Exam #1 Flashcards
What does MIS stand for?
Management Information Systems
What does MIS focus on?
Solving business problems and creating new opportunities with technology
MIS Jobs
Salaries 50-70 grands; high job level rates and satisfaction
How is MIS different from CS?
CS focuses on coding while MIS focuses on the business side of technology; MIS usually lead people who code
Information Systems (IS)
Deals with information that computer systems can provide to aid company; Serve as bridge between technical and management communities Similar to IT
What kinds of jobs are for IS?
Project Manager, CIO, Technical Writers, System Analysts, Data Communications
Computer Science (CS)
Deals with programming and development of computer solutions with three categories
What are the 3 categories of CS?
(1) Design/Build software–engineering (2) Developing ways to solve problems and store data–algorithms (3) Devising better ways for future–innovation
What kind of jobs are for CS?
Computer programmer, java developer, software/network engineer
Information Technology (IT)
Deals with meeting computer technology needs of businesses, government, schools, healthcare; Selects appropriate programs, deals with scripting, incorporates management/people skills
What types of jobs are for IT?
Network Administrator, IT manager, Computer Technician
How is IS the umbrella for the systems, people, and processes involved?
Bridges business and CS; Can include careers in IT, Actuarial Sciences, Communications
What is IT and how does it fall under IS?
Study, design, implication and support of computer based IS; Includes hardware, software, databases, networks; Managing technology and improving utilization to advance overall business goals
What is a Business Analyst?
Someone who analyzes an org/business domain and documents its business/processes/systems, assessing the business model or its integration with technology
What are the areas of Business Analysts?
Strategic planning, business model analysis, process/system design
What kind of people are Business Analysts
Person who is a part of business operation and works with IT to improve quality of services; Work and switch between several industries
What is a System Analyst?
IT profession who specializes in analyzing, designing, and implementing IS; Uses techniques to use technology to solve business problems
What are the roles of a System Analyst?
Not involved with software development; Works in conjunction with Business Analyst
What is the difference between a Business and System Analyst?
BA evaluates the business needs and appropriate solutions while the SA fixes in
MIS trains business professionals how to….
Leverage technology in an org; Driven by solutions
What is Systems Analysis?
The process of studying a procedure or business in order to identify its goals and purposes and create systems and procedures that will achieve them in an efficient way
What is Systems Architecture?
Conceptual model that defines the structure, behavior, and views of a system; Can compromise system components that work together to improve overall system
ADL
Architecture Description Languages
What are the responsibilities of System Architecture?
Creating, reviewing, and updating designs or blueprints to provide overall direction for project
What is Conceptual Design?
An abstract or high level design which includes only the most important component and entities
What is the goal of Conceptual Design?
To provide an understandable picture of the overall purpose of the proposed solution
What is Logical Design?
A more detailed design which includes all major components and entities plus their relationships
Who is Logical Designs target audience?
Developers or other system architects
What does Logical Design include?
Business services, app names/details, other relevant info for development purposes
What is Physical Design?
All major components and entities identified within specific physical severs and locations or specific software services (operating systems, version #s, patches
UML
Unified Modeling Language
Processes
Sequences designed to transform inputs to outputs (baking a cake)
Process Mapping
Exercise to identify steps/decisions in process through flowcharts, outline, or deployment charts
Why do people process map?
Saves time/money, provides solid basis for development, measures efficiency, predicts future
Process Flowchart
Sets sequence of activities and decision points; captures initial detail of process
Deployment Flowchart
Shows who does what along with interactions between people
Symbols for Delays, Movement, Storage/Filling
Delays = D; Movement = Arrows; Storage = Triangle
Swim Lane Diagram
Process flow diagram with lanes assigned to individuals, departments, divisions
Advantages of SLD
Easy to understand, compacts diagram
Construction of SLD
Procedure, Construction, Verbiage, Tools
Procedure of SLD
Brainstorming and identifying steps
Construction of SLD
symbols used; new actor = new column/row Circle = start/end Rectangle = activity in process Diamond = decision must be made Arrow = flow Cylinder = stored data
Verbiage of SLD
Initial/final state should say what is being performed; Name of action should describe purpose (rectangles should use verbs)
Tools for SLD
Microsoft Visio, Gliffy, Excel
Hands Off SLD
When an actor “hands off” a portion of a project to another; allows different players in process to participate in improvement
Turn Around SLD
Actor must go back to another one for clarification
Problem Definition
What is the system supposed to do?
Documenting for the Business Process
Diagramming and writing things down
Process Decomposition
Taking apart business processes to identify all people involved in process, events, and conditions
Data Modeling
Actually creating a database to support relationships that support given system (ex: Order to Cash–customer, sales person, inventory, inquiry)
Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
Waterfall approach; each phase must be completed before the next one can start
Step 1 SDLC
Start with a study to map out the system
Step 2 SDLC
Requirements gathering via interviews/brainstorming where engineers find exact needs to support systems being built
Step 3 SDLC
High Level Design/Logical Design–database is designed to support business
Step 4 SDLC
Engineering–system is actually built and configured
Step 5 SDLC
Roll Out/Go Live–system is launched and used; maintenance and monitoring system to fix bugs
Systems Architecture
Formal representation of the system and components; Ex: hardware, disk space, memory, firewalls
What is Systems Architecture a response to?
The conceptual and practical difficulties of the description and design of complex systems
SLD
A visual representation of a business process, including all the players and events that are required to support it; Answers who does what/when/how/future
What are the lanes in a SLD?
Each lane is assigned to individual/department who is responsible for activity in that lane
What is an ERD?
Visual representation of different entities within a system and how they relate to each other
History of ERD
Peter Chen adopted it; Inspired by Charles Bachman
Database Design ERD
Can be used to visualize database tables and their relationships; good at troubleshooting
Software Engineering ERD
For planning stages of software project; inventory software for retail
ERD Entity
Rectangle
ERD Attribute
Oval
ERD Relationship
Diamond
ERD Weak Entity, Multivalued Attribute or Weak Relationship
Same symbol but with double lines
Entity
Person, place, event, object relevant to system; Ex: School–teachers, students, courses, fees
Weak Entity
Entity that depends on the existence of another entity; Ex: Order (entity), Order Item (weak)
Attribute
Property, trait, characteristic, of entity, relationship, or other attribute; Ex: Inventory (entity), Inventory Name (attribute)
Composite Attribute
Attributes that have attributes; Ex: Customer (entity), Address (attribute), Street Name (composite attribute)
Multivalued Attribute
If an attribute can have more than one value; Ex: Teacher can have multiple subjects
Derived Attribute
Attribute based on another attribute; very rare; Ex: circle can be derived from radius
Relationship
Describes how entities interact; Ex: Carpenter –> Makes –> table
Recursive Relationship
If the same entity participates more than once in a relationship; Ex: Employee can be supervised/supervisor
Cardinality and Ordinality
Places the relationship in the context of numbers; Ex: an email account has multiple contacts
How to draw an ERD
(1) Identify all entities (2) Identify relationships between entities (3) Add attributes for entities
Benefits of ERD
Easy to understand, translate, and turn into database
Entities are ____
Attributes are ___
Relationships are ___
Nouns
Characteristics
Verbs
Business Rules
Rules that define or constrain some aspect of business and always resolves to either true or false
Example of Business Rule
No credit check is to be performed on return customers; No rental to tenant if credit is too low
What do Business Rules help to do?
Achieve goals, remove obstacles to market growth, reduce costly mistakes, improve communication, comply legally, increase customer loyalty
Decision Trees
Provides an alternative and more convenient way of viewing and managing large sets of business rules, especially when rules are not symmetric
Decision Tree Symbols
Condition = diamond shape node
Possible Values for Condition = branches
Actions Declared at end of branch
What do Decision Trees represent?
Logic, not flow/order
What is the problem with Investigative Architecture?
Proper scope/accuracy; Marketing/Selling Solution
What is the solution with Investigative Architecture?
Formal conceptual diagram approach that is flexible/attentive/formal
Conceptual Diagramming
Process of reducing volumes of explanatory text to images
Why do we want to Conceptual Diagram?
Images help us learn, explain tough concepts, grab attention, difficult to misinterpret
How do we develop Conceptual Architecture Diagram?
Left to right depiction of user driven architecture
CAD Standard Set of Icons
Head = User
Monitor = Computer they are working on
Standard Resource Icon = Database
Other CAD info
Fit on one presentation slide; Assume audience has no background knowledge; Big picture
Client Server Architecture Layer #1
How users interact with the system; Any device you can connect with
Layer #1 Names
User Interface; User Experience; Client; Presentation Layer; Front End
What later is HTML in?
Layer 1
Client Server Architecture Layer #2
Takes requests and goes through a cluster of servers; How we access the web; Represents a big, bulky server
Layer #2 Names
Server; Application Layer; Hose; Processor; Back End
Layer #3 Names
Database; Resource Layer; Business Logic; Back End
Which layer is rendered in Java Script?
Layer #1
Programing Languages
Layer 2: Ruby, C Class, PHP, Python
Layer 3: SQL
What three things is IS made up of?
Organization, technology, management
What is MIS?
Using information technology to solve business problems
Difference between MIS and Computer Science
MIS is solution driven
CS is product driven
What are some MIS career paths?
CIO, Technoical Support, CTO, Data Analyst, Software Designer, Project Manager
What are important qualities of an MIS major?
Analytics, Communication, Decision-making, Leadership, Organization
All Systems…
Are a mix of people, process, technology, manipulate information to create value
Systems Analysis
The process of studying a procedure or business in order to identify its goals and purposes and create systems and procedures that will achieve them in an efficient way
Systems Architecture
A generic discipline to handle objects called systems in a way that supports reasoning about the structural properties of these objects
What can a systems analyst do one they understand the business problem?
Architect a solution
What is a Swim Lane Diagram?
Type of process flow diagram that features lanes each assigned to and actor/phase that is responsible for the activity or work in that lane
What is an Entity Relationship Diagram?
A visual representation of different day using conventions that describe how these data are related to each other
How to map a Decision Tree
Condition Decision Point = Diamond
Possible Values for Condition = Branches/Arrows
Actions/Outcomes = Rectangle
Formal Conceptual Diagrams Are:
Marketing view (flexible and attentive); Formal; Quick Draft; Can map to UML diagrams
Conceptual Architecture Diagram Sections
Users (student); Interface (laptops); Processes (import from publishers); Resources (textbook content)
