AIS Administration Flashcards
What are the important aspects of Automated Information System (AIS) facility management?
Technical administration and support
What are the titles of the people who perform 1/0 functions?
Control clerks, 1/0 control clerks, job-staging clerks, distribution clerks, or computer aides
What are the traits of an efficient and effective 1/0 control clerk?
Able to work on their own with a minimum of supervision; work well with other people; display tact and diplomacy; be a good communicator; use sound judgment; be logical, methodical, and persuasive; and most of all be able to respond to users requests
When you are working as an 1/0 control clerk, a transmittal form should be looked over to be ensured what criteria is met before accepting a job for processing on the computer?
All the necessary entries are properly filled in, that they are readable, and that any special instructions are understandable
The lower portion of the AIS service request is reserved for what use only?
Operations
What should be done if, while viewing the user’s request, you happen to come across a discrepancy or find something that is incomplete or unclear?
Bring it to the user’s attention
What should be your demeanor when bringing a discrepancy to the user of a request?
Tactful and diplomatic
What will serve as a continuous point of reference?
Job control log
What are the things a job control log point out?
When the job was submitted, the disposition of the input media, the location or the computer system to which the job was assigned, the progress (number of steps) the job has already gone through, the type and amount of input submitted, and the person who accepted the job
Where is the information needed to properly prepare the user’s job for processing located?
In a task folder, job folder, run folder, or run procedure
What information does the runsheet contain?
The program name or names and the job or task number under which the job (or system) is to be executed or run and it indicates all of the inputs: magnetic tapes, disks, and diskettes required, depending upon the type of run or possible options the user selected
What may need to be done to determine whether a job (or system) ran successfully (to a normal EOJ) and that all processing steps were properly performed?
Review the computer console printout
What will provide you with the answers you are looking for when it comes to reconciling processing discrepancies in the majority of cases?
The computer console printout
When checking reports what should you be looking for?
That they were run on the proper forms (size and type), that no pages are missing and the correct number of copies were printed, and that all print is legible and lined up properly
What is done once the output is checked?
Package each completed copy of the report, along with any other output products and the original input, place it in the proper pickup area, and log the job out in the job control log
What action should be taken if, during the course of checking over the user’s output, you happen to come across something unusual or you find an error?
Pull (reject) the job immediately, bring it to the attention of your superior, and notify the user of the delay
What is the most common user support you will deal with?
Logistical support
When the user calls to submit a trouble call, what is the required information you should get?
User’s name, type of trouble encountered, date and time, and job being done when the trouble started
What personnel analyze job requirements (old and new) to determine the impact each job has on production resources?
Schedulers and production control coordinators
Who is responsible for keeping the AIS facility’s assembly line running as smoothly and efficiently as possible?
The scheduler
What are the important factors of a scheduler’s job?
People, places, and things
How you go about scheduling work on the computer system will depend upon what two factors?
How the system is configured and the operating mode of the computer
What will be one of your primary jobs, as a scheduler?
To keep production schedules up-to-date and as accurate and complete as possible
What two factors must you, as a scheduler, be equally concerned with in addition to making up production schedules for computer processing?
Precomputer processing and postcomputer processing
What is involved in precomputer processing?
Ensuring all inputs are received on time according to prearranged schedules
What is involved in postcomputer processing?
Ensuring output products are complete, accurate, and delivered to the user when promised
What personnel act as liaison between the AIS facility and the user community?
Production control
What personnel provide processing schedules to coordinate inputs and outputs between 1/0 control, data entry, computer operations, and the magnetic media library?
Scheduling personnel
What personnel handle all incoming work for AIS services along with all types of input media from the user?
1/0 control personnel
What personnel reviews all completed output products from data entry and computer operations to determine their accuracy and completeness before releasing them to 1/0 control personnel for further processing and distribution?
Quality control personnel
What personnel conve1i source documents into machine-readable form using some type of key-driven (terminal) device if this is not done by the user?
Data entry personnel
What are the duties of the computer operations personnel?
Receive inputs and associated run instructions from 1/0 control, update schedules as the work is completed, forward output products to quality control, and transfer magnetic media to the library for further handling and processing
When the users get together with the division chief, LPO, and yourself (as scheduler), to make their requests for AIS services known for the upcoming month(s), what is the initial scheduling phase known as?
The planning phase or forecasting phase
When given a new job where there are no previous production statistics, what should you ask the user for?
A rough time estimate of how long the job may run and if there will be input data, and if so, will it require data entry services
What is one of the most apparent pieces of job-related information?
Every job has resource requirements
What must you know to set aside a sufficient amount of time for processing?
How long a job will reside in memory
Why is processing time normally estimated for a multi programming environment?
Because most computers today process programs/data in this fashion, and job mix affects the overall processing time for a job
What type of scheduling is often used in automated scheduling systems?
Priority scheduling
What information must you know to prepare an effective schedule?
Your AIS facility’s resources: how work comes into, flows through, and leaves your facility; the capabilities and capacities of your system; and workload demands on the system
Since your workload can exceed capacity, which has a direct effect on service, or, the capacity can exceed the workload, which leaves AIS resources underutilized, how do you reach a happy medium?
Ensuring that the workload demands put upon the AIS facility’s resources are balanced as much as possible and that the total resources available are kept as close to the maximum capacity as possible
What has a lot to do with how you prepare a schedule?
The effective use of resources
What information must you know to develop the monthly schedule?
The requirements of all the application systems/jobs to be run during the month
What must be done once you have developed the monthly schedule?
Ensure that the schedule is adequate and meets the requirements
What are the things that might cause the monthly schedule to be changed?
System/program errors, software testing, new/changed requirements, job conflicts, and input files not available
Whose job is it to adjust the schedule to accommodate the changes required?
The production control coordinator’s job, with your approval
If the job requires tapes or disk files as input, who will the 1/0 control check with to see if these files are ready and available?
The media librarian
Anytime the normal work schedule is changed, how may it affect the online users?
By slowing the system response time or causing the system to be unavailable to the users
What are the common causes of production problems?
Application program processing errors and system downtime
Who should be assisting online users with processing problems?
The subsystem coordinators
What are the two areas of concern to determine the causes of application program errors?
Hardware and software
