Glossary Flashcards
10/100/1000 Ethernet
A type of Ethernet that conforms to the IEEE 802.3 protocol and allows for transmission at a rate of 10, 100, or 1,000 Mbps (megabits per second).
Abstract reasoning
The ability to make and manipulate models. One of the four key skills for nonroutine cognitive thinking.
Access
A popular personal and small workgroup DBMS product licensed by Microsoft. Included with some versions of Microsoft Office.
ACID
An acronym standing for atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable. Used to describe the processing of transactions such that all of the transaction is processed or none of it is (atomic), transactions are processed in the same manner (consistent) whether processed alone or in the presence of millions of other transactions (isolated), and that once a transaction is stored it never goes away—even in the presence of failure (durable)
Activity
A business function that receives inputs and produces outputs. An activity can be performed by a human, by a computer system, or by both.
Ad-blocking software
Software that filters out advertising content.
Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)
A sophisticated, possibly long-running, computer hack that is perpetrated by large, well-funded organizations like governments. APTs are a means to engage in cyberwarfare.
Adware
Programs installed on the user’s computer without the user’s knowledge or permission that reside in the background and, unknown to the user, observe the user’s actions and keystrokes, modify computer activity, and report the user’s activities to sponsoring organizations. Most adware is benign in that it does not perform malicious acts or steal data. It does, however, watch user activity and produce pop-up ads.
Agile development
An adaptive project management process based on the principles:
- Expect, even welcome, changes in requirements.
- Frequently deliver working version of the product.
- Work closely with customer for the duration.
- Design as you go.
- Test as you go.
- Team knows best how it’s doing/how to change.
- Can be used for business processes, information systems, and applications development.
Can be used for the management of many types of projects, including processes, information systems, and applications
An adaptive project management process based on the principles listed in Figure 12-20 . Can be used for the management of many types of projects, including processes, information systems, and applications
A mobile operating system that is a version of Linux. Android runs on the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire as well as many other mobile devices
Application
(1) Synonym for application software. (2) A combination of hardware, software, and data that is to be developed for an information system.
Application software
Programs that perform a business function. Some application programs are general purpose, such as Excel or Word. Other application programs are specific to a business function, such as accounts payable
Artificial intelligence (AI)
The ability of a machine to simulate human abilities such as vision, communication, recognition, learning, and decision making.
As-is model
A model that represents the current situation and processes.
Asymmetric encryption
An encryption method whereby different keys are used to encode and to decode the message; one key encodes the message, and the other key decodes the message. Asymmetric encryption is slower and more complicated than symmetric encryption.
Asynchronous communication
Information exchange that occurs when all members of a work team do not meet at the same time, such as those who work different shifts.
Attributes
Characteristics of an entity. Example attributes of Order are OrderNumber, OrderDate, SubTotal, Tax, Total, and so forth. Example attributes of Salesperson are SalespersonName, Email, Phone, and so forth.
Augmented reality (AR)
The altering of reality by overlaying digital information on real world objects.
Authentication
The process whereby an information system verifies (validates) a user.
Baseline WBS
The initial work breakdown structure that shows the planned tasks, dependencies, durations, and resource assignments.
Bell’s Law
A new computer class forms roughly each decade, establishing a new industry.
Best practices
Methods that have been shown to produce successful results in prior implementations.
BI analysis
The process of creating business intelligence. The four fundamental categories of BI analysis are reporting, data mining, Big Data, and knowledge management
BI application
The software component of a BI system.
Big Data
A term used to describe data collections that are characterized by huge volume, rapid velocity, and great variety.
Biometric authentication
The use of personal physical characteristics, such as fingerprints, facial features, and retinal scans, to authenticate users.
BI server
A Web server application that is purpose-built for the publishing of business intelligence.
Bits
The means by which computers represent data; also called binary digits. A bit is either a zero or a one.
BlackBerry OS
One of the most successful early mobile operating systems; was primarily used by business users on BlackBerry devices.
Bluetooth
A common wireless protocol designed for transmitting data over short distances, replacing cables.
Bounce rate
Percent of people who visit your Web site and then immediately leave.
Bring your own device (BYOD) policy
An official organizational policy that states employees’ permissions and responsibilities when using personal mobile devices for organizational business.
Brooks’ Law
The adage that states: Adding more people to a late project makes the project later. Brooks’ Law is true not only because a larger staff requires increased coordination, but also because new people need to be trained. The only people who can train the new employees are the existing team members, who are thus taken off productive tasks. The costs of training new people can overwhelm the benefit of their contributions. Named for Fred Brooks, author of The Mythical Man-Month.
Brute force attack
A password-cracking program that tries every possible combination of characters.
Bullwhip effect
A phenomenon in which the variability in the size and timing of orders increases at each stage up the supply chain, from customer to supplier.
Business analyst
(1) A person who understands business strategies, goals, and objectives and who helps businesses develop and manage business processes and information systems. (2) Someone who is well versed in Porter’s models, organizational strategy, and systems alignment theory, like COBIT, and who also understands technology sufficiently well to communicate with systems analysts and developers. Compare with systems analyst.
Business intelligence (BI)
The processing of operational data, social data, purchased data, and employee knowledge to expose solutions, patterns, relationships, and trends of importance to the organization.
Business intelligence (BI) systems
Information systems that produce business intelligence.
Business process
(1) A network of activities that generate value by transforming inputs into outputs. (2) A network of activities, repositories, roles, resources, and flows that interact to achieve some business function; sometimes called a business system.
Business process management (BPM)
A cyclical process for systematically creating, assessing, and altering business processes.
Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)
Standard set of terms and graphical notations for documenting business processes.
Business process reengineering
The activity of altering existing and designing new business processes to take advantage of the capabilities of new information systems technology.
Business-to-business (B2B)
Relationships through which businesses generate new retail leads.
Business-to-consumer (B2C)
Relationships through which businesses market their products to end users.
Bytes
(1) 8-bit chunks of data. (2) Characters of data.
Cable line
Cable television lines that provide high-speed data transmission.
Capital
Resources that are invested with the expectation of future gain.
Carrier
A telecommunications company that provides voice and data transportation services.
Central processing unit (CPU)
The portion of a computer that selects instructions, processes them, performs arithmetic and logical comparisons, and stores results of operations in memory.
Chief information officer (CIO)
The title of the principal manager of the IS department. Other common titles are vice president of information services, director of information services, and, less commonly, director of computer services.
Chief information security officer (CISO)
The title of the person who manages security for the organization’s information systems and information.
Chief security officer (CSO)
The title of the person who manages security for all of the organization’s assets: physical plant and equipment, employees, intellectual property, and digital.
Chief technology officer (CTO)
The title of the head of the technology group. The CTO filters new ideas and products to identify those that are most relevant to the organization. The CTO’s job requires deep knowledge of information technology and the ability to envision how new IT could affect an organization over time.
Client
PCs, tablets, and smartphones that access servers via the cloud.
Client-server architecture
Computing architecture that allows clients (users) to send requests across the Internet to servers, which respond and send data back.
Closed source
Source code that is highly protected and only available to trusted employees and carefully vetted contractors.
Cloud
A term that refers to elastic leasing of pooled computer resources over the Internet.
Cloud computing architecture
Computing architecture that allows employees and customers to access organizational data and applications located in the cloud.
Cluster analysis
Unsupervised data mining using statistical techniques to identify groups of entities that have similar characteristics. A common use for cluster analysis is to find groups of similar customers in data about customer orders and customer demographics.
COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and related Technology)
A set of standard practices, created by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, that are used in the assessment stage of the BPM cycle to determine how well an information system complies with an organization’s strategy.
Collaboration
The activity of two or more people working together to achieve a common goal via a process of feedback and iteration. One of four key skills for nonroutine cognitive thinking.
Collaboration information system
An information system that supports collaboration. See also collaboration system.
Columns
Also called fields, or groups of bytes. A database table has multiple columns that are used to represent the attributes of an entity. Examples are PartNumber, EmployeeName, and SalesDate.
Commerce server
An application program that runs on a server tier computer. A typical commerce server obtains product data from a database, manages items in users’ shopping carts, and coordinates the checkout process
Communication channels
Means of delivering messages.
Communities of practice
Also called communities; groups of people related by a common interest.
Competitive analysis
Process of identifying the strength and weaknesses in competitors’ use of social media.
Competitive strategy
The strategy an organization chooses as the way it will succeed in its industry. According to Porter, there are four fundamental competitive strategies: cost leadership across an industry or within a particular industry segment and product or service differentiation across an industry or within a particular industry segment
Computer-based information system
An information system that includes a computer.
Computer hardware
Electronic components and related gadgetry that input, process, output, store, and communicate data according to the instructions encoded in computer programs or software. One of the five fundamental components of an information system.
Computer terminal
A computing device consisting of a screen, keyboard, and network connection. Also called a thin client
Confidence
In market-basket terminology, the probability estimate that two items will be purchased together.
Configuration control
A set of management policies, practices, and tools that systems developers use to maintain control over a project’s resources.
Connection data
In social media systems, data about relationships
Constructive criticism
Both positive and negative advice given to improve an outcome.
Content data
In social media systems, data and responses to data that are contributed by users and SM sponsors.
Content delivery network (CDN)
An information system that serves content to Web pages over the Internet. To reduce wait time, data is typically stored and served from many geographic locations.
Content management systems (CMS)
Information systems that support the management and delivery of documentation including reports, Web pages, and other expressions of employee knowledge.
Control flow
A BPMN symbol that documents the flow of activity in a business process.
Conversion rate
Measures the frequency with which someone who clicks on an ad makes a purchase, “likes” a site, or takes some other action desired by the advertiser.
Cookie
A small file that is stored on the user’s computer by a browser. Cookies can be used for authentication, for storing shopping cart contents and user preferences, and for other legitimate purposes. Cookies can also be used to implement spyware
Cooperation
The process by which a group of people having the same skills work in parallel to shorten the time required to accomplish a job (e.g., four painters each painting one wall of a room).
Cost
The cost of a business process is equal to the cost of the inputs plus the cost of activities.
Cost feasibility
An assessment of the cost of an information system development project that compares estimated costs to the available budget. Can also refer to a comparison of development plus operational costs versus value delivered.
Critical path
The sequence of activities that determine the earliest date by which the project can be completed.
Critical path analysis
The process by which project managers compress a schedule by moving resources, typically people, from noncritical path tasks to critical path tasks.
Cross-selling
The sale of related products to customers based on salesperson knowledge, market-basket analysis, or both.
Crowdsourcing
The dynamic social media process of employing users to participate in product design or redesign.
Crow’s feet
Lines on an entity-relationship diagram that indicate a 1:N relationship between two entities.
Crow’s-foot diagram
A type of entity-relationship diagram that uses a crow’s foot symbol to designate a 1:N relationship.
Custom-developed software
Software tailor-made for a particular organization’s requirements.
Customer life cycle
Taken as a whole, the processes of marketing, customer acquisition, relationship management, and loss/churn that must be managed by CRM systems.
Customer relationship management (CRM) system
A suite of applications, a database, and a set of inherent processes for managing all the interactions with the customer, from lead generation to customer service.
Data
Recorded facts or figures. One of the five fundamental components of n information system.
Data acquisition
In business intelligence systems, the process of obtaining, cleaning, organizing, relating, and cataloging source data.
Data administration
An organization-wide function that develops and enforces data policies and standards.
Data flow
A BPMN symbol that documents the movement of data among activities and repositories in a business process.
Data integrity
In a database or a collection of databases, the condition that exists when data values are consistent and in agreement with one another.
Data integrity problem
In a database, the situation that exists when data item values disagree with one another. An example is two different names for the same customer.
Data mart
A data collection, smaller than a data warehouse, that addresses the needs of a particular department or functional area of a business.
Data mining
The application of statistical techniques to find patterns and relationships among data for classification and prediction.
Data model
A logical representation of the data in a database that describes the data and relationships that will be stored in the database. Akin to a blueprint.
Data safeguards
Measures used to protect databases and other data assets from threats. Includes data rights and responsibilities, encryptions, backup and recovery, and physical security.
Data warehouse
A facility for managing an organization’s BI data.
Database
A self-describing collection of integrated records.
Database administration
A person or department that develops procedures and practices to ensure efficient and orderly multiuser processing of the database, to control changes to database structure, and to protect the database
Database application
A collection of forms, reports, queries, and application programs that facilitates users’ processing of a database. A database can be processed by many different database applications.
Database management system (DBMS)
A program for creating, processing, and administering a database. A DBMS is a large and complex program that is licensed like an operating system. Microsoft Access and Oracle Database are example DBMS products.
Database tier
In the three-tier architecture, the tier that runs the DBMS and receives and processes requests to retrieve and store data.
DB2
A popular, enterprise-class DBMS product licensed by IBM.
Decision support systems
Some authors define business intelligence (BI) systems as supporting decision making only, in which case they use this older term as a synonym for decision-making BI systems.
Decision tree
A hierarchical arrangement of criteria that predict a classification or a value.
Deliverables
Work products that are the result of the completion of tasks in a development project.
Denial of service (DoS)
Security problem in which users are not able to access an information system; can be caused by human errors, natural disaster, or malicious activity.
Desktop virtualization
Also called client virtualization and PC virtualization. The process of storing a user’s desktop on a remote server. It enables users to run their desktop from many different client computers.
Digital Revolution
The conversion from mechanical and analog devices to digital devices.
Digital subscriber line (DSL)
A communications line that operates on the same lines as voice telephones but does so in such a manner that its signals to not interfere with voice telephone service.
Dimension
A characteristic of an OLAP measure. Purchase date, customer type, customer location, and sales region are examples of dimensions.
Discussion forums
Forms of asynchronous communication in which one group member posts an entry and other group members respond. A better form of group communication than email because it is more difficult for one person to monopolize the discussion or for the discussion to go off track.
Diseconomies of scale
A principle that states as development teams become larger, the average contribution per worker decreases.
Distributed database processing
The processing of a single database that resides in multiple locations.
Distributed systems
Systems in which application processing is distributed across multiple computing devices.
Domain name
A worldwide unique name registered in the domain name system (DNS) and affiliated with a public IP address.
Domain Name System (DNS)
A directory naming system that assigns domain names to IP addresses.
Drill down
With an OLAP report, to further divide the data into more detail.
Dual processor
A computer with two CPUs.
Dynamic processes
Flexible, informal, and adaptive processes that normally involve strategic and less specific managerial decisions and activities.
Dynamic reports
Business intelligence documents that are updated at the time they are requested.
Elastic
In cloud computing, the situation that exists when the amount of resource leased can be dynamically increased or decreased, programmatically, in a short span of time, and organizations pay for just the resources that they use. This term was first used in this way by Amazon.com.
A form of asynchronous communication in which participants send comments and attachments electronically. As a form of group communication, it can be disorganized, disconnected, and easy to hide from.
Email spoofing
A synonym for phishing. A technique for obtaining unauthorized data that uses pretexting via email. The phisher pretends to be a legitimate company and sends email requests for confidential data, such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, account passwords, and so forth. Phishers direct traffic to their sites under the guise of a legitimate business
Encapsulated
A characteristic of systems design in which the details of a process are hidden from users of that process. A formal interface is defined for the process that specifies how the process is to be accessed, what data it requires, and the data that it will produce. The means by which that process creates those results are never exposed, nor do they need to be.
Encryption
The process of transforming clear text into coded, unintelligible text for secure storage or communication.
Encryption algorithms
Algorithms used to transform clear text into coded, unintelligible text for secure storage or communication.
Enterprise 2.0
The use of emergent social software platforms within companies or between companies and their partners or customers.
Enterprise application integration (EAI)
A suite of software applications that integrates existing systems by providing layers of software that connect applications together.
Enterprise information system
Information systems that support cross-functional processes and activities in multiple departments.
Enterprise processes
Processes that span an organization and support activities in multiple departments.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
A suite of applications called modules, a database, and a set of inherent processes for consolidating business operations into a single, consistent, computing platform.
Enterprise social network (ESN)
A software platform that uses social media to facilitate cooperative work of people within an organization.
Entity
In the E-R data model, a representation of some thing that users want to track. Some entities represent a physical object; others represent a logical construct or transaction.
Entity-relationship (E-R) data model
A tool for constructing data models that defines the entities stored in a database and the relationships among those entities.
Entity-relationship (E-R) diagrams
A type of diagram used by database designers to document entities and their relationships to each other.
ERP system
An information system based upon ERP technology.
Ethernet
Another name for the IEEE 802.3 protocol, Ethernet is a communications standard that specifies how messages are to be packaged, processed, and transmitted for wired transmission over a LAN.
Exabyte (EB)
1,024 PB
Experimentation
A careful and reasoned analysis of an opportunity, envisioning potential products or solutions or applications of technology and then developing those ideas that seem to have the most promise, consistent with the resources you have. One of four key skills for nonroutine cognitive thinking.
Expert systems
Rule-based systems that encode human knowledge in the form of If/Then rules.
Expert systems shells
A program in an expert system that processes a set of rules, typically many times, until the values of the variables no longer change, at which point the system reports the results.
Fields
Also called columns; groups of bytes in a database table. A database table has multiple columns that represent the attributes of an entity. Examples are PartNumber, EmployeeName, and SaleDate.
File
A group of similar rows or records. In a database, sometimes called a table.
File server
A networked computer that stores files.
File Transfer Protocol (ftp)
An applications-layer protocol used to transfer files over the Internet.
Firewall
Computing devices located between public and private networks that prevent unauthorized access to or from the internal network. A firewall can be a special-purpose computer, or it can be a program on a general-purpose computer or on a router.
Firmware
Computer software installed into devices such as printers, print servers, and various types of communication devices. The software is coded just like other software, but it is installed into special, programmable memory of the printer or other device.
Five-component framework
The five fundamental components of an information system—computer hardware, software, data, procedures, and people—present in every information system, from the simplest to the most complex.
Five forces model
Model, proposed by Michael Porter, that assesses industry characteristics and profitability by means of five competitive forces—bargaining power of suppliers, threat of substitution, bargaining power of customers, rivalry among firms, and threat of new entrants.
Folksonomy
A structure of content that emerges from the activity and processing of many users
Foreign keys
A column or group of columns used to represent relationships. Values of the foreign key match values of the primary key in a different (foreign) table.
Freemium
A revenue model offering a basic service for free and charging a premium for upgrades or advanced features.
Functional application
Software that provides features and functions necessary to support a particular business activity or department (function).
Functional information systems
Workgroup information systems that support a particular business function.
Gantt chart
A timeline graphical chart that shows tasks, dates, dependencies, and possibly resources
Gigabyte (GB)
1,024 MB
GNU
A set of tools for creating and managing open source software. Originally created to develop an open source Unix-like operating system.
GNU general public license (GPL) agreement
One of the standard license agreements for open source software.
Google Drive
Cloud-based hardware used for sharing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, and other types of data. Includes version tracking. Used in conjunction with Google Docs.
Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act
Passed by Congress in 1999, this act protects consumer financial data stored by financial institutions, which are defined as banks, securities firms, insurance companies, and organizations that provide financial advice, prepare tax returns, and provide similar financial services.
Granularity
The level of detail in data. Customer name and account balance is large granularity data. Customer name, balance, and details of all contacts with that customer, orders, and payments is smaller granularity.
Graphical queries
Queries in which criteria are created when the user clicks on a graphic.
