Software Categories & ERP Flashcards
What is software?
a group of independent and/or interdependent computer programs that provide the rules, functions, control, and logic that enable users, program, and hardware to achieve defined results
computing hardware:
physical components of information technology, which includes the computer and the following peripherals:
What are the 2 stages of the software development process?
- Source code (readable code/what programmers write)
»code is compiled, and then becomes… - Machine code (what computers can read, people generally can’t)
Programming Software (IDE)
integrated development environment
application that includes editor, debugger, compiler, other tools
programming language & what are they for
provides standards, syntax, statements, instructions for writing computer software (Java, SWL, C++)
large projects, significant projects
scripting languages & what are they for
generally for smaller projects, programming tool that executes within an application (JavaScript, Python, R, VB Script)
What are the 6 categories of software development?
programming software (used to create everything else)
operating systems software, utility software, middleware software, apps software, application software
What is an operating system?
software that controls all computer hardware, all activities executed by computers & establishes standards for developing and executing applications
> makes it easier for users to interact w computers and for programmers to write application software
What is Application Software?
software for solving general and administrative communication and business tasks
general purpose: spreadsheets, word processors, etc
special purpose: functional software (sales), enterprise software (ERP sales)
What do operating systems softwae do?
coordinates and manages all hardware
Utility software
group of independent computer progams that enables the OS to control manufacturer-specific hardware
Apps software
designed for a single purpose and performs a single function or very few functions
Middleware software
facilitates exchange of data between two application programs within the same environment, or across different hardware and network environments.
What are 4 basic types of middleware?
- Communication
- Database
- 4.
What are characteristics of Software Applications?
perform complex tasks, including multiple steps
takes a long time to develop
tend to have large code
require powerful processor to run well
What are characteristics of Apps?
simper tasks
developed in a short period of time
tend to have smaller code size
require less powerful processory to run well
What are 3 major kinds of application software and what is each for?
- Desktop applications (tasks for individual users- Excel, Word)
- Functional software (independent functional areas- accounting/sales/marketing software)
- Enterprise software (concurrently and collaboratively across business areas)
What are things that operating systems software do?
> select the printer to use for printing
determine which secondary storage is used to save files
chagning the language that will be used on a computer
organize how data will be stored on the hard drive
determine if erased files can be undeleted
application software does
> booking a flight
documenting sale of product
scheduling time
creating a purchase order & entering costs
determine how to create folders on a computer
Hardware/Software layer cake (bottom to top)
Hardware > OS > Application > User
types of ERP modules
finance/accounting, SCHM, CRM, Ecommerce
Closed source vs Open source software
closed source: licensed propriety, devd by private owners/individuals, compiled code Is licensed for others to use
open source: devd by volunteers or private individuals, source code and compiled code are available for use and modifications
Digital transformation risks:
cybersecurity, privacy, data leakage, operational resilience, regulatory, third-party dependence
relative address vs absolute address
relative changes based on where in the sheet you are, absolute has $ in front of what you don’t want to change (like H$4)
Enterprise software:
ERP systems are needed to collaboratively plan, optimize, and control the deployment of resources such as money, assets, goods, information, and customer orders
Complexities of ERP software:
takes a long time to develop
costly to purchase
difficult to implement
expensive to maintain on premises
Custom-made ERP:
tailored to specific businesses, more epxensive
Packaged ERP (ootb):
more restricted in functionalities, but allow for integration of external modules, but they are cheapter
Disadvantages of Three LAN approach:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Cross-functional database management system:
an org’s database management system can be set up to work with several applications both within and outside the firm
ERP Software Tiers
Tier 1 (most elite): like SAP, Oracle ERP, Microsoft Dynamics
Tier 2: (for 20-1000 employees) Oracle Netsuite, SAP Business by Design, Sage Intacct, Epicor, Syspro
Tier 3: (small/medium firms) Appian Corp, JDA Software group
On-premises ERP:
installed locally, on a company’s computers and servers, managed by internal/contract IT staff
Hosted ERP:
company/hosting provider manages the deployment of software & infrastructure
Cloud-based ERP:
hosted offsite, on vendor’s servers and provided as a service thru web browser
Requirements of cloud-based ERP deployment
Cloud-based Architecture: tech including software/hardware/internet so the cloud vendor is able to provide services
Cloud-based ERP: ERP that was developed specifically to run on the cloud
Subscription to Cloud-based ERP:
Cloud Vendor Resources:
What’s the difference between public cloud & private cloud?
Public (ex. Multi-tenant SaaS): like a mall and each store in the mall is a company and the mall is the vendor’s services. Multiple orgs share cloud computing servies
Private (ex. Single-tenant SaaS): cloud resources are owned by a service provider, but set up so that each org has its own assigned cloud resources that are not shared by any other firm. usually large companies (bc it’s expensive) or companies that need higher security or are working for a high-security company (like defense companies)
Benefits of Cloud-Based ERP?
> lower upfront infrastructure/operating costs than for on-premise
faster implementation & adoption speed
accessible from any location at any time
scalability: if demand increases or falls, cloud services will automatically adjust up/down (only paying for what is needed)
access to higher grade IT security, compliance, disaster recovery services
end-to end security
Downsides of Cloud-Based ERP?
> customer has no control on upgrade cycle that vendor uses
often limited opportunities for customizing one’s application
orgs data would b accessible to the vendor
dependency on the internet for daily operations of a company
cloud service might not support highly specialized industry regulations/reqs
dependency on one cloud vendor for too many servies might be risky
it is not easy to switch services from one cloud vendor to another
CRM & MAS
customer relationship management & marketing automation software
What customer interactions did original ERP systems miss?
- customer deals w marketing dept to Learn about a product
- customer deals w sales dept to buy a product
- customer deals w tech support if there’s a problem w product
- customer deals w customer support if there are questions about product
- customer deals w call center for special promotions
CRM Software is
enterprise software module that equips business keep customer contact details up to date, track every customer interaction, and manage customer accounts. Improves customer relationships and CLV
Benefits of CRM Software, for sales professionals
> optimize deal cycles
improve customer touchpoints
clarify upsell and cross-sell ops
uncovering referral business
reducing time to close
What does CRM Software do?
> centralizes data about customers in a central database
standardizes the tools for communications, creation, and managing sales activities
tracks and automates customer interactions
provides up to date data about products, people, & processes
4 possible ways to deploy CRM:
on-premise, hosted, public cloud, private cloud
Advantages of on-premise CRM:
firm has control & solutions can be customized
businesses can choose and plan the upgrades
greater offline functionality
Disadvantages of on-premise CRM:
can be expensive & time consuming, requires IT staff, upfront costs can be a barrier to entry
Advantages of cloud CRM:
reduces upfront infrastructure costs, installation time is shorter, lower op costs, maintenance/upgrades provided by SaaS provider
Disadvantages of cloud CRM:
firm has little control, no full customization, internet & cloud vendor dependency
Purpose of MAS:
provides the business processes for supporting workflows that are used for interacting, nurturing, managing, & transforming raw leads into qualified potential customers. To increase revenue, profitability, and customer loyalty
Marketers are interested in info about
market & market groups.
> who is in the segment? What are their habits? How can we communicate w them? Where are they located?
Sales people are interested in info about
individuals who make a purchase decision.
> what do they need? What criteria would be used? When will decision be made?
Traditional marketing approach:
depends on attending tradeshows, buying ad space, and contact lists
Inbound marketing:
new way of markeitng. Creating quality content to attract visitors to your website to convert them from visitors to customers
Hubspot:
marketing automation portal allows you to tag marketing activities with campaigns theyre associated w and track traffic/conversionrates/clicks all in on eplace
Features of MAS: (things you can track with it)
landing pages with CTAs (call to actions)
Ads
Social media
campaigns
For data to be valuable, it needs to have the following properties:
> flexible
organized
manipulatable
protected
accurate
searchable
scalable
Four kinds of information resources:
- paper
- text file format
- spreadsheet file format
- database file format
Problems with the traditional approach to storing data:
redundancy, high storage costs, high likelihood of error,
Types of information
> structured: table form, pre-defined & fixed data model
semi-structured: mixture- html, sensor data
unstructured: imagies, text, videos
structured databases SQL
quantitative
unstructured databases NoSQL
qualitative
Functions of a DBMS
to create and modify the DB structure including tables and fields
to process the DB contents using four ops: read, insert, modify, delete
to support administration
distributed database:
group of databasees stored on multiple server computers at diff locations, but present themselves as a single database to users
centralized database:
stored on a single machine at a single lcoation.
cloud database:
group of databases stored on servers across different data centers/locations
Object database:
stores entity as an object instead of storing each data field in tables. Can easily handle many-to-many relationships
Hierarchical database:
stores data in a tree-like strucutre, there is a single parent for each record. Designed basically for early mainframe DBMSs
