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information technology
the combination of hardware, software, and services that people use to manage, communicate, and share information.
systems analysis and design
a step-by-step process for developing high-quality information systems.
information system
a combination of technology, people, and data to provide support for business functions such as order processing, inventory control, human resources, accounting, and many more.
systems analyst
a valued member of the information technology department team who helps plan, develop, and maintain information systems.
system
a set of related components that produces specific results.
data
basic facts that are the system's raw material.
information
data that has been transformed into output that is valuable to users.
An information system has five components:
hardware: everything in the physical layer of the information system.
software: the programs that control the hardware and produce the desired information or results.
data: the raw material that an information system transforms into useful information.
processes: the tasks and business functions that users, managers, and information technology staff members perform to achieve specific results.
people: stakeholders (those who have an interest in an information system).
server farm
a large concentration of servers working together
Moore's Law
The number of transistors on an integrated circuit chip doubles about every 24 months (2 years).
system software
software that manages the hardware components, including a single workstation or global network with many thousands of clients.
application software
programs that support day-to-day business functions and provide users with the information that they need.
enterprise applications
company-wide applications, such as order processing and payroll systems and company communication networks.
horizontal system
a system (such as an inventory or payroll application) that can be adapted for use in many different types of companies.
vertical system
a system designed to meet the unique requirements of a specific business or industry, such as a Web-based retailer, medical practice, or auto dealership.
legacy systems
new systems that interface with older systems.
e-commerce or I-commerce
Internet-based commerce
E-commerce includes two main sectors:
B2C (business to consumer).
B2B (business to business).
electronic data interchange (EDI)
a data sharing arrangement between two companies that enabled computer-to-computer data transfer, usually over private telecommunications lines.
supply chain management
the software that most large firms and government agencies use.
supply chain
all the companies who provide materials, services, and functions needed to provide a product to a customer.
product-oriented
firms that manufactured computers, routers, or microchips.
service-oriented
companies that included consultants, vendors, software developers, and service providers.
business profile
an overview of a company's mission, functions, organizations, products, services, customers, suppliers, competitors, constraints, and future direction.
business process
a specific set of transactions, events and results that can be described and documented.
business process model
a graphic display of one or more business processes, such as handling an airline reservation, filling a product order, or updating a customer account.
business process modeling notation
a model that includes standard shapes and symbols to represent events, processes, workflows, and more.
enterprise computing
information systems that support company-wide operations and data management requirements.
enterprise resource planning
systems that provide cost-effective support for users and managers throughout the company.
transaction processing systems
systems that process data generated by day-to-say business operations.
business support systems
systems that provide job-related information support to users at all levels of a company.
management information systems
the new systems of which managers are the primary users, that consist of computers that produce valuable information.
radio frequency identification
the newest development in data acquisition, which uses high-frequency radio waves to track physical objects, such as the item shown in Figure 1-18.
knowledge base
a large database used by knowledge management systems that allows users to find information by entering keywords or questions in normal English phrases.
inference rules
logical rules that identify data patterns and relationships.
user productivity systems
email, voice mail, fax, video, and Web conferencing, word processing, automated calendars, database management, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, presentation graphics, company intranets, and integrated mobile computing systems.
groupware
programs that enable users to share data, collaborate on projects, and work in teams.
strategic plans
long-range plans that define the company's overall mission and goals.
empowerment
a trend that gives employees more responsibility and accountability, in which operational users also need information to handle tasks and make decisions that were assigned previously to supervisors.
modeling
a graphical representation of a concept or process that systems developers can analyze, test, and modify.
business model
the information that a system must provide.
prototype
an early working version of an information system.
computer-aided systems engineering
a technique that uses powerful software, called CASE tools, to help systems analysts develop and maintain information systems.
structured analysis
a traditional method that is still widely used.
objected-oriented analysis
a more recent approach that many analysts prefer.
agile (or adaptive) methods
methods that include the latest trends in software development.
project management
the process of planning, scheduling, monitoring, controlling, and reporting upon the development of an information system.
systems development life cycle
a series of phases used by structured analysis to plan, analyze, design, implement, and support an information system.
business rules
rules that transform input data inside each process and generate the output.
data flow diagram
a model (that represents a school registration system) that uses various symbols and shapes to represent data flow, processing, and storage.
waterfall model
a model in which the result of each phase is called a deliverable, which flows into the next phase.
The systems development life cycle model usually includes five steps:
systems planning.
systems analysis: build a logical model of the system.
systems design: create a physical model that will satisfy all documented requirements for the system.
systems implementation.
systems security and support: the information technology staff maintains, enhances, and protects the system.
systems request
a formal request to the information technology department in the systems planning phase, a request that describes problems or desired changes in an information system or business process.
preliminary investigation
the purpose of the systems planning phase; it evaluates an information technology related business opportunity of problem.
feasibility study
a key part of the preliminary investigation that reviews anticipated costs and benefits and recommends a course of action based on operational, technical, economic, and time factors.
requirements modeling
the first step of the systems analysis phase. You investigate business processes and document what the new system must do to satisfy users.
systems requirement document
the deliverable for the systems analysis phase. This document describes management and user requirements, costs, and benefits, and outlines alternative development strategies.
system design specification
the deliverable for the systems design phase; this specification is presented to management and users for review and approval.
scalable design
a design that can expand to meet new business requirements and volumes,
objects
Whereas structured analysis treats processes and data as separate components, object-oriented analysis combines data and the processes that act on the data into things called objects.
class
a collection of similar objects.
properties
characteristics that the object inherits from its class or possesses on its own.
method
a built-in process that can change an object's properties.
message
a request of specific behavior or information from another object.
iterative development
boosting productivity by using a flexible manufacturing system in which team-based effort and short-term milestones helped keep quality up and costs down.
spiral model
a model that represents a series of iterations (or revisions) based on user feedback.
the two methodologies that became popular:
joint application development and rapid application development
Technical support includes seven main functions:
application development.
systems support and security.
user support.
database administration.
networking administration.
Web support.
quality assurance.
service desk or help desk
the user support function.
criticial thinking skills
the ability to compare, classify, evaluate, recognize patterns, analyze cause-and-effect, and apply logic.
certification
the verification that an individual demonstrated a certain level of knowledge and skill on a standardized test.
corporate culture
the set of beliefs, rules, traditions, values, and attitudes that define a company and influence its way of doing business.
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