Information Systems

What is multiprocessing (parallel processing)?

Dividing a large problem into smaller parts that are solved simultaneously.

What are the five components of an information system?

Hardware, Software, Data, Procedures, People.

Main benefits of cloud computing?

Lower upfront costs, faster deployment, scalability for demand, improved security management.

What is SaaS?

Software as a Service. Software delivered via web browser, subscription/pay-per-use (e.g., Google Docs).

What is PaaS?

Platform as a service. Platform for application development and deployment.

What is IaaS?

Infrastructure as a service. Provides servers, storage, and networking; used for disaster recovery.

What is a VPN (simple)?

An encrypted connection that protects data like a locked mailbox.

What is a server?

A computer that stores and serves data to other devices.

What is an IP address?

A unique digital identifier for devices on a network.

What is structured data?

Data organized in predefined formats like tables.

Common structured data types?

String, Character, Integer, Float, Boolean.

What is qualitative data?

Non-numeric data (nominal, ordinal).

What is quantitative data?

Numeric data (discrete, continuous).

What is unstructured data?

Data without a predefined format (images, videos, text).

What is a BLOB?

Binary Large Object (images, audio, video).

What is a CLOB?

Character Large Object referencing large text data.

What is an API?

A software intermediary that allows applications to communicate.

Purpose of information systems?

Automation and data-driven insights.

Three tiers of analytics evolution?

Operations → Past/Present insight → Future prediction & strategy.

What is Gartner’s Magic Quadrant?

A 2x2 chart evaluating technology vendors.

What is attrition?

Gradual loss of employees not immediately replaced.

Why collect data?

Improve decisions, efficiency, trust, and accuracy.

What is an infographic?

Visual representation of data for quick understanding.

What makes a good GUI?

Self-documenting, minimizes errors, improves understanding.

What is a dashboard?

Interactive visual summary of key data.

What does drill-down mean?

Viewing increasingly detailed levels of data.

What is benchmarking?

Comparing performance to top performers or standards.

What is graphicacy?

Ability to understand and present visual information.

What is information security?

Protecting systems from unauthorized access or damage

CIA Triad?

Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability.

Difference between data breach and data leak?

Breach = stolen; Leak = exposed unintentionally.

What is NIST?

U.S. organization setting security standards.

What is a DoS attack?

Overwhelming systems to deny access.

What is phishing?

Scams tricking users into sharing sensitive info.

What is data governance?

Policies and controls ensuring data quality and security.

What is MDM?

Managing core business data consistently.

Why prototype?

test and refine ideas before full investment.

Goal of good interface design?

Efficiency, clarity, usability.

What is a database?

Organized collection of data.

What is a relational database?

Data stored in tables with relationships.

What is NoSQL?

Flexible databases for large/unstructured data.

What is SQL?

Query language to manage databases.

Data warehouse vs data lake?

Warehouse = structured historical data; Lake = raw data.

What does SELECT do?

Retrieves data from tables.

What does WHERE do?

Filters records.

What is LIKE used for?

Pattern matching with * and ? wildcards.

How test for NULL?

Use IS NULL or IS NOT NULL.

What is a variable?

A name storing a value of a specific type.

What is TCP vs UDP?

TCP = reliable; UDP = fast, no guarantees.

What is IoT?

Connected devices collecting and sharing data.

What is blockchain?

Decentralized, immutable digital ledger.

What is RPA?

Bots that automate rule-based computer tasks.

Difference between AI and machine learning?

AI mimics thinking; ML learns from data.

What is data privacy?

Responsibly collecting, using, and storing data about people in line with expectations, laws, and regulations.

What is confidentiality?

Ensuring information is only accessible to authorized users.

What is data ethics?

Doing the right thing with data while considering human impact and brand values.

What does Privacy by Design mean?

Build privacy into systems from the start, not as an afterthought.

Five pillars of Privacy by Design?

Embed, Ownership, AI rigor, Accountability, Safeguards.

Difference between copyright, patent, and trademark?

Copyright protects creative work, patents protect inventions, trademarks protect logos/brands.

What is DRM?

Digital Rights Management—controls copying and distribution of digital media.

What are the 5 principles of Big Data ethics?

Privacy, confidentiality, transparency, no interference with human will, no unfair bias.

Legal vs ethical?

Legal actions can still be unethical; ethical actions aren’t always legal.

What is Ethical AI concerned with?

Bias, privacy, transparency, accountability, and human impact.

What is Agile methodology?

Iterative project management emphasizing collaboration, flexibility, and continuous improvement.

Four Agile Manifesto values?

Individuals over processes, working software over documentation, customer collaboration over contracts, responding to change over plans.

What is a sprint?

Short development cycle where selected backlog items are completed.

What is the product backlog?

Prioritized list of features maintained by the product owner.

Agile daily scrum purpose?

Share progress, plan work, and identify obstacles.

Waterfall vs Agile?

Waterfall is linear; Agile is iterative and flexible.

What is a project charter?

Document defining scope, objectives, roles, risks, and controls.

What is a Statement of Work (SOW)?

Formal agreement outlining scope, deliverables, timeline, and responsibilities.

Why is change management important?

Change is stressful and painful—management reduces risk and resistance.

Qualities of a good change agent?

Listening skills, ownership, adaptability, results focus.

Which WHERE clause  would NOT select the letter z record in the SQL statement 
SELECT letter 
FROM ALPHABET 
WHERE ....

Where letter LIKE 'z?'

The Agile product backlog is:

A list of product features wanted by the product owner

The Waterfall and Agile Project Planning methods both incorporate Plan, Create, Review and Release phases.

True

Daily Scrum is where stakeholders meet with the technical team at the end of the day to provide feedback on the work thus far.

False A

If you have a table 'Alphabet' who has one column called 'Letter' and each row has a unique letter of the alphabet, which SQL statement would NOT return record a? 

Two of the above options would not return record a

If you have a table 'Alphabet', that has one column called 'Letter' and each record has a unique letter of the alphabet, what is the value of the result set for the SQL Statement:
SELECT COUNT(Letter)
FROM Alphabet
WHERE Letter='x' or Letter='y' or Letter='z';

3 xyz

For the Python Statement: Hand = input("Enter a choice (rock, paper, scissors): ")

Hand will have the value of whatever the user types 

What is the result if you compile / run the following Python statement?
A=10
B=A
if A==B:
  print("Draw!")
elif A>B:
  print("Bummer!")
else:
  print("Oops!")

Draw!

Generative AI can create various types of content including text, images, but not video or audio.

False

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bots can make a significant impact on already automated work processes that are repetitive and recurring and often have low computer errors

True

AI has been around since the 1950's

True

A trucking system might use IoT sensors on their refrigeration trucks to:

Pull temperature data and send it to the cloud-based database for food safety analysis

Which network protocol is more reliable?

TCP

What is a function that converts an input of letters and numbers into an encrypted output?

hash

What is the first block created in a blockchain?

gensis

For the Python Statement: How_big = input("Enter a choice (small, medium, large): ")

How_big will have the value of whatever the user types 

What is the result if you compile / run the following Python statement?
A=10
B=A+1
if A==B:
  print("Draw!")
elif A>B:
  print("Bummer!")
else:
  print("Oops!")

Oops!

Which statement best describes how variables are used in programs?

They are used for calculations, for storing values for later use, in decisions and in iteration

If you have a table 'Alphabet', that has one column called 'Letter' and each record has a unique letter of the alphabet, what is the value of the result set for the SQL Statement: 
SELECT COUNT(letter) 
FROM Alphabet 
WHERE Letter='a' and letter ='b' and letter = 'c'

0

If you have a table 'Alphabet', that has one column called 'letter' and each record has a unique letter of the alphabet, what is the value of the result set for the SQL Statement:

SELECT COUNT(letter)

FROM Alphabet

WHERE letter='a' or letter ='b' or letter = 'c' 

3

Programming commands rely on syntax-ruled statements that direct action (i.e., input, output, print, assign value, compute value)

true

If you have a table 'Alphabet', that has one column called 'Letter' and each record has a unique letter of the alphabet, what is the value of the result set for the SQL Statement:
SELECT COUNT(Letter)
FROM Alphabet
WHERE NOT Letter='a';

25

If you have a table 'Alphabet' who has one column called 'Letter' and each row has a unique letter of the alphabet, which SQL statement would NOT return record a  

Select Letter FROM Alphabet Where Letter LIKE '*a'

If you have a table 'Alphabet', that has one column called 'Letter' and each record has a unique letter of the alphabet, what is the value of the result set for the SQL Statement:
SELECT COUNT(Letter)
FROM Alphabet
WHERE NOT (Letter='a' OR Letter='b' OR Letter='c');

23

Match the Database Type with the featured characteristic

Hierarchical Database

matches

Parent-Child Relationship

Relational Database

matches

Relationships in the form of tables

Object-Oriented Database

matches

Stored in the form of objects

NoSQL database can be thought of as...

Not Only SQL Database

ETL is  moving data from a Transactional Database that is optimized for operations/workflows to a Reporting database the supports analytics. What does the ETL acronym stand for?

Extract Transform Load