Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
2
Information Technology: The study, design,
development, implementation, support or management
of computer-based information systems, particularly
software applications and computer hardware
Information Processing
Acquisition, recording, organization, retrieval, display,
and dissemination of information
3
The Impact of Information Technology
New Information Systems
Systems Analysis and Design
Step-by-step process for developing high-quality information
systems
Systems Analyst
Plan, develop, and maintain information systems
4
The Impact of Information Technology (2)
5
Information System Components
A system is a set of related components that produces
specific results
A Mission-critical system is one that is vital to a
company’s operations
The components are
Hardware
Software
Data
Process
People
6
Understanding the Business
IT professionals must understand a company’s operations to
design successful systems.
System analysts use a process called a business process
modeling
Business Profile:
Describes the company’s overall functions, process, organization,
products, services, customers, competitors, and future directions
and trends.
Business Model:
Describesthe general details of one or more processes that a
company performs:
Airline reservation, selling tickets, account crediting..etc.
7
Understanding the Business (2)
8
Understanding the Business (3)
many B2B sites exist where buyers, sellers, distributors, and manufacturers
can offer products, submit specifications, and transact business.
Eg: Supply Chain Management (SCM) or Supplier Relationship
Management (SRM)
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the electronic interchange of business
information using a standardized format; a process which allows one company to send
information to another company electronically rather than with paper. Business entities
conducting business electronically are called trading partners, no paper, no people
involved
Supply chain management (SCM) is the management of the flow of goods and
services. It includes the movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process
inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption
10
Business Information Systems
System categories in the past (user-group based)
office systems (administrative staff),
Operational systems (operational personnel),
decision support systems (middle-managers and knowledge workers), and
executive information systems (top managers).
11
Enterprise Computing
IS that support company-wide operations and data management
requirements.
Example: Wal-Mart’s inventory control system
14
Business Support Systems
Business support systems provide
job-related information support to users at all levels
of a company
15
Business Support System (2)
16
Knowledge Management
Knowledge management systems
are also called expert systems because they simulate human
reasoning by combining a knowledge base and inference
rules that determine how the knowledge is applied.
A knowledge base consists of
a large database that allows users to find information by
entering keywords or questions in normal English phrases.
A knowledge management system uses inference rules,
which are logical rules that identify data patterns and
relationships.
17
Knowledge Management (2)
18
Information Systems Integration
Most large companies require systems that
combine transaction processing, business support, knowledge
management, and user productivity features.
For example, suppose an international customer has a problem with a
product and makes a warranty claim.
A customer service representative enters the claim into a TP system.
The transaction updates two other systems: a knowledge management
system that tracks product problems and warranty activity, and a quality
control system with decision support capabilities.
A quality control engineer uses what-if analysis to determine if it would be
advantageous to make product design changes to reduce warranty claims.
In this example, a TP system is integrated
with a knowledge management system and a business support system with
decision support features.
19
What Information do users need?
20
What Information do users need? (2)
Top managers:
develop long-range plans, called strategic plans
ask questions such as “How much should the company invest in
information technology?”
Also need information from outside the company, such as economic
forecasts, technology trends, competitive threats, and governmental
issues.
23
System Development Tools (2)
24
System Development Methods
Structured Analysis:
System development is organized into phases, with
deliverables and milestones to measure progress.
SDLC (systems development life cycle): to plan and
manage system development process
Waterfall model or its variation is used in SA.
Process Model represents the system in terms of data
and the processes that act upon that data.
Modeling tools: Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)
25
DFD example
26
DFD Example (safe-home)
Config
Config Configure data Control
Req. System Configuration Info Panel
Control Panel Display
Config
User Commands
Interact data Display Info
With User
and Data
Start
Stop Activate/Deactivate
System
Password Display
Msg./Stat.
Type Alarm
rm
Valid Ala
Process ID
Msg. Sensor
Password
Status
Sensor Monitor
Status Stat. Telephone
Sensor
Phone No. Tones
27
System Development Methods (2)
{Structured Analysis, contd…)
Disadvantage of SDLC : Some analysts see a disadvantage in the built-in structure of the SDLC,
because the waterfall model does not emphasize interactivity among the phases. Other analysts regard the
waterfall model as a two-way water flow model, with emphasis on iteration and user input.
28
System Development Methods (3)
29
Class Diagram in UML
30
System Development Methods (4)
Agile methods:
Stresses intense team based efforts
Incremental development producing chain of
prototypes.
Continuous feedback from stakeholders
Use spiral models
31
32
System Development Guidelines
33
System Analyst
Responsibilities
Knowledge, Skills and Education
Technical
Communication
Business
Critical Thinking
Education, such as certification
34