BTE 210 Final Exam Group 1

Supercomputers

Fastest computer at any given time, high cost so generally used by large organizations to execute more demanding, large datasets

Mainframe computers

Computers at the high end of the performance and reliability scale, they can handle top speeds and millions of transactions per day

Midrange computers (minicomputers)

Larger computers that are relatively small, inexpensive, and perform same functions as mainframe computers but at a limited extent

Microcomputers

Also known as personal computers, are the smallest and least expensive

Desktop PC

Familiar microcomputer system that has become a standard for business and home. Generally includes a cpu, and separate but connected keyboard and monitor

Thin-client systems

Desktop computer systems that do not offer full functionality of a PC

Less complex because they do not have a locally installed software

Central Processing Unit

Manipulates the data and controls the tasks performed by the other components

The “brain” of the computer system

CPUs consist of

Arithmetic logic unit which performs simple math and logic (comparison)

Control Unit (CU) which controls all computer parts (reads from memory and transfers information around)

Cache memory

Based on the instructions, a CPU does three things

Performs mathematical operations

Processes and transfers data

Makes decisions

Primary storage

Temporarily stores data and program instructions during processing

Registers (Primary storage)

Part of the CPU

They have the least capacity, storing extremely limited amounts of instructions and data only immediately before and after processing

Cache memory (primary storage)

High-speed memory that enables the computer to temporarily store blocks of data that are used more often and that a processor can access more rapidly than main memory (RAM)

Is physically located closer to the CPU than RAM

Random Access Memory (RAM)- (Primary storage)

Type of chip where certain critical instructions are safeguarded

ROM is nonvolatile, so it retains these instructions when the power to the computer is turned off

Primary storage also

Stores all or part of active software program

Stores operating system software

Stores data the program is using

Secondary storage

Stores data and programs for future use

Secondary storage includes

Magnetic tapes, magnetic discs, optical storage drives

Solid state drives (SSD)- data storage devices that serve the same purpose as a hard drive and store data in memory chips. Whereas hard drives have moving parts, SSDs do not

Flash memory (memory cards)- nonvolatile electronic storage devices that contain no moving parts and use 30 times less battery power than hard drives

Speed vs side tradeoff

The higher the cost, the higher the speed, the smaller the size

Bits

Smallest unit of data

There are 8 bits in a byte

Byte

Smallest addressable unit of data

Input Devices

Accept data and instructions and convert them to a form that a computer can understand

Ex: Keyboard, mouse, microphones, etc.

Output devices

Accept data and instructions from a computer and convert them to a from that a human can understand

Ex: Monitors, printers, speakers, etc.

System software

Generalized programs that manage the computer’s resources and is designed to provide a platform for other software

Operating systems (OS), programming languages, system utilities, etc.

Application software

Programs written for or by users to perform a specific task

Operating System

Manage processing tasks (task management)

Manage system memory (memory management)

Control access to system resources (device management)

Provide a user interface (GUI)

Provide a degree of hardware independence from application software

Provide networking capability

Manage files

Local area networks (LANs)

Interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, university campus or office building

Wide area networks (WANs)

Covers a large geographical area. WANs typically connect multiple LANs

The internet is an example of a WAN

Internet Protocol (IP) address

A unique address to each computer on the Internet that distinguishes it from all other computers

IPv4

The most widely used format, many addresses are reserved and not commercially available

IPv6

Can accommodate more devices (ex: smart phones)

Wireless Transmission Media 4 types

Microwave (line of sight)

Satellite (line of sight)

Infrared (line of sight)

Radio: travels through the air and can pass through walls

Microwave transmission systems

Widely used for high-volume, long-distance, point-to-point communication

Require line of sight (transmitter and receiver are in view of each other)

Ex: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS

Satellite transmission systems

Advantages: High bandwidth, large coverage area

Disadvantages: Expensive, requires unobstructed line of sight, signals experience propagation delay, requires the use of encryption for security

Infrared transmission systems

Use for short-distance connections

Common uses are in remote control units for TVs, DVDs, etc.

Bluetooth transmission systems

Short-range wireless network using radio waves that is utilized to create small personal area networks

Cloud computing (CC)

A method for delivering business and IT services

It promises businesses and users to acquire the IT resources they need, just when they need it

The use of network services, principals internet resources, to provide on-demand data processing and storage

CC characteristics

The “no-need-to-know” in terms of the underlying details of infrastructure

The “flexibility and elasticity” allows these systems to scale up and down

The “pay as much as used and needed” type of utility computing and the “always on, anywhere and any place” type of network-based computing

Cloud computing advantages and disadvantages

Advantages: Lower costs, increased flexibility, and improved performance

Disadvantages: requires constant internet connection of high speed

Platform as a service (PaaS)

You deploy your application into an application-hosting environment provided by the cloud service vendor

The developer provides the application, and the vendor provides the ability to deploy and run it

This frees developers from hardware infrastructure management, allowing them to focus strictly on development of software

Software as a service (SaaS)

A software that is centrally hosted and managed for the end customer

A single version of the application is used for all customers

Ex: Microsoft Office 365

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

Cloud vendor runs and manages server frames running virtualization software, enabling you to create Virtual Machines (VM) that run on the vendor’s infrastructure

You don’t have control over the hardware or virtualization software, but you do have control over almost everything else

Uses “lift and shift” model for migration to the cloud

Cloud deployment models

Public cloud- cloud resources are built, owned, operated, and maintained by a third-party cloud service provider

Private cloud- Built and consumed exclusively but the same organization

Hybrid cloud- Bridges the gap between private and public clouds

Multi-cloud- Any combination of on-premises, off-premises, and public cloud platforms, where cloud resources are spread across cloud-hosting environments

Business Intelligence (BI)

Is a collection of comprehensive, cohesive, integrated tools and processes to:

Capture, collect, integrate, store, and analyze data

Generate information to support business decision making

Business intelligence is a process of transforming

Data into information (context)

Information into Knowledge (meaning)

Knowledge into Wisdom (insight)

Data BI examples

Individual facts, figures, signals, measurements

Information BI examples

Organized, structured, categorized, useful, condensed, calculated

Knowledge BI examples

Idea, learning, notion, concept, synthesized, compared, though-out, discussed

Wisdom BI examples

Understanding, integration, applied, reflected upon, actionable, accumulated, principles, patterns, decision-making process

Managers have three basic roles

Interpersonal roels

Informational roles

Decisional roles

Manager nature of decision

Operational control, management control, strategic planning

Information Gap

Shortfall between gathering information and using it for decision making

Firms have inadequate data warehouses

Business analytics spend 80% of the time gathering and preparing data and 20% analyzing it- this would invert the paradigm

BI applications

Multidimensional analysis, data mining, and decision support systems

Multidimensional analysis

Online analytical processing (OLAP)- “slicing and dicing” data stored in a dimensional format, drilling down in greater detail and aggregating data

Data mining

Uses the computational process of discovering patterns in large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics, and database systems

Examines large databases to produce new information

Decision support systems

Combine models and data in an attempt to solve semi-structured/ unstructured problems, e.g., sensitivity analysis, what-if analysis, goal seeking analysis

Data quality issues

Data is not correct- data was generated carelessly, entered inaccurately, or tampered with

Date is not timely- the method for generating data is not rapid enough to meet the need for data

Better quality data- 6 characteristics

Accuracy, validity (consistency over time and with others) , reliability, timeliness, relevance, and completeness

Intelligent automation

Transferring data from e-mail and call center systems into systems of record (ex: updating customer files with address changes)

Intelligent call center agents/ bots

Machine learning

Artificial intelligence systems that learn from data

Machine learning algorithms build a mathematical model based on sample data, known as “training data”

Make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed to do so

Predictive modeling

Any industry: predict whether your next hire is going to be a top performer

Energy and utilities: predict the likelihood for equipment to break and identify optimal time for preventative maintenance

Manufacturing: predict assembly line quality problems

Consumer retail: predict and prevent out-of-stock conditions and improve the visibility of SKU-level inventory across the channels

Financial services: predict fraudulent insurance claims

Intelligent recruiting with AI

Provides visibility into the candidate’s potential
Increased efficiency of recruiting resources

Target highest-value prospects

Can be enriched with external lifestyle, household, and financial data

Ex: Match skills profile to the job description based on candidate submitted profile

No-code Microsoft Lobe AI automatically selects the right AI architecture for your project

Image classification: label image based on content

Object detection: locate an object within image

Date classification: label data based on content

Simplified the AI model building to 3 easy steps

Collect via camera of drag-drop your own images and label them

Train your model- automatically, evaluate strengths and weaknesses with live results

Play the model, improve with feedback and use your model in your app or integrate with any existing application