legit-reviewer-to-ni-boss-IT313.pdf

// CHAPTER 1 // Enterprise Application - order processing system Information technology (IT) refers to the combination of hardware, software, and A horizontal system is a system, such as an services that people use to manage, commu...

// CHAPTER 1 // Enterprise Application - order processing system Information technology (IT) refers to the combination of hardware, software, and A horizontal system is a system, such as an services that people use to manage, communicate, inventory or payroll application, that and share information. can be adapted for use in many different types of companies. Systems analysis and design is a step-by-step process for developing high-quality A vertical system is designed information systems. to meet the unique requirements of a specific business or industry, such as a Web-based Information System Components retailer, a medical practice, or a video chain. A system is a set of related components that A business profile is an overview of a company’s produces specific results. For example, mission, functions, organization, specialized systems route Internet traffic, products, services, customers, suppliers, manufacture microchips, and control complex competitors, constraints, and future direction. entities like the Mars Rover. A business process is a specific set of transactions, A mission-critical system is one that is vital to a events, and results that can be described and company’s operations. An order processing system, documented. for example, is mission-critical because the company cannot do business without it. A business process model(BPM) graphically displays one or more business processes, such as data consists of basic facts that are the system’s handling an airline reservation, filling a product raw material. order, or updating a customer account. Information is data that has been transformed into output that is valuable to users. Processes describe the tasks and business functions that users, managers, and IT staff members perform to achieve specific results. Hardware consists of everything in the physical layer of the information system. Software refers to the programs that control the Kinds of Companies hardware and produce the desired information or results. Product-oriented firms manufactured computers, routers, microchips and any other IT- Software consists of system software and related equipment. application software. Service-oriented companies included vendors, System software manages the hardware software developers, and service providers. components, which can include a single workstation or a global network with many Internet-dependent firm thousands of clients.  newest kind of company  described as a dot-com (.com) company Application software consists of programs that  channel. Google, Yahoo!, Amazon, and eBay support day-to-day business are examples of pure dot-com companies. functions and provide users with the information they require. Brick-and- mortar companies Knowledge management systems - are called  traditional firms expert systems because they simulate human  conduct business primarily from physical reasoning by combining a knowledge base and locations. inference rules that determine how the knowledge is  Example: Lowe’s, Target, and Wal-Mart applied. A knowledge base consists of a large database that // Impact of the Internet // allows users to find information by entering keywords or questions in normal English phrases. Internet-based commerce is called e-commerce (electronic commerce) or I - commerce (Internet commerce). User productivity systems  e-mail, voice mail, fax, video and Web B2C (business-to-consumer) commerce is conferencing, word processing, automated changing traditional business models and creating calendars, database management, spreadsheets, new ones. desktop publishing, presentation graphics, company intranets, and high-speed Internet B2B (business-to-business) commerce used a data access. sharing arrangement called electronic data interchange (EDI). Strategic plans - define the company’s overall mission and goals. EDI enabled computer-to-computer data transfer, usually over private telecommunications lines. // System Development Tools // // Business Information Systems // Modeling produces a graphical representation of a concept or process that systems developers can Enterprise computing- refers to information analyze, test, and modify. systems that support company-wide operations and data management requirements. A business model, or requirements model, describes the information that a system must Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems provide. -provide cost-effective support for users and managers throughout the company. A data model describes data structures and design.  car rental company can use ERP to forecast customer demand for rental cars at hundreds of An object model describes objects, which locations. combine data and processes. Transaction processing (TP) systems - process A network model describes the design and data generated by day-to-day business operations. protocols of telecommunications links.  Ex: Order processing, accounts receivable, and warranty claim processing. A process model describes the logic that programmers use to write code modules. Business support systems - provide job-related information support to users at all levels of a Prototyping tests system concepts and provides an company. opportunity to examine input, output, and user interfaces before final decisions are The new systems were called management made. information systems (MIS) because managers were the primary users. A prototype is an early working version of an information system. Computer-aided systems engineering (CASE), SWOT analysis also called computer-aided software engineering, is - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and a technique that uses powerful software, called threats CASE tools, to help systems analysts develop and maintain information systems.  What are our strengths, and how can we // System Development Methods // use them to achieve our business goals?  What are our weaknesses, and how can Structured analysis is a traditional systems we reduce or eliminate them? development technique that is time-  What are our opportunities, and how do tested and easy to understand. we plan to take advantage of them? Structured analysis uses a series of phases, called  What are our threats, and how can we the systems development life cycle (SDLC), to assess, manage, and respond to the plan, analyze, design, implement, and support possible risks? an information system. // The Role of IT Department in Project Object-oriented analysis combines data and the processes that act on the data into things Evaluation // called objects. The term business case refers to the reasons, An object is a member of a class, which is a or justification, for a proposal. collection of similar objects. The starting point for most projects is called Objects possess characteristics called properties, which the object inherits from its class a systems request, which is a formal way of or possesses on its own. asking for IT support. Agile methods, in contrast, attempt to develop a Systems review committee - organizations system incrementally, by building a series of assign responsibility for evaluating systems prototypes and constantly adjusting them to user requests to a group of key managers and requirements. users. Agile methods typically use a spiral model, which represents a series of iterations, or revisions, companies usually designate a project based on user feedback. manager to coordinate the overall effort for complex projects. JAD focuses on team-based fact-finding, which is only one phase of the development process. A systems request must pass several tests, RAD is more like a compressed version of the called a feasibility study, to see whether it entire process. is worthwhile to proceed further. // CHAPTER 2 // Operational feasibility means that a proposed system will be used effectively Strategic planning is the process of after it has been developed. identifying long-term organizational goals, strategies, and resources. Technical feasibility refers to the technical resources needed to develop, purchase, Strategic planning looks beyond day-to-day install, or operate the system. activities and focuses on a horizon that is 3, 5, 10, or more years in the future. Economic feasibility means that the projected benefits of the proposed system outweigh the estimated costs usually considered the total cost of ownership (TCO). Tangible benefits are benefits that can be measured in digits. Intangible benefits are advantages that are difficult to measure in dollars but are important to the company. Schedule feasibility means that a project can be implemented in an acceptable time frame. Projects where management has a choice in implementing them are called discretionary projects. Projects where no choice exists are called nondiscretionary projects. A systems analyst conducts a preliminary investigation to study the systems request and recommend specific action. A constraint is a requirement or condition that the system must satisfy or an outcome that the system must achieve. // END //