activities.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is a use case?

A

an activity that the system performs as a result of some event or action by a user

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are the two techniques used to identify use

Cases?

A

User goal technique and the event decomposition technique

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Describe the user goal technique for identifying

use cases.

A

The user goal technique is done by interviewing a user (or user role) to see what their work “goals” or objectives are. These are low level objectives to accomplish a piece of work or to complete a work procedure. The system then must have use cases to support each user goal.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Describe the event decomposition technique for

identifying use cases.

A

Look at all of the business processes that result in some type of business event. The business events are triggers that require system processing, e.g. that require use cases.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Why is the event decomposition technique considered
more comprehensive than the user goal
Technique?

A

Event decomposition not only looks at user initiated events (the same as the user goal technique), but it also considers temporal events and state events. Hence it is more comprehensive.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is an event?

A

Something that occurs at a specific time and place. It can be identified, and for purposes of systems analysis, the system must recognize it and capture some information from it or about it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What are the three types of events?

A

External event–usually from a user
Temporal event–occurs at a point in time, or due to a time interval
State event–a change of state or condition of some data within the system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Define an external event and then give an example

that applies to a checking account system.

A

An external event is something that occurs external to the system, and is trigger by a user action. An example might be that a user makes a direct deposit to his/her account.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Define a temporal event and then give an example

that applies to a checking account system.

A

A temporal event is one that occurs at a point in time. An example might be that at the end of the month interest (or monthly checking account fee) is calculated and credited to the account

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What are the four operations that make up the

CRUD acronym?

A 
C = Create
R = Read or Report (output)
U = Update
D = Delete
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What is a brief use case description?

A

A one or two sentence description of the use case and what it accomplishes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What is the purpose of UML use case diagrams?

A

Use case diagrams provide a graphical view of use cases and the actors that invoke those use cases. They provide a nice overview of use cases.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What is the includes relationship between two

use cases?

A

The «includes» relationship is where one use case effectively uses the services of another use case. It is as though one use case were embedded within another use case.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

What is the problem domain?

A

The specific area (domain) of the user(client)’s business need that is within the scope of the new system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

What is a “thing” called in models used by

traditional analysts and database analysts?

A

A “thing” is called “data entities” by traditional analysts and database analysts.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

What are two techniques for identifying things in

the problem domain?

A

brainstorming technique,

noun technique

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Explain why identifying nouns helps identify things

in the problem domain?

A

Nouns are always “things.” So finding all the nouns will find all the things.

38
Q

What is an association, and what system development

standard defines it?

A

An association is a relationship between things in the problem domain. It is the term used by UML

39
Q

What is multiplicity, and what is the other term

used by traditional analysts and database analysts?

A

It is a measure of the number of links in an association between an object in one class and the objects in another class. In traditional analysis it is called cardinality.

40
Q

What is the minimum multiplicity for the association
that reads a customer places zero or more
Orders?

A

Zero

41
Q

What is the maximum multiplicity for the association
that reads an order is placed by exactly one
Customer?

A

One

42
Q

What are the three key parts of an entity-relationship

diagram (ERD)?

A

Entities,Relationship and Cardinality

43
Q 
In UML, what are three types of relationships found
on a class diagram?
A

generalization/specialization, whole-part and association

44
Q

What is a generalization/specialization
relationship, and what object-oriented terms
does it illustrate?

A

A generalization/Specialization relationship is an inheritance hierarchical relationship. Subordinate classes are special types/subtypes of superior classes. i.e. Cars to Sedans or sports cars. The object-oriented terms it illustrates are inheritance, object-orientation, and encapsulation

45
Q

What is a whole-part relationship, and why does it

show multiplicity?

A

The whole-part relationship is a relationship between classes where one class is part/a component of another class. It is literally defined as a relationship between classes! That is the definition of multiplicity

46
Q

What two UML diagrams are used to model

domain classes?

A

Problem domain class diagram and state machine diagram

47
Q

What is the purpose of an SSD and What symbols are

used?

A

An SSD (system sequence diagram) is used to describe the messages that flow into and out of a system, i.e. between the system and the use case user. The symbols include: — Stick figure for the actor — Box with object name for the system object — Vertical dashed lines for object lifelines — Horizontal arrows for messages — Horizontal dashed arrows for return data — Comment box for comments

48
Q

What are two ways to show repetition on a

sequence diagram?

A

Either with an asterisk on the message label or a loop frame around the message(s).

49
Q

What are the three types of frames used on a

sequence diagram?

A

Loop frame – repeat or loop the contents of the frame
Opt frame – send or do not send the message based on true/false condition
Alt frame – if-else alternative flows based on condition.

50
Q

What is the primary objective of systems design?

A

The objective of systems design is to define, organize, and structure the components of the final solution system that will serve as the blueprint for construction.

51
Q

What is the difference between systems analysis and

systems design?

A

The objective of systems analysis is to understand the needs and requirements, while the objective of design is to figure out the solution to those needs and requirements.Analysis is to understand the problem whereas design is to solve the problem

52
Q

What is the difference between user-interface design

and system-interface design?

A

User-interface design has to do with designing the screens (and reports) that the users see and interact with. Those require substantial user input and consideration for ease of use. System-interface design has to do with those automated interfaces with other systems and tends to consist of technical specifications.

53
Q

What is a LAN? When would it be used in

deploying a new system?

A

A LAN is a local area network and is used to refer to the network of computers that exists within an organization at a localized site. Depending on the system, a LAN may be used to allow workstations to access data on a central database server within the local site. Also if the employees that work together must communicate together and “see” other people’s work, then a LAN configuration is required.

54
Q

What is three-layer design?

A
  • view layer, which consists of the user interface,
  • a program logic layer, which contains the business processing,
  • a data layer, which contains the database and data storage routines.
55
Q

What is the difference between HTTPS and HTTP?

A

HTTP is the Hypertext Transport Protocol to send and receive data over the Internet. HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure and adds a layer of security by encrypting the data being sent.

56
Q

Describe the primary factors that affect throughput

for Internet systems.

A

Server computer power and capacity Database capacity – both the computer and the database efficiency, The number of computers (e.g. server farms), The location of the server computers (e.g. content delivery networks) ,Internet connections and Internet capacity

57
Q

What is the difference between cloud computing

and virtual servers?

A

A virtual server environment provides the ability to grow and add servers easily for a client. However, the client is still involved in deciding the number and configuration of the virtual servers. Cloud computing, on the other hand, attempts to provide computing power much like a utility that the customer just uses as much computing capability only when he actually needs it.

58
Q

What is a VPN? Why would a company use a VPN?

A

A VPN is a virtual private network which is a private network but which uses the public Internet as the basic transport mechanism. It includes additional security levels to secure the transmission and use of the Internet. A company would use a VPN if it has information that must be very secure, but must be transmitted to remote locations where the company did not have its own private network lines.

59
Q

What are the three aspects of the system that make

up the user interface for a user?

A

Physical, perceptual, and conceptual aspects.

60
Q

What are some examples of the physical, perceptual,

and conceptual aspects of the user interface?

A

Keyboard, mouse, touch screen, reference manuals, documents, data entry forms.
Data on the screen, shapes, lines, numbers, words, beeps, clicks, menus, dialog boxes, icons, drawings.
Conceptual aspects of the user interface include everything the user knows about using the system, including all of the problem domain “things” in the system the user is manipulating, the operations that can be performed, and the procedures followed to carry out the operations.

61
Q

What are the three metaphors used to describe

human-computer interaction?

A

Direct manipulation metaphor, desktop metaphor, document metaphor, and dialog metaphor.

62
Q

What type of document allows the user to click a

link and jump to another part of the document?

A

Hypertext

63
Q

What are the different considerations for output

screen design and output report design?

A

Output screens are more dynamic but have limited information available at one time. It is harder to view multiple pages at the same time with screen output. However, dynamic features, such as drill down, can be provided so that summary information does not have to stand alone. Printed output is more permanent. Consequently, it should always include identifying fields, such as date printed. Because reports are not dynamic, they must be self-contained and include all necessary information to be understandable.

64
Q

What is meant by drill down? Give an example of

how you might use it in a report design.

A

Drill down means the ability (with online reports or output screens) to select a field and “drilldown” to show more detail on the data in that field. It is often used on summary reports. Clicking on a summary amount, for example a yearly total, could open up another window showing the month by month totals.

65
Q

What is a project?

A

A project is a planned undertaking, with a beginning and end, that produces a well-defined result or product.

66
Q

What is the system development life cycle (SDLC)?

A

SDLC is the term used to describe the process and methodology for developing, deploying, and maintaining a software system. A particular SDLC will include a description of the methods, the tools, techniques, models, and project management processes that are used in the development of a new system. It is called a life cycle because it can cover the entire life of a system from initial idea to deployment to ongoing maintenance.

67
Q

What characteristics of a project call for a predictive

approach to the SDLC?

A

Predictive: Projects are well understood—technology is well known; user requirements are well known; development methodology is well known; project team is experienced and familiar with the system; and there are few known risks.

68
Q

What characteristics of a project call for an adaptive

approach to the SDLC?

A

Adaptive: Projects are not well understood—technology is new or unfamiliar; requirements are not very clear; team is not experienced with the type of system or methodology

69
Q

What are the 11 Agile modeling principles?

A
  1. Develop software as your primary goal.
  2. Enable the next effort as your secondary goal.
  3. Minimize your modeling activity—few and simple.
  4. Embrace change, and change incrementally.
  5. Model with a purpose.
  6. Build multiple models.
  7. Build high-quality models and get feedback rapidly.
  8. Focus on content rather than representation.
  9. Learn from each other with open communication.
  10. Know your models and how to use them.
  11. Adapt to specific project needs
70
Q

List the six major reasons that projects fail.

A

■ Undefined project management practices
■ Poor IT management and poor IT procedures
■ Inadequate executive support for the project
■ Inexperienced project managers
■ Unclear business needs and project objectives
■ Inadequate user involvement

71
Q

Define project management.

A

Organizing and directing other people to achieve a planned result within a predetermined schedule and budget

72
Q

List five internal responsibilities of a project

Manager.

A

■ Developing the project schedule
■ Recruiting and training team members
■ Assigning work to teams and team members
■ Assessing project risks
■ Monitoring and controlling project deliverables and milestones

73
Q

What is the difference between tangible benefits and

intangible benefits?

A

A tangible benefit is a benefit that can be measured or estimated in terms of dollars whereas an Intangible benefit is a benefit that accrues to an organization but that can’t be measured quantitatively or estimated accurately.

74
Q 
List the components of a DBMS and describe the
function of each.
A

Application program interface – An interface engine or library of precompiled subroutines that enable application programs (such as those written in C or Java) to interact with the database.
End-user query processor – A program or utility that allows end users to retrieve data and generate reports without writing application programs.
Data definition interface – A program or utility that allows a database administrator to define or modify the content and structure of the database (for example, add new fields or redefine data types or relationships).
Data access and control logic – The system software that controls access to the physical database and maintains various internal data structures (for example, indices and pointers).
Database – The physical data store (or stores) combined with the schema.
Schema – A store of data that describes various aspects of the “real” data, including datatypes, relationships, indices, content restrictions, and access controls.
Physical data store – The “real” data as stored on a physical storage medium (for example, a magnetic disk).

75
Q

What is a work breakdown structure used for?

A

WBS is the list or hierarchy of activities and tasks of a project; used to estimate the work to be done and to create a detailed work schedule

76
Q

What is a database schema? What information does

it contain?

A

A database schema is a store of data that describes the content and structure of the physical data store (sometimes called metadata—data about data). It contains a variety of information about data types, relationships, indices, content restrictions, and access controls.

77
Q

Why are databases the preferred method of storing

data used by an information system?

A

Databases are a common point of access, management, and control. They allow data to be managed as an enterprise-wide resource while providing simultaneous access to many different users and application programs. They solve many of the problems associated.

78
Q

What is a primary key? Are duplicate primary key

values allowed? Why or why not?

A

A primary key is a field or set of fields, the values of which uniquely identify a row of a table. Because primary keys must uniquely identify a row, duplicate key values aren’t allowed

79
Q

What is a foreign key? Why are foreign keys used or
required in a relational database? Are duplicate
foreign key values allowed? Why or why not?

A

A foreign key is a field value (or set of values) stored in one table that also exists as a primary key value in another table. Foreign keys are used to represent relationships among entities that are represented as tables. Duplicate foreign keys are not allowed within the same table because they would redundantly represent the same relationship. Duplicate foreign keys may exist in different tables because they would represent different relationships

80
Q

What is referential integrity? Describe how it is
enforced when a new foreign key value is created,
when a row containing a primary key is deleted,
and when a primary key value is changed.

A

Referential integrity is content constraint between the values of a foreign key and the values of the corresponding primary key in another table. The constraint is that values of the foreign key field(s) must either exist as values of a primary key or must be NULL. A valid value must exist in the foreign key field(s) before the row can be added. When a row containing the primary key is deleted, the row with the foreign key must also be deleted for the data to maintain referential integrity. A primary key should never be changed; but in the event that it is, the value of the foreign key must also be changed

81
Q

What is relational database normalization? Why is
a database schema in third normal form considered
to be of higher quality than an unnormalized
database schema?

A

A process that increases schema quality by minimizing data redundancy. A schema with tables in third normal form has less non-key data redundancy than a schema with unnormalized tables. Less redundancy makes the schema and database contents easier to maintain over the long term.

82
Q

What is the basic purpose of transaction logging?

A

Used to restore a database to a specific point in time. A transaction log backup alone is not sufficient to restore a database. A backup of the data file is required as well. The data file backups are applied first.

83
Q

What is a digital signature? What does it tell a user?

A

a digital code (generated and authenticated by public key encryption) which is attached to an electronically transmitted document to verify its contents and the sender’s identity.

84
Q

Define the terms unit test, integration test, system
test, and user acceptance test. During which
SDLC activity (or activities) is each test type
Performed?

A

A unit test is a test of an individual module or method before it is integrated with other modules or methods.

An integration test is a test of the behavior of a group of modules or methods.

A system test is a test of the behavior of an entire system or independent subsystem.

An acceptance test is a system test that determines whether the system fulfills user requirements. An acceptance test is normally performed by or under the direction of users. The programmer or his or her testing buddy usually performs

85
Q

Briefly describe direct, parallel, and phased deployments.
What are the advantages and disadvantages
of each deployment approach?

A

Direct deployment or immediate cutover a deployment method that installs a new system, quickly makes it operational, and immediately turns off any overlapping systems.
-s:Risky(No backup)
+s:Simple

parallel deployment a deployment method that operates the old and the new systems for an extended time period
-s:Cost, errors can go undetected
+s:low risk
phased deployment a deployment method that installs a new system and makes it operational in a series of steps or phases.
-s:Complex
+s:Low risk

86
Q

List the basic principles of Agile Modeling.

A
  1. Develop software as your primary goal.
  2. Enable the next effort as your secondary goal.
  3. Minimize your modeling activity—few and simple.
  4. Embrace change, and change incrementally.
  5. Model with a purpose.
  6. Build multiple models.
  7. Build high-quality models and get feedback rapidly.
  8. Focus on content rather than representation.
  9. Learn from each other with open communication.
  10. Know your models and how to use them.
  11. Adapt to specific project needs.
87
Q

Why is the word extreme included as part

of Extreme Programming?

A

The intent of XP is to extend the best practices of software development “to the extreme.

88
Q

What is the product backlog used for in a Scrum

project?

A

The product backlog is a list of all the things the system should include and address, including user functions, features, and technology. The product backlog is continually being prioritized and is controlled by the product owner

89
Q

Explain what SAAS is and why it is an economically

attractive alternative.

A 
Software as a Service.
Lower cost of entry. ...
Reduced time to benefit/rapid prototyping. ...
Pay as you go. ...
The SaaS vendor is responsible for upgrades, uptime and security. ...
Higher adoption rates. ...
Integration and scalability. ...
Work anywhere.
90
Q

What is meant by Web 2.0?

A

the second stage of development of the Internet, characterized especially by the change from static web pages to dynamic or user-generated content and the growth of social media.

91
Q

What is HTML5?

A

a markup language used for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web. It is the fifth and current version of the HTML standard.

System Analysis and Design (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions