Fundamentals of Information Systems - Master Reviewer Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering IT infrastructure, networking, network topologies, data hierarchy, database management, data quality, data security, data governance, and data analytics.

IT Infrastructure

The foundation that allows Information Technology / Information Systems to operate, including hardware, software, networks, data facilities, and services.

Hardware

Physical devices used for input, output, processing, and storage.

Software

Programs used by computers, commonly categorized into system software and application software.

CPU

Central Processing Unit; the component that performs the central processing of a computer.

Primary Storage

RAM (Random Access Memory), which serves as the primary memory of a computer.

Secondary Storage

HDD (Hard Disk Drive), which serves as secondary storage for a computer.

Computer Network

A group of connected computers and devices that communicate and share resources.

Router

A networking device that connects and directs communication between devices or networks.

PAN

Personal Area Network; a network used for a person's personal devices.

LAN

Local Area Network; a network used within a limited area such as a home or office, which can be wired or wireless.

CAN

Campus Area Network; a network that covers a campus or group of nearby buildings.

MAN

Metropolitan Area Network; a network that covers a metropolitan or city-wide area.

WAN

Wide Area Network; a network that covers a wide geographical area, such as the Internet.

Network Topology

The arrangement or structure of devices and their connections in a network.

Bus Topology

A network topology where all devices are connected to one main cable called the backbone.

Star Topology

A network topology where all devices connect to a central hub or switch.

Ring Topology

A network topology where devices are connected in a circular loop, passing data from one device to the next.

Mesh Topology

A network topology where devices have dedicated point-to-point links to other devices in the network.

Tree Topology

A hierarchical network topology that combines Star and Bus topologies, featuring a root node at the top connecting to intermediate and lower-level nodes.

Hybrid Topology

A network topology created by combining two or more different topologies into one network.

Data Management

The process of collecting, organizing, storing, maintaining, protecting, and using data effectively.

Character

The smallest element in the data hierarchy, consisting of a single letter, number, or symbol.

Field

A collection of related characters representing one attribute in the data hierarchy.

Record

A collection of related fields describing one entity in the data hierarchy.

Table/File

A component of the data hierarchy that contains multiple related records.

Database

An organized collection of related data that can be easily accessed, managed, and updated.

Database Management System (DBMS)

Software used to create, store, organize, retrieve, update, and manage data in a database.

Primary Key

A field in a relational database table that uniquely identifies each record.

Foreign Key

A field in a relational database table used to establish a relationship between tables.

Data Security

Measures that protect information from unauthorized access, unauthorized modification, loss, theft, and destruction.

Role-based Access

A security setting where users receive only the permissions needed for their responsibilities.

Data Governance

The policies, standards, responsibilities, and processes used to make sure an organization's data is properly managed.

Data Analytics

The process of examining data to discover patterns, trends, relationships, and useful insights.

Descriptive Analytics

A type of data analytics that answers the question: 'What happened?'

Diagnostic Analytics

A type of data analytics that answers the question: 'Why did it happen?'

Predictive Analytics

A type of data analytics that answers the question: 'What might happen?'

Prescriptive Analytics

A type of data analytics that answers the question: 'What should we do?'

Data-Driven Decision Making

The practice of using reports, databases, analytics, performance indicators, and historical data to make informed choices.