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CPA Exam BEC > Information Technology > Flashcards

Information Technology Flashcards

2
Q

Which IT personnel roles should always be segregated?

A

Operators

Programmers

Librarians

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3
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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4
Q

What is the primary duty of a Systems Administrator?

A

A Systems Administrator controls database access.

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5
Q

What are the duties of a Systems Programmer?

A

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

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6
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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7
Q

What are the duties of a Systems Operator?

A

Schedules and Monitors Jobs

Runs IT Help Desk

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8
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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9
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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10
Q

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

A

To assist with decision making.

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11
Q

What is an Accounting Information System (AIS)?

A

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

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12
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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13
Q

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

A

Computer uses reasoning

Structured

No human interpretation needed

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14
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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15
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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16
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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17
Q

What is a query?

A

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

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18
Q

What is End-User Computing?

A

The User develops and executes their own application.

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19
Q

What is the primary benefit of E-commerce?

A

E-commerce makes business transactions easier.

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20
Q

What are the risks of E-commerce?

A

Compromised data or theft.

Less paper trail for auditors.

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21
Q

What are the benefits of Electronic Data Interchange?

A

Uses globally-accepted standards

Efficient

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22
Q

What is a File Server?

A

A file server stores shared programs and documents.

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23
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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24
Q

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

A

It connects computers in close proximity.

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25
Q

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

A

It connects computers that are far apart.

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26
What are the characteristics of a VAN (Value-Added Network)?
Privately-owned Network Serves as 3rd Party Between 2 Companies Routes EDI Transactions Accepts wide range of Protocols Very Costly
27
What is the purpose of a Firewall?
Prevents unauthorized access to a network.
28
What are the characteristics of a virus?
Takes over a computer Needs a host program to run
29
What are the characteristics of a computer worm?
Takes over multiple computers Doesn't need a host program to run
30
What is the purpose of Automated Equipment Controls?
They prevent and detect hardware errors.
31
What is RAM?
Random Access Memory. Internal memory in the computer used during immediate processing.
32
What is a CPU?
Computer Processing Unit It processes commands within a computer.
33
What is Job Control Language?
It schedules and allocates system resources.
34
What are examples of input devices?
``` Keyboard Mouse Scanner Magnetic Ink Reader Magnetic Tape Reader EDI Point of Sale Scanner ```
35
What are examples of Output Devices?
Speakers Monitors Printers
36
What are the characteristics of Magnetic Tape storage?
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
37
What are the characteristics of Magnetic Disks?
Random Access - Finds data in random spots Faster data retrieval Uses Boundary Protection for data
38
What is a Gateway?
Connects one network to another Note: the Internet is connected by Gateways
39
What are Parity Checks?
A control that detects internal data errors. A bit is added to each character- it checks to see if a bit was lost.
40
What is an Echo Check?
Transmitted data is returned to the sender for verification (it echoes back to the sender)
41
What is a Change Control?
It authorizes program changes and approves program test results.
42
What is security software?
Software that controls access to IT systems. Note: Don't confuse this with anti-virus software
43
What is the purpose of a Digital Signature?
It confirms a message has not been altered.
44
List the types of computers from smallest to largest
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
45
What are the units of computer data from smallest to largest?
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)
46
What is the duty of a design engineer?
Determine language used for a specific computer- on a computer-to-computer basis
47
What are object programs?
Programs written in base computer language- not similar to English.
48
How can source programs be recognized?
They are written in a language close to English.
49
What is the purpose of a Compiler?
Takes Source language (English) and converts to Object (Computer) Language
50
How does Online Analytical Processing work?
It uses a Data Warehouse to support management decision making.
51
What is Data Mining?
Using artificial intelligence and pattern recognition to analyze data stores within a Data Warehouse.
52
What is the purpose of online transaction processing?
To process a company's routine transactions.
53
What are the characteristics of batch processing?
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)
54
What does an output control check for?
Checks to see if output data is valid- distributed and used in an authorized manner.
55
What does a processing control check?
Checks if data processing produced proper output
56
What is a hash total?
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.
57
What is a validity check?
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
58
What is a limit check?
Checks to see if numbers surpass a certain limit- i.e. in an age field is the number greater than 110.
59
What is a check digit?
An input control that adds an identification number to a set of digits – usually at the end
60
What is a field check?
An input check that prevents invalid characters- i.e. checks for alphabetic letters in a SSN field
61
What is a Hot Site?
A disaster recovery system where if the main system goes down- a Hot Site is ready to take over immediately.
62
What is a Cold Site?
If a main system goes down- a Cold Site will take time to get set up and running.
63
What is the most common database language?
SQL - Standard Query Language
64
What is a Data Definition Language?
Defines SQL Database Controls SQL Tables
65
What is a Data Manipulation Language?
Queries SQL Database tables
66
What is a Data Control Language?
Controls Access to SQL Database
67
What are the characteristics of a Relational Database?
Logical structure Uses rows and columns similar to spreadsheet
68
What are the characteristics of a Hierarchical Database?
Has various levels Uses trees to store data
69
What are the advantages of a database?
Data is more accessible Reduced redundancy
70
What are the disadvantages of a database?
Cost of installation Skilled personnel required to maintain
71
What are the components of a database?
Desktop client Application Server Database Server Think: Your desktop computer runs applications and saves to a database

CPA Exam BEC (9 decks)

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