IT exam W 1-4

Ways IT creates value (3)

Automates processes (repetition)

Democratize data (get info to people deciding)

reduce user friction- make things easier to use

What question does automate process answer

What repetitive, low-value work can we offload?

What question does democratize data answer

Can the right people access the right information when they need it?

What question does reduce user friction answer?

Where are the people struggling or giving up?

Technology as a way of doing __________, not a ________.

work

gadget

Computer functions (4)

Input/take data

store/ hold data

Process data/run instructions against it

output/ make data available

Decomposition

Breaking a whole into parts you can name

What does technology run on and what does it produce

data

What is data also called

information

What is an information system

study of systems that run on data

Information systems run on …..

information technology

What is IT

software, hardware, networks, data underneath

IT investments create ________ ______-

value types

What are 5 IT uses?

Connects people and lets them operate globally

Network effects- it gets better as more people use it

Global commerce - Allows markets to function that couldn’t exist otherwise

It lowers the cost of production and services

Raises personal and organizational productivity

How to close the gap (4)

decomposition- break down the problem

find pattern- what repeats

Abstract- drop the details that don’t change answer

design algorithm- write steps so others can run them

what are 2 types of feedback loops

reinforcement loops (+)(+)

balance loop (+)(-)

Define a reinforcing loop

A reinforcing loop (also called a positive feedback loop) amplifies change, producing exponential growth or rapid collapse.

define a balancing feedback loop

also called a negative feedback loop counteracts change to stabilize a system around a goal or equilibrium. (-)(-)

What is the cobra effect

Fix that failed , insentive problem. When self interest conflicts with the groups goal

What is delayed feed back loop

a system process where a time lag occurs between an action and the system's response or receipt of that feedback

ex: smoking. Fixes your stress immediately, but damage took affect later.

Usage of AI instead of using critical thinking/embracing the struggle

The stucture of a system, more than the people in it, drives its ______.

behavior

give an example of how a structure of a system drives it’s behavior

The structure of a road is 1 lane, speed limit 45 mph. Behavior —> traffic jams at 8 AM. There’s a delayed feedback loop when 1 driver taps its breaks too hard.

You can have different users/drivers, but the behavior of the system is determined by the structure, relationships within the system

What are 4 types of systems

clear system

complicated system

complex system

chaotic system

clear system

cause and effect are obvious, so the course of action is direct

ex:band says in contract that brown m&ms must be removed. If they saw a brown one, they knew vendor never read the contract

Complicated system

Relationship between cause and effect is sometimes hidden, takes time to analyze. Course of action is manageable if you find the right expert.

ex: Finding what caused a cold outbreak requires analyzing which condition was influential

Complex system

cause and effect are clear in hindsight, but must run tests, conditions may change, and one must adapt

ex: raising a good kid is clear in hindsight, but must adapt to childs new phases and conditions may change

Chaotic system

cause and effect are completely broken. Requires immediate action to stabilize the situation. Afterwards, you can try understanding what happened

Ex: Outbreak of poisonous Tylenol. Had to first act by stopping the distribution, then find out what caused the product to be poisoned.

Computational thinking- excels when you need to ______ or ______ something

build, automate

are 3 examples of computational thinking

designing a process

writing requirements

creating a workflow

Systems thinking - excels when you need to ______ or ______ something

diagnose

predict something

what are 2 examples of systems thinking

understanding why a process fails

anticipating unintended consequences

What are 4 ways information moves

live

batch

manual

none

What does API stand for

Application Programming Interface

What is an Application Programming Interface

API is ia published promise about what one system will accept and return

What does outside-in way mean

designing the interface around the consumer's needs and use cases rather than starting with your internal database tables or backend code

What is the unbundling way

Decompose capabilities into APIs, then re-build them

What is ecosystem way

mapping the value network and filling a gap in it

offloading

handling noncore competencies to 3rd party providers

Why can an integration everyone agrees is needed can still go unbuilt?

it may need funding, owner, and decision about which system wins

What are 4 examples of computer hardware

CPU

GPU

RAM

SSD

What does CPU do

A processor- does one thing at a time extremely fast. For general purposes

What does GPU do

A processor- does the same that as CPU to large amounts of data at once. Training an AI model involves this stuff, with huge amounts of data

What does RAM do

memory → holds the data/programs the computer is actively working on right now.

Fast, more expensive

Volatile: when power is lost, the contents disappear.

What does SSD do

storage → holds data long-term//memory.

Slower than RAM, cheaper per unit of capacity

Non-volatile: data remains when power is turned off.

What is a data center

a building full of GPU, CPU, RAM and SSD.

Where does the memory go?

Data centers where GPU’s RAMs, SSD and CPUS are stored

Data centers are absorbing a ____proportionate/disproportionate_ share _________ _________ _________

disproportionate

global memory capacity

How did the internet originate

government project

How did the internet become a government project?
DARPA, a _________ research organization, built the first 4 nodes of the internet in 1969.
The NSF, a _________ _________ organization, had money that ran the backbone every university rode.
_________ paid for the next wave of capacity in 1991.
_________ had more private money and bought the roads for the internet, still digging them.

defense, public science, Congress, carrriers

The internet isn’t a _________ , but a set of _________

cloud, set of agreements

the internet takes your message and breaks it into _________. The pieces take different _________ and are _________ at the far end

agreements/ promise, roads, reassembled wha

What are the agreemens called when your message is broken down in the internet in terms of routing and email

TCP/IP

SMTP

TCP/IP stands for ….. What does it do?

Transmission control protocol/ internet protocol- cuts messages into pieces, address them, send them aby any road, put them back together at the far end what

does SMPT stand for and what does it do

simple mail transfer protocol- how to hand a message to a mail server, say who it’s for, and have it accepted or refused

An API is also an ____________— about how to communicate. INstead of a general rule for the entire internet, it usually has a set of rules that one company ______ to others to use

agreement

publishes
API: The contract. Predefined set of rules, protocols, and contracts that dictates how software applications or components interact, request, and exchange data with one another. (use the back door to get in or smt)

What does the application part of API stand for

The software you want something from- Duo, Canvas, SalesforceWh

at does programming mean in terms of API

you ask for it in a code, not by clicking

What does interface mean in terms of API

the published place where the asking happens/connection point

Explain how duo is used as an api

User —> goes on canvas—> duo checks identification —> pushes to phone an-

Duo —>canvas yes or no

What are 4 kinds of analytical questions you can ask

descriptive

diagnostic

predictive

prescriptive

what is a descriptive question asking

what happened- counting what is already in the record

what is a diagnostic question

why did it happen- expaining a difference the count exposed

What is a predictive question

what will happen next- estimating a number no one has recorded yet

what is a prescriptive question

what should we do? choosing an action and defending the choice

Descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive questions all run on _________

data

A database is a structure for storing data so it can be_____________ again

found

A count is a _____________ __________, not a measurement

definitional claim

what is a definitional claim

an arguable statement that establishes the meaning, boundaries, or classification of a specific term,

counting rows v counting things

counting rows= correct count of the wrong noun

counting things= good so there’s not duplicates

How can 3 systems count the same data 3 different ways

Different systems can produce different counts of the same underlying thing because they may use different definitions, boundaries, or rules for what counts as one unit.

What is the rule of 10

it costs 10x as much to complete a unit of work when the data is flawed in any way as it does when your data is clean.

What is hidden tax in turms of bad quality data

the correction cost recurs forever because the list's creators never learn

How to get a read on data quality

Have team mark obvious errors in the last 100 records and count the error.

count the free records

(errors- free records)/100

what are the 7 questions topics to test if data is giving a company an advantage

value ad

marginal value

obsolescence

proprietary

imitability

self vs other

speed w

Data quality as fitness for intended use; why reconciling data is not the same as cleaning it.

Cleaning fixes errors or inconsistencies in data. Reconciling compares different data sources to understand why they disagree; disagreement does not automatically mean one source is wrong.

When data is, and is not, a lasting competitive advantage.

Data is a lasting competitive advantage when it creates value and competitors cannot easily access, imitate, or substitute for it over time.

Data is not a lasting advantage when it is widely available, easy to reproduce, quickly becomes obsolete, or provides little unique value.

what is the value add question

does the data make the product measurably better

what is the marginal value question

is the ten-thousandth record worth as much as the tenth?/ marginally add value?

what is the obsolescence question

how quickly does it go stale?

what is the proprietary question

could a competitor buy or collect the same thing?

what is the imitability question

how long would it take for someone to build an equivalent set

what is the self vs other question

does one customer ‘s data improve the product for everyone else

what is the speed question

how fast does the new data turn into a better product

what are the 4 positions for a pivot table

row

column

values

filters what is

a row in a pivot table

displays unique categorizing and grouping fields down the left side (like customer names, products, or dates).

what is a column in a pivot table

Dropping a field here creates unique column headers across the top of your table, which is perfect for side-by-side comparisons (e.g., listing "Regions" or "Months" from left to right).

what is value in a pivot table

This area performs the actual calculations. Any field dropped here is aggregated using mathematical functions like Sum, Count, Average, Max, or Min

what is filter in a pivot table

Lets you display only records matching a selected category. (Shows sales for only the west region)

What’s the idifference between data, information and knowledge

data= the raw record

information= data in context

knowledge= what you do differently because of it

what is a flat file

one table with everything in it

what’s the difference between a spreadsheet and a database (4 each)

spreadsheet= you type in it, one table, formula in cells, a file on a laptop

database= it is fed automatically, many tables are linked together, queries written in SQL are across all of it, holds far more data than a spreasheet

what’s a relational database

2 or more tables wit ha relationship between them

what are the 4 steps when using a database

understand what the business needs

define the entities

define the properties and fields

define the relationships what

it comes to data, the data creator is usually not the ________-

customer

what’s the cost of bad data (3)

who pays: not the person who typed it

when will you find out: Months later when someone finally asks for question the records cannot answer

how you find out: usually you don’t find out, but it shows up as time reworks, and diecisions made a wrong number

Why is bad data called atax and not a cost

a cost is paid once where the mistake happened. The tax is paid every piece of work downstream of it. The model trained on the data pays the what are tax on avery answer it gives

What is data quality

The fitness of data set for intended use. The same record can be completely good or wrong depending for who reaches for it

What is the cost of a disagreement in a count

lands on the people who needed the number and couldn’t get it

lands on the company, which makes decisions on the numbers it can’t defend

The cost never lands on the ________, when it comes to a disagreement in counts

System

what are the 6 demensions of quality and define them

• Accuracy: How well data reflects the real-world event or object it represents.

• Completeness: Whether all required data values and attributes are present without gaps.

• Consistency: Whether data values match and do not conflict across different systems or tables.

• Timeliness: Whether data is updated, available, and accessible when needed for decisions.

• Validity: Whether data conforms to defined business rules, formats, and value ranges.

• Uniqueness: Whether each real-world entity or record appears only once without unintended duplication