Knowledge Module Glossary Terms Flashcards
A/B Testing
A/B testing (sometimes called split testing) is comparing two versions of a web page to see which one performs better.
Abstraction
The quality of dealing with ideas rather than events.
Acceptance Testing
Acceptance Testing is a level of the software testing where a system is testing for acceptability. The purpose of this test is to evaluate the system’s compliance with the business requirements and assess whether it is acceptable for delivery.
Activity diagrams
Activity diagrams are graphical representations of workflows of stepwise activities and actions with support for choice, iteration and concurrency.
Actors
In software and systems engineering, a use case is a list of actions or event steps typically defining the iterations between a role (known in the UML as an actor) and a system to achieve a goal. The actor can be a human or other external system.
Adapter pattern
The adapter pattern is a software design pattern (also known as a Wrapper, an alternative naming shared with the Decorator pattern) that allows the interface of an existing class to be used as another interface.
Agile
Relating to or denoting a method of project management, used especially for software development, that is characterised by the division into short phases of work and frequent reassessment and adaptation of plans.
Agile Manifesto
The Agile Manifesto, also called the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, is a formal proclamation of four key values and 12 principles to guide an iterative and people-centric approach to software development.
Algorithms
A process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
Analogue data
Analog data is data that is represented in a physical way.
Analyse
Examine (something) methodically and in detail, typically in order to explain and interpret it.
Anomaly
Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
Anivirus
Designed to detect and destroy computer viruses
API
A set of functions and procedures that allow the creation of applications which access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service.
Applicability
An application is any program, or group of programs, that is designed for the end user. … Applications software (also called end-user programs) include such things as database programs, word processors, Web browsers and spreadsheets.
Application developer
Application developers work in teams to identify ideas and concepts for the general public, or a specific need brought to them by a customer.
Architectural pattern
An architectural pattern is a general, reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem in software architecture within a given context.
Array
An ordered series or arrangement.
Ascending
To go up or climb.
Assembly languages
A low-level symbolic code converted by an assembler.
ATM
A machine that dispenses cash or performs other banking services when an account holder inserts a bank card
Attribute
A piece of information which determines the properties of a field or tag in a database or a string of characters in a display.
Authentication
The process or action of verifying the identity of a user or process.
Authorisation Matrix
Only applicable to companies that require two signatories or companies needing to perform trade transactions in Business Internet Banking.) To enable dual authorisation on financial transactions or to perform trade transactions, the primary user has to set up the authorisation matrix in Business Internet Banking.
Authorisation Mechanism
Authorisation is a security mechanism used to determine user/client privileges or access levels related to system resources, including computer programs, files, services, data and application features. Authorisation is normally preceded by authentication for user identity verification.
Backlog
An accumulation of uncompleted work or matters needing to be dealt with.
Backtracking
Backtracking is an algorithm for capturing some or all solutions to given computational issues, especially for constraint satisfaction issues.
Behavioural design pattern
In software engineering, behavioural design patterns are design patterns that identify common communication patterns between objects and realise these patterns. By doing so, these patterns increase flexibility in carrying out this communication.
Beta releases
Beta version. A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to try under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as a result.
Big bang development
Big bang adoption or direct changeover is the adoption type of the instant changeover, when everybody associated with the new system moves to the fully functioning new system on a given date.
Binary chop / Binary search
Is a search algorithm that finds the position of a target value within a sorted array.
Black Box
In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a device, system or object which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings.
Blueprint
A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing, documenting an architecture or an engineering design, using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets.
Boolean
A Boolean data type is a data type with only two possible values: true or false.
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members.
Bridge pattern
The bridge pattern is a design pattern used in software engineering that is meant to “decouple
an abstraction from its implementation so that the two can vary independently”, introduced by the Gang of Four. The bridge uses encapsulation, aggregation, and can use inheritance to separate responsibilities into different classes.
Bubble sort
Bubble sort, sometimes referred to as sinking sort, is a simple sorting algorithm that repeatedly steps through the list to be sorted, compares each pair of adjacent items and swaps them if they are in the wrong order.
Buffer overflows
In computer security and programming, a buffer overflow, or buffer overrun, is an anomaly where a program, while writing data to a buffer, overruns the buffer’s boundary and overwrites adjacent memory locations.
Bug-fix
A correction to a bug in a computer program or system.
Builder pattern
Builder pattern builds a complex object using simple objects and using a step by step approach.
Business Analyst
A business analyst (BA) is someone who analyses an organisation or business domain (real or hypothetical) and documents its business or processes or systems, assessing the business model or its integration with technology.
Business Case
A justification for a proposed project or undertaking on the basis of its expected commercial benefit.
Business Drivers
A business driver is a resource, process or condition that is vital for the continued success and growth of a business.
Change Management
The controlled identification and implementation of required changes within a computer system.
Changeover
A change from one system or situation to another.
Character
A printed or written letter or symbol.
Classification
The action or process of classifying something.
Client GUI
A graphical user interface (GUI) is a human-computer interface (i.e., a way for humans to interact with computers) that uses windows, icons and menus and which can be manipulated by a mouse (and often to a
limited extent by a keyboard as well).
Cloud
A network of remote servers hosted on the Internet and used to store, manage, and process data in place of local servers or personal computers.
Code functions
Parameter in computer programming, a parameter is a value that is passed into a function or procedure
Code libraries
A set of routines for a particular operating system. Depending on the environment, code libraries may be source code, in an intermediate language or in executable form.
Cohesion
The action or fact of forming a united whole.
Collaboration
The action of working with someone to produce something.
Common failures
A common cause failure (CCF) is a failure where: Two or more items fail within a specified time such that the success of the system mission would be uncertain.
Compliers
A program that converts instructions into a machine-code or lower-level form so that they can be read and executed by a computer.
Component diagram
Component diagrams show the dependencies and interactions between software components.
Components
A part or element of a larger whole, especially a part of a machine or vehicle.
Comprising
Consist of; be made up of.
Computable problem
Computability is the ability to solve a problem in an effective manner.
Computational
Using or relating to computers
Concurrency pattern
In software engineering, concurrency patterns are those types of design patterns that deal with the multithreaded programming paradigm.
Concurrent
Existing, happening, or done at the same time.
Confidential data
Confidential Data is a generalised term that typically represents data classified as Restricted.
Configuration management
Configuration management (CM) is a system engineering process for establishing and maintaining consistency of a product’s performance, functional, and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life.
Conjunction
The action or an instance of two or more events or things occurring at the same point in time or space.
Consequences
A result or effect, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.
Constant
Occurring continuously over a period of time.
Constraint satisfaction
In artificial intelligence and operations research, constraint satisfaction is the process of finding a solution to a set of constraints that impose conditions that the variables must satisfy.
Constraints
A limitation or restriction.
Contextual enquiry
Contextual inquiry is a semi-structured interview method to obtain information about the context of use, where users are first asked a set of standard questions and then observed and questioned while they work in their own environments.
Continuity
The unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over time.
Copyright law
A copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to authors of “original works of authorship.” This includes literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and certain other creative works.
Correction
A change that rectifies an error or inaccuracy.
Coupling
The pairing of two items.
Creational design pattern
In software engineering, creational design patterns are design patterns that deal with object creation
mechanisms, trying to create objects in a manner suitable to the situation. The basic form of object creation could result in design problems or in added complexity to the design.
Cross-site scripting
Cross-site scripting (XSS) is a type of computer security vulnerability typically found in web applications. XSS enables attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
Cryptography
The art of writing or solving codes
Cyber resilience
Cyber Resilience is an evolving perspective that is rapidly gaining recognition.
Data
The quantities, characters, or symbols on which operations are performed by a computer, which may be stored and transmitted in the form of electrical signals and recorded on magnetic, optical, or mechanical recording media.
Data models
Data models define how data is connected to each other and how they are processed and stored inside the system.
Data storage
Data storage is a general term for archiving data in electromagnetic or other forms for use by a computer or device.
Data-flow models
A data flow model is diagrammatic representation of the flow and exchange of information within a system.
DBMS
A database-management system (DBMS) is a computer-software application that interacts with end-users, other applications, and the database itself to capture and analyse data.
Debuggers
A computer program that assists in the detection and correction of errors in other computer programs.
Decomposition
The state or process of decay.
Decouple
Separate, disengage, or dissociate (something) from something else
Defensive programming
Defensive programming is a form of defensive design intended to ensure the Continuing function of a piece of software under unforeseen circumstances.
Deletion
The removal of data from a computer’s memory.
Deliverable
A thing able to be provided, especially as a product of a development process.
Denial of service
An interruption in an authorised user’s access to a computer network, typically one caused with malicious intent
Deployement
The action of bringing resources into effective action.
Design components
In programming and engineering disciplines, a component is an identifiable part of a larger program or construction. Usually, a component provides a particular function or group of related functions.
Design documentation
Is a written description of a software product, that a software designer writes in order to give a software
development team overall guidance to the architecture of the software project.
Desktop
The working area of a computer screen regarded as a representation of a notional desktop and containing icons representing items such as files.
Detection
The action or process of identifying the presence of something concealed.
Developmental methodologies
A system development methodology refers to the framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system.
DevOps
Is a software development and delivery process that emphasises communication and collaboration between product management, software development, and operations professionals.
Differentiation
An electronic device whose output signal is proportional to the derivative of its input signal.
Digital certificates
An attachment to an electronic message used for security purposes. The most common use of a digital
certificate is to verify that a user sending a message is who he or she claims to be, and to provide the receiver with the means to encode a reply.
Digital data
Digital data, in information theory and information systems, are discrete, discontinuous representations of information or works, as contrasted with continuous, or analogue signals which behave in a continuous manner, or represent information using a continuous function.
Distributed denial of service
The intentional paralysing of a computer network by flooding it with data sent simultaneously from many
individual computers.
DMZ
DMZ or demilitarized zone (sometimes referred to as a perimeter network) is a physical or logical subnetwork that contains and exposes an organisation’s external-facing services to an untrusted network, usually a larger network such as the Internet.
Domain experts
Domain expert is a person who is an authority in
Elaborate
Involving many carefully arranged parts or details; detailed and complicated in design and planning.
Elicitation
Elicitation (intelligence), collecting intelligence information from people as part of human intelligence (intelligence collection) Elicitation technique or elicitation procedure, any of various data collection techniques in social sciences or other fields to gather knowledge or information from people.
Encapsulation
The action of enclosing something in or as if in a capsule.
End-user license
Is a legal contract between a software application author or publisher and the user of that application.
Enhance
Intensify, increase, or further improve the quality, value, or extent of.
Enterprise license
An enterprise license is one that is issued to a large company. It typically allows unlimited use of the program throughout the organisation, although there may be restrictions and limitations.
Entity
A thing with distinct and independent existence.
Entity relationship models
An entity-relationship model (ERM) is a theoretical and conceptual way of showing data relationships in software development.
Equivalence classes
The class of all members of a set that are in a given equivalence relation.
Ergonomics
The study of people’s efficiency in their working environment.
Error correction
The automatic correction of errors that arise from the incorrect transmission of digital data.
EU Anti-Spam law
A European law against sending commercial spam emails.
EU Cookie law
The Cookie Law is a piece of privacy legislation that requires websites to get consent from visitors to store or retrieve any information on a computer, smartphone or tablet.
Evaluate
Form an idea of the amount, number, or value of; assess.
Evolutionary
Relating to the gradual development of something.
Exception handling
Exception handling is the process of responding to the occurrence, during computation, of exceptions –
anomalous or exceptional conditions requiring special processing – often changing the normal flow of program execution.
Executable code
Software in a form that can be run in the computer. It typically refers to machine language, which is the set of native instructions the computer carries out in hardware.
Exhibits
Manifest clearly (a quality or a type of behaviour).
Extreme Programming
Extreme programming (XP) is a software development methodology which is intended to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements.
Facet
A particular aspect or feature of something.
Fault tree analysis
Fault tree analysis (FTA) is a top down, deductive failure analysis in which an undesired state of a system is analysed using Boolean logic to combine a series of lower-level events.
Feasibility phase
Feasibility is the measure of how well a proposed system solves the problems, and takes advantage of the opportunities identified during scope definition and how it satisfies the requirements identified in the
requirements analysis phase of system development.
Feasibility study
An assessment of the practicality of a proposed plan or method
Features
A distinctive attribute or aspect of something.
Financial feasibility
A financial feasibility study is an assessment of the financial aspects of something.
Finiteness
Having boundaries or limits.
Firewall
Protect (a network or system) from unauthorised access with a firewall.