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CPA BEC > Information Technology > Flashcards

Information Technology Flashcards

Study Business and Economics section of CPA exam

1
Q

Which IT personnel roles should always be segregated?

A

Operators

Programmers

Librarians

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2
Q

What are the duties of a systems analyst?

A

Designs or purchases IT system

Responsible for flowcharts

Liaison between Users and Programmers

Note: Think IT Manager

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3
Q

What is the primary duty of a Systems Administrator?

A

A Systems Administrator controls database access.

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4
Q

What are the duties of a Systems Programmer?

A

Writes- Updates- Maintains- & Tests software- systems- and compilers

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5
Q

Which duties should a Systems Programmer NOT have?

A

In order to maximize internal control- a Systems Programmer should NOT have application programming duties/abilities or be an Operator on the system.

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6
Q

What are the duties of a Systems Operator?

A

Schedules and Monitors Jobs

Runs IT Help Desk

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7
Q

What duties should a System Operator NOT have?

A

For internal control purposes- they should not be a Programmer on the system.

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8
Q

If it is not possible to segregate duties in an IT System- what actions should be taken to compensate for internal control purposes?

A

Include Computer Logs.

Control Group should review the logs.

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9
Q

What is the purpose of a Management Information System (MIS)?

A

To assist with decision making.

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10
Q

What is an Accounting Information System (AIS)?

A

A type of Management Information System (MIS) that processes accounting transactions.

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11
Q

What are the characteristics of an Executive Information System (EIS)?

A

Specialized for Company Executive needs

Assists with Strategy Only

No Decision-Making Capabilities

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12
Q

What are the characteristics of an Expert System (ES)?

A

Computer uses reasoning

Structured

No human interpretation needed

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13
Q

What are the characteristics of a Decision Support System (DSS)?

A

Computer provides data

Gives Interactive Support

Human interpretation needed

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14
Q

What are the characteristics of an Ad Hoc computer report?

A

User initiates the report.

The report is created upon demand.

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15
Q

When are Exception reports generated?

A

Exception reports are produced when Edit Tests- Check Digits- or Self-Checking Digits identify a problem

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16
Q

What is a query?

A

A type of Ad Hoc report- initiated by a user.

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17
Q

What is End-User Computing?

A

The User develops and executes their own application.

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18
Q

What is the primary benefit of E-commerce?

A

E-commerce makes business transactions easier.

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19
Q

What are the risks of E-commerce?

A

Compromised data or theft.

Less paper trail for auditors.

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20
Q

What are the benefits of Electronic Data Interchange?

A

Uses globally-accepted standards

Efficient

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21
Q

What is a File Server?

A

A file server stores shared programs and documents.

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22
Q

What is the purpose of a Database?

A

Located on a File Server- a Database allows users to share documents.

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23
Q

What is the purpose of a LAN (Local Area Network)?

A

It connects computers in close proximity.

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24
Q

What is the purpose of a WAN (Wide Area Network)?

A

It connects computers that are far apart.

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25
Q

What are the characteristics of a VAN (Value-Added Network)?

A

Privately-owned Network

Serves as 3rd Party Between 2 Companies

Routes EDI Transactions

Accepts wide range of Protocols

Very Costly

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26
Q

What is the purpose of a Firewall?

A

Prevents unauthorized access to a network.

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27
Q

What are the characteristics of a virus?

A

Takes over a computer

Needs a host program to run

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28
Q

What are the characteristics of a computer worm?

A

Takes over multiple computers

Doesn’t need a host program to run

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29
Q

What is the purpose of Automated Equipment Controls?

A

They prevent and detect hardware errors.

30
Q

What is RAM?

A

Random Access Memory.

Internal memory in the computer used during immediate processing.

31
Q

What is a CPU?

A

Computer Processing Unit

It processes commands within a computer.

32
Q

What is Job Control Language?

A

It schedules and allocates system resources.

33
Q

What are examples of input devices?

A

Keyboard
Mouse
Scanner
Magnetic Ink Reader
Magnetic Tape Reader
EDI
Point of Sale Scanner

34
Q

What are examples of Output Devices?

A

Speakers

Monitors

Printers

35
Q

What are the characteristics of Magnetic Tape storage?

A

Sequential Access - Sorts data in order

Slower data retrieval

Header Label prevents Operator error by loading wrong tape

External Labels prevent accidental destruction by operator

36
Q

What are the characteristics of Magnetic Disks?

A

Random Access - Finds data in random spots

Faster data retrieval

Uses Boundary Protection for data

37
Q

What is a Gateway?

A

Connects one network to another

Note: the Internet is connected by Gateways

38
Q

What are Parity Checks?

A

A control that detects internal data errors.

A bit is added to each character- it checks to see if a bit was lost.

39
Q

What is an Echo Check?

A

Transmitted data is returned to the sender for verification (it echoes back to the sender)

40
Q

What is a Change Control?

A

It authorizes program changes and approves program test results.

41
Q

What is security software?

A

Software that controls access to IT systems.

Note: Don’t confuse this with anti-virus software

42
Q

What is the purpose of a Digital Signature?

A

It confirms a message has not been altered.

43
Q

List the types of computers from smallest to largest

A

PDA/Smartphone/Tablet

Microcomputer - PC- Laptop (cost-effective)

Minicomputer - Like a Mainframe- but smaller

Mainframe - Large computer with terminals attached

Supercomputer - Very powerful and very big

44
Q

What are the units of computer data from smallest to largest?

A

Bit - 1 (on) and 0 (off)
Byte - 8 bits to a byte/character
Field - group of related characters/bytes (i.e. Name- Zip Code- Serial #)
Record - Group of related fields (i.e. Member name- address- phone number)
File - Group of related records (i.e. Membership directory)

45
Q

What is the duty of a design engineer?

A

Determine language used for a specific computer- on a computer-to-computer basis

46
Q

What are object programs?

A

Programs written in base computer language- not similar to English.

47
Q

How can source programs be recognized?

A

They are written in a language close to English.

48
Q

What is the purpose of a Compiler?

A

Takes Source language (English) and converts to Object (Computer) Language

49
Q

How does Online Analytical Processing work?

A

It uses a Data Warehouse to support management decision making.

50
Q

What is Data Mining?

A

Using artificial intelligence and pattern recognition to analyze data stores within a Data Warehouse.

51
Q

What is the purpose of online transaction processing?

A

To process a company’s routine transactions.

52
Q

What are the characteristics of batch processing?

A

Data held- updates multiple files all at once

Leaves a better audit trail

Uses Grandfather-Father-Son backup (3 levels of backup kept in 3 locations)

53
Q

What does an output control check for?

A

Checks to see if output data is valid- distributed and used in an authorized manner.

54
Q

What does a processing control check?

A

Checks if data processing produced proper output

55
Q

What is a hash total?

A

An input control number- a meaningless sum of values included in the input.

Example would be summing a list of SSNs to make sure the data is the same once entered as it was prior to input into the system.

56
Q

What is a validity check?

A

Checks to see if data in existing tables or files belongs in the set

For example- is there a # in an alpha-only field or a letter in a numeric-only field

57
Q

What is a limit check?

A

Checks to see if numbers surpass a certain limit- i.e. in an age field is the number greater than 110.

58
Q

What is a check digit?

A

An input control that adds an identification number to a set of
digits - usually at the end

59
Q

What is a field check?

A

An input check that prevents invalid characters- i.e. checks for alphabetic letters in a SSN field

60
Q

What is a Hot Site?

A

A disaster recovery system where if the main system goes down- a Hot Site is ready to take over immediately.

61
Q

What is a Cold Site?

A

If a main system goes down- a Cold Site will take time to get set up and running.

62
Q

What is the most common database language?

A

SQL - Structured Query Language

63
Q

What is a Data Definition Language?

A

Defines SQL Database

Controls SQL Tables

64
Q

What is a Data Manipulation Language?

A

Queries SQL Database tables

65
Q

What is a Data Control Language?

A

Controls Access to SQL Database

66
Q

What are the characteristics of a Relational Database?

A

Logical structure

Uses rows and columns similar to spreadsheet

67
Q

What are the characteristics of a Hierarchical Database?

A

Has various levels

Uses trees to store data

68
Q

What are the advantages of a database?

A

Data is more accessible

Reduced redundancy

69
Q

What are the disadvantages of a database?

A

Cost of installation

Skilled personnel required to maintain

70
Q

What are the components of a database?

A

Desktop client

Application Server

Database Server

Think: Your desktop computer runs applications and saves to a database

CPA BEC (18 decks)

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