Chapter 1

What is the difference between an information system and a computer

application?
An information system is a set of interrelated computer components that collects,
processes, stores and provides output of the information for business purposes anda
computer application is a computer software program that executes on a computer
device to carry out a specific function or set of related functions.
What is the purpose of systems analysis?
the process of studying a procedure or business in order to identify its goals
and purposes and create systemsand procedures that will achieve them in an
efficient way
systems are created to solve problems. We need to see all sides of a problem to
come up with an acceptable solution. Analysis involves studying the system and
seeing how they interact with the entities outside as well as inside the system. We
then come out with detailed specifications of what the system will accomplish based
on the user requirements.
Systems design will take the requirements and analysis into consideration and come
out with a high level and low level design that will form the blue print to the actual
solution to the problem in hand.
What is the difference between systems analysis and systems design?
Performed by Chief programmer
Performed by a Systems Analyst
(or Software architect or Lead developer)
System Specification: everything
System Architecture: everything about how it
about what the proposed system will has to be built - platform choice, database
do, nothing about how it is to be be design, program design, user interface design,
built
etc. , in order to meet the system specification
The audience is
Sponsoring users
Chief programmer
(or Software Architect or Lead
The audience is
developer
Programmers and technical specialists
What is a project?
what is project: a piece of planned work or an activity that is finished over a period
of time
What are the six core processes for software systems development?
Identify problem and obtain approval.
Plan and monitor the project.
Discover and understand details.
Design system components.
Build, test, and integrate system components.
Complete system tests and deploy solution.
There are following six phases in every Software development life cycle
model:

Requirement gathering and analysis.

Design.
Implementation or coding.
Testing.
Deployment.
Maintenance.
What is meant by Agile Development?
Agile development is an alternative to traditional project management where
emphasis is placed on empowering people to collaborate and make team decisions
in addition to continuous planning, continuous testing and continuous integration.
What is the purpose of a System Vision Document?
A Vision Document is a document that describes a compelling idea or values or
future state for a particular organization, product or service. It defines the
stakeholders view of the product/service to be developed, specified in terms of the
stakeholders key needs and features.
What is the difference between a system and a subsystem?
System is a combination of parts working together to accomplish a goal, and a
subsystem is a complete system that is an integral part of a larger system.
A subsystem is simply a portion of the overall system. Based on the list of System
Capabilities, the project team identifies these functional subsystems: Supplier
Information subsystem Product Information subsystem The Supplier Information
subsystem will collect and maintain information about the manufacturers or
wholesalers and the contract people that work for them. The Product Information
subsystem will capture information about the various products, including detailed
descriptions and photographs.
What is the purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure?
The main purpose of a WBS is to reduce complicated activities to a collection of
tasks. This is important for the project manager because she can oversee the tasks
more effectively than the complex activities. Tasks must be measurable and
independent, with clearly defined limits.
What information is provided by use cases or a use case diagram?

UML Use Case Diagrams. Use case diagrams are usually referred to as
behavior diagrams used to describe a set of actions (use cases) that some system
or systems (subject) should or can perform in collaboration with one or more
external users of the system (actors).

Used to gather requirements of a system.

Used to get an outside view of a system.
Identify external and internal factors influencing the system.
Show the interacting among the requirements are actors.
What information is provided by a class diagram?

static structure diagram that describes the structure of a system by showing the
system's classes, their attributes, operations (or methods), and the relationships
among objects.
Used for
Analysis and design of the static view of an application.
Describe responsibilities of a system.
Base for component and deployment diagrams.
Forward and reverse engineering

How does an activity diagram help in user-interface design?

Activity diagram is basically a flow chart to represent the flow form one activity to
another activity. The activity can be described as an operation of the system.
Following are the main usages of activity diagram:
Modeling work flow by using activities.
Modeling business requirements.
High level understanding of the system's functionalities.
Investigate business requirements at a later stage.
What new information is provided in a design class diagram (more than a
class diagram)?
Includes View Layer Classes
Domain Layer Classes
And methods
What is the purpose of user acceptance testing?
User acceptance testing (UAT) is the last phase of the software testing process.
During UAT, actual software users test the software to make sure it can handle
required tasks in real-world scenarios, according to specifications.

Chapter 2
Systems analysis five activities
Gather detailed information
Data from future users, current users, and previous users
Information from people whove built/worked on similar systems
Study existing systemsiv.Data on how the system should work and what other
systems it will interact/in-terface withb.
Define requirements
Gather information from users and documents
Create mock-ups, models, demos, and previews of how the system should look
according to the requirements.
Prioritize requirements
Establish which requirements are crucial for the system
Categorize requirements based on need, function, and importanced.
Develop user-interface dialogs
Use proto-types, models and mockups to evaluate what is best for the user andwhat
the client wants.
Evaluate requirements with users
After the above four, run everything through with the user/client to evaluate
andensure everything is what the client wants
What

are three types of models?

Textual model something written down, described
Graphical models diagram, schematic
Mathematical models formulas, statistics, algorithms

What is the difference between functional requirements and nonfunctional

requirements?Functional requirements are the activities the system must perform. The
nonfunctional requirements are the other system characteristics.
What types of stakeholders should you include in fact finding?You should include internal, external, operational, and executive
What is the purpose of an activity diagram.The purpose is to describe user (or system) activities, the person who does each
activity, and the sequential flow of these activities.

Chapter 3
What is a use case?
A use case is an activity that the system performs as a result of some event or
action by a user
What are the two techniques used to identify use cases?
User goal technique and the event decomposition technique
Describe the user goal technique for identifying use cases.
The user goal technique is done by interviewing a user (or user role) to see what
their work goals or objectives are. These are low level objectives to accomplish a
piece of work or to complete a work procedure. The system then must have use
cases to support each user goal.
Describe the event decomposition technique for identifying use cases.
Look at all of the business processes that result in some type of business event. The
business events are triggers that require system processing, e.g. that require use
cases.
Why is the event decomposition technique considered more
comprehensive than the user goal technique?
Event decomposition not only looks at user initiated events (the same as the user
goal technique), but it also considers temporal events and state events. Hence it is
more comprehensive.
What is an event?
Something that occurs at a specific time and place. It can be identified, and for
purposes of systems analysis, the system must recognize it and capture some
information from it or about it
What are the three types of events?
External eventusually from a user
Temporal eventoccurs at a point in time, or due to a time interval
State eventa change of state or condition of some data within the system
Define an external event and then give an example that applies to a
checking account system.
An external event is something that occurs external to the system, and is trigger by
a user action. An example might be that a user makes a direct deposit to his/her
account.
Define a temporal event and then give an example that applies to a
checking account system.

A temporal event is one that occurs at a point in time. An example might be that at
the end of the month interest (or monthly checking account fee) is calculated and
credited to the account
What are the four operations that make up the CRUD acronym?
C = Create
R = Read or Report (output)
U = Update
D = Delete
What is a brief use case description?
A one or two sentence description of the use case and what it accomplishes.

What is the purpose of UML use case diagrams?

Use case diagrams provide a graphical view of use cases and the actors that invoke
those use cases. They provide a nice overview of use cases. They can organize use
cases together in meaningful ways.
What is the includes relationship between two use cases?
The includes relationship is where one use case effectively uses the services of
another use case. It is as though one use case were embedded within another use
case.

Chapter 4
What is the problem domain?
According to the book, the problem domain is the specific area (domain) of the
user(client)s business need that is within the scope of the new system, but I really
dont like the way the book defines problem domain. Its too vague and it seems like
the writer wants to skip over it and get straight to the examples and brainstorming
techniques. So, from some research on my own, I have formed my own definition.
From my research, I define the problem domain as the area/problem that is to
beaffected/solved by the system. Specifically for SA&D, the general issue/problem
the new system is meant to solve for the client i.e. a package delivery system that
includes a website (for orders), a database (for records of payments, clients,
employees, etc.), a label generator(for the packages), and scheduling software(for
delivery and/or employee work schedules)
What is a thing called in models used by traditional analysts and
database analysts?
The thing is called a data entities by traditional analysts and database analysts.
What are two techniques for identifying things in the problem domain?
The two techniques for identifying things in problem domain shown in the book are
brainstorming technique and noun technique
Explain why identifying nouns helps identify things in the problem
domain?

Nouns are always things. So finding all the nouns will find all the things (and
more, so it needs to be refined).
What is an association, and what system development standard defines it?
An association is a relationship between things in the problem domain. It is the term
used by UML
What is multiplicity, and what is the other term used by traditional
analysts and database analysts?
It is a measure of the number of links in an association between an object in one
class and the objects in another class. In traditional analysis it is called cardinality.
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, sixth edition
What is the minimum multiplicity for the association that reads a customer
places zero or more orders? Zero
What is the maximum multiplicity for the association that reads an order
is placed by exactly one customer? One
In UML, what are three types of relationships found on a class diagram?
Three types of relationships found on a class diagram are
generalization/specialization, whole-part, and association

What is a generalization/specialization relationship, and what objectoriented terms does it illustrate?

A generalization/Specialization relationship is an inheritance hierarchical
relationship. Subordinate classes are special types/subtypes of superior classes. i.e.
Cars to Sedans or sports cars. The object-oriented terms it illustrates are
inheritance, object-orientation, and encapsulation
Compare/contrast superclass and subclass. Compare/contrasts abstract
class and concrete class.
Firstly, comparing and contrasting subclasses and super classes is stupid. One is
derived and inherits from the other! Its like trying to compare and contrast
multiplication Exponentiation. One is an expanded form of the other!Second,
comparing and contrasting abstract and concrete classes is like shooting fish in a
barrel. One is theoretical/intangible (or abstract) and only exists to allow
subclasses to inherit from it and the other is a class that has actual objects.
What is a whole-part relationship, and why does it show multiplicity?
The whole-part relationship is a relationship between classes where one class is
part/a component of another class. It is literally defined as a relationship between
classes! That is the definition of multiplicity

Chapter 5
What two UML diagrams are used to model domain classes?
Problem domain class diagram and state machine diagram
What is the purpose of an SSD?

What symbols are used in an SSD? An SSD (system sequence diagram) is used to
describe the messages that flow into and out of a system, i.e. between the system
and the use case user. The symbols include: Stick figure for the actor Box with
object name for the system object Vertical dashed lines for object lifelines
Horizontal arrows for messages Horizontal dashed arrows for return data
Comment box for comments

What are two ways to show repetition on a sequence diagram?

Either with an asterisk on the message label or a loop frame around the message(s).

What are the three types of frames used on a sequence diagram?

Loop frame repeat or loop the contents of the frame Opt frame send or do not
send the message based on true/false condition Alt frame if-else alternative flows
based on condition.

Chapter 6
What is the primary objective of systems design?
The objective of systems design is to define, organize, and structure the
components of the finalsolution system that will serve as the blueprint for
construction.
What is the difference between systems analysis and systems design?
The objective of systems analysis is to understand the needs and requirements,
while theobjective of design is to figure out the solution to those needs and
requirements.Analysis is tounderstand the problem, design is to solve the problem.
(and implementation is to build thesolution.)

What is the difference between user-interface design and system-interface

design?
User-interface design has to do with designing the screens (and reports) that the
users see and interact with. Those require substantial user input and consideration
for ease of use. System-interface design has to do with those automated interfaces
with other systems and tends to consist of technical specifications.
What is a LAN? When would it be used in deploying a new system?
A LAN is a local area network and is used to refer to the network of computers that
exists within an organization at a localized site. Depending on the system, a LAN
may be used toallow work stations to access data on a central database server
within the local site. Also if theemployees that work together must communicate
together and see each others work, then aLAN configuration is required.

What is three-layer design?

Many systems are designed with a view layer, which consists of the user interface, a
program logic layer, which contains the business processing, and a data layer,
which contains the database and data storage routines.
What is the difference between HTTPS and HTTP?
HTTP is the Hypertext Transport Protocol to send and receive data over the Internet.
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure and adds a layer of security
by encrypting the data being sent.
Describe the primary factors that affect throughput for Internet systems.
Several factors affect throughput for Internet systems including: Server computer
power and capacity Database capacity both the computer and the database
efficiency The number of computers (e.g. server farms) The location of the server
computers (e.g. content delivery networks) Internet connections and Internet
capacity Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, sixth edition 6-4
What is the difference between cloud computing and virtual servers?
A virtual server environment provides the ability to grow and add servers easily for
a client. However, the client is still involved in deciding the number and
configuration of the virtual servers. Cloud computing, on the other hand, attempts
to provide computing power much like a utility that the customer just uses as much
computing capability only when he actually needs it.
What is a VPN? Why would a company use a VPN?
A VPN is a virtual private network which is a private network but which uses the
public Internet as the basic transport mechanism. It includes additional security
levels to secure the transmission and use of the Internet. A company would use a
VPN if it has information that must be very secure, but must be transmitted to
remote locations where the company did not have its own private network lines