Systems Analysis
Made Simple Computerbooks
Published on 21. May 2014
126 pages
978-1-4831-0608-3 (ISBN)
Description
Systems Analysis: Made Simple Computerbooks introduces the essential elements of information systems analysis and design and teaches basic technical skills required for the tasks involved.
The book covers the aspects to the design of an information system; information systems and the organization, including the types of information processing activity and computer-based information systems; the role of the systems analyst; and the human activity system. The text also discusses information modeling, socio-technical design, man-machine interface, and the database design. Software specification and selection, opportunities and constraints of a computer, and hardware specification and system implementation are also considered.
The book concludes by giving an overview of systems analysis. The text is useful to systems and information analysts.
More details
Persons
Trevor Wood-Harper is Professor of Information Systems and Director of the Information Systems Research institute (ISRI) at the University of Salford, Manchester, U. K. Recently, the institute was awarded a 5* rating, the highest, at the recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in 2001. Also, he is Professor of Management Information Systems at the University of South Australia, Adelaide and held visiting chairs at University of Oslo, Copenhagen Business School and Georgia State University. Wood-Harper has co-authored 11 books and monographs as well as more than 200 research articles in a wide range of topics, including the Multiview methodology.In 1990 he set up one of the first Information Systems doctoral schools (a combination of the European and American styles) in the U.K, which is attracting an increasing number of international as well as British students. Currently the school has more than 80 Ph.D. Students. Also, at the University of South Australia, he has started a new doctoral programme in Information Systems with 2 Associate Professors and 32 PhD students. Trevor Wood-Harper has successfully supervised 16 doctoral theses since 1996. Recently, he was a member of the Library and Information Management panel for the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in 2001, and currently on the British Computer Society accreditation panel and the UKAIS board.
Content
Preface Introduction 1. Information Systems and the Organization 1.1 Types of Information Processing Activity 1.2 Computer Based Information Systems 1.3 Summary 2. The Role of the Systems Analyst 2.1 The 'Traditional' Data Processing Department 2.2 User Computing 2.3 The Consultant Analyst 2.4 The Software House 2.5 The Expert Witness 2.6 Summary 3. The Human Activity System 3.1 The Rich Picture 3.2 The Root Definition 3.3 The Conceptual Model 3.4 Selecting Priorities for Analysis 3.5 Summary 4. Information Modeling 4.1 Entities, Functions, and Events 4.2 Functional Decomposition 4.3 Entity Models 4.4 Entity Life Cycles 4.5 Archiving of Information 4.6 Data Flow Diagrams 4.7 The Boundaries of the System 4.8 Summary 5. Socio-Technical Design 5.1 Social Objectives 5.2 Technical Objectives 5.3 Social Alternatives 5.4 Technical Alternatives 5.5 Socio-Technical Alternatives 5.6 Summary 6. Man-Machine Interface 6.1 Which Staff Will Use Which Program Interfaces? 6.2 Dialogue Design 6.3 Matching the Dialogue to the User 6.4 Methods of Implementing a Dialogue 6.5 Communicating Devices 6.6 Summary 7. Database Design 7.1 Indexed Files 7.2 Hierarchical Data Structures and Networks 7.3 Relational DBMS 7.4 Distributed Databases 7.5 Choosing a DBMS 7.6 Query Languages and Report Writers 7.7 The Database Administrator 7.8 Summary 8. Software Specification and Selection 8.1 Drawing the System Boundary 8.2 Statement of Logical Requirements 8.3 Turning Requirements into Program Specifications 8.4 Relationships between Programs and Data Items 8.5 Constraints on the Software 8.6 Software Selection Issues 8.7 Software Vendors 8.8 Evaluating Software 8.9 Summary9. Opportunities and Constraints of the Computer 9.1 Additional Information Retrieval 9.2 What Information is to be Retrieved? 9.3 Supporting Decision Making 9.4 A Word About Statistics 9.5 Computer Security 9.6 Security in Office-based Systems 9.7 Changing the Style of Work 9.8 User Training10. Hardware Selection and System Implementation 10.1 The Required Processing Power 10.2 Peripheral Devices 10.3 Operating System and Networking 10.4 Manufacturer/Supplier Support 10.5 Systems Implementation 10.6 Installation Life cycle 10.7 Summary11. Overview of Systems Analysis 11.1 Systems Analysis Theory 11.2 The Multiview Methodology 11.3 Problem and Problem Solvers 11.4 The Systems Life Cycle 11.5 The Multiview Framework 11.6 SummaryIndex
