Information system 
An information system (IS) is any
combination of information technology and
people's activities using that technology to
support operations, management, and
decision-making.[1] In a very broad sense,
the term information system is frequently
used to refer to the interaction between
people, algorithmic processes, data and
technology. In this sense, the term is used
to refer not only to the information and
communication technology (ICT) an
organization uses, but also to the way in
which people interact with this technology in
support of business processes.
Information System
Concepts
Data: raw facts
– Alphanumeric, image, audio,
and video
• Information: collection of facts
organized in such a way that they
have additional value beyond the
value of the facts themselves
– Value of Information is
directly linked to how it helps
decision makers achieve
their organization’s goals and
can be measured
• in time required to
make a decision
• Increased profits to
the company
Data, Information, and Knowledge
Types of Information
System
Transaction Processing Systems
As the name implies, Transaction
Processing Systems ("TPS") are designed to
process routine transactions efficiently and
accurately. A business will have several
(sometimes many) TPS; for example:
- Billing systems to send invoices to customers
- Systems to calculate the weekly and monthly
payroll and tax payments
- Production and purchasing systems to
calculate raw material requirements
- Stock control systems to process all
movements into, within and out of the business
Management Information
Systems
A management information system
("MIS") is mainly concerned with internal
sources of information. MIS usually take data
from the transaction processing systems (see
below) and summarize it into a series of
management reports.
MIS reports tend to be used by middle
management and operational supervisors.
Decision-Support Systems
Decision-support systems ("DSS") are
specifically designed to help management make
decisions in situations where there is
uncertainty about the possible outcomes of
those decisions. DSS comprise tools and
techniques to help gather relevant
information and analyze the options and
alternatives. DSS often involves use of
complex spreadsheet and databases to
create "what-if" models.
Office Automation Systems
Office Automation Systems are
systems that try to improve the
productivity of employees who need to
process data and information. Perhaps the
best example is the wide range of software
systems that exist to improve the
productivity of employees working in an
office (e.g. Microsoft Office XP) or systems
that allow employees to work from home
or whilst on the move.
Expert Systems
 Perform a task that would
otherwise be performed by a
human expert.
 Designed to take the place
of human expert.
 Are part of the general
category of computer
application known as
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Executive Information System
 Provide a generalized
computing and
communication environment
to senior managers to
support strategic decisions.
 Rely on the information
generated by the MIS and
allow communication with
external sources of
information.
 Designed to facilitate seniors
manager’s access to
information quickly and
effectively
General System Principle
 The more specialized a system is,
the less able it is to adapt to
different circumstances.
 The more general-purpose as
system is, the less optimized it is
for any particular situation. But
the more the system is optimized
for a particular situation, the less
adaptable it will be to new
circumstances.
 The larger the system is the more
of its resources that must be
devoted to its everyday
maintenances.
 Systems are always part of the
larger systems, and they can
always be partitioned to smaller
systems.
 Systems grow. These principles
could not be true for all systems,
but many of the systems that
which we are familiar do grow,
because we often fail it into
account when we begin
developing the system.
Players in the system games
System sponsors/owners
Pay for the systems to be built
and operated and set the vision and
priorities of the system.
System users
Who actually use the system on
a regular basis to support the
operation and management of the
organization.
System designer
Technical specialist that’s
translates the business requirements
into feasible technical solution.
System builders
Technical specialist who builds,
test, and deliver the information
system.
System analysts
Who determine the
requirement that must be met by the
information system.
Roles of the Systems Analyst
System Analyst as Consultant
Address specific information
system issues within a business.
System Analyst as supporting Expert
Draws on professional expertise
concerning computer hardware and
software and their uses in the
business.
System Analyst as Agent of Change
Perform and of the activities in
the SLDC and are present in the
business for extended period.
Advocates a particular avenue if
change involving the use of
information systems.
Required skills of the
Systems Analyst
Technical Knowledge and Skills
 Computers and how they work
 Devices that interact with
computer, including input
devices, storage devices, and
output devices
 Communications networks that
connect computers
 Databases and database
management systems
 Programming language
 Operating systems and utilities
 Software packages such as
Microsoft Access that can be
used to develop systems
 Integrated development
environments (IDEs) for specific
programming languages
 Computer-aided system
engineering (CASE) tools that
store information about system
 specification created by analyst work on development
and sometime generate teams with other
program code employees
 Program code generators,  Posses many
testing tools, configuration interpersonal skills
management tools, software  Understand how people:
library management tools, o Think
documentation support tools, o Learn
project management tools and o React to change
others. o Communicate
Business Knowledge and Skills o Work (In variety of
jobs and levels)
 Have an understanding of
the business organizations in
general
 Understand the type of
organization for which they
work
 Some specifics the Analysts
needs to know about the
company
o What specific
organization does
o What makes it
successful
o What its strategies
and plans are
o What its traditions and
values are

People Knowledge and Skills

 Understand a lot about

people since they usually