Chapter 6
Requirements Determinations and Requirements Structuring
Data Flow Diagram
Define LAN
BONUS - what device is attached to a LAN and manages file operations and is shared by each client PC
the cabling, hardware, and software used to connect workstations, computers, and file servers located in a confined geographical area (typically within one building or campus)
BONUS * File Server
Define preventative maintenance
changes made to a system to avoid possible future problems
What is the difference between alpha and beta testing?
Alpha uses simulated data and beta uses real data.
Define JAD
A structured process in which users, managers, and analysts work together for several days in a series of intensive meetings to specify or review system requirements.
What are the four different types of data flow diagrams?
Current Physical, Current Logical, New Physical, New Logical
Define client/server architecture.
a LAN-based computing environment in which central database server or engine performs all database commands sent to it from client workstations, and application programs on each client concentrate on user interface functions
What is the difference between Maintenance vs Corrective Maintenance
Maintenance is changes made to a system to fix or enhance its functionality while corrective maintenance is when changes are made to a system to repair flaws in its design, coding, or implementation
Define acceptance testing
the process whereby actual users test a completed information system, the end result of which is the users’ acceptance of it
Name the two types of prototyping
Evolutionary Prototyping: used to model parts of the target system and, if the prototyping process is successful, you evolve the rest of the system from those parts
Throwaway Prototyping: developed quickly to demonstrate some aspect of a system design that is unclear or to help users decide among different features or inface characteristics
Name what the four symbols in DFDs represent
Process (work or actions performed on data), Data Store (data at rest), Source/Sink (external entity that is origin or destination of data), Data Flow (arrows depicting movement of data)
Define API
Application program interface - a software used to ensure that common system capabilities, such as user interfaces and printing, as well as modules are standardized to facilitate data exchange between clients and servers
API examples Japna loves: MySQL, Sybase, or Oracle
Name and explain three possible organizational structures for managing maintenance personnel?
Separate: maintenance group consists of different personnel than the development group, Combined: developers also maintain systems, Functional: maintenance personnel work within the functional business unit
What are the four installation strategies?
Direct Installation, Parallel Installation, Single-location installation, Phased Installation
What are the two steps in business process re-engineering?
1. You must understand the key business processes of an organization and what needs change.
2. Deem what activities are “important, changeable, yet dysfunctional, are primary candidates” for reengineering
Define Functional Decomposition
an iterative process of breaking a system description down into finer and finer detail.
Name and define one method/measure of online data management
Context development: a method that helps analysts to better understand how a system fits within the existing business activities and data, Integration depth: a measurement of how far into the existing technology infrastructure a system penetrates, Organizational breadth: a measurement that tracks the core business functions affected by a system
Name a measurement of error occurrences that can be tracked over time to indicate the quality of a system.
Mean time between failures (MTBF)
Name and define 2 out of 4 types of documentation
System, User, Internal, External
Name the three requirement techniques using Agile
Continual User Involvement, Agile Usage-Centered Design, The Planning Game from eXtreme Programming
Name the four guidlines for drawing a DFD
Completeness, Consistency, Timing, Iterative Development
Name three advantages of client/server archictectures over file server
Serves both client and server, higher concurrent data access, more efficient data transfers, higher security
What is the difference between reverse vs re-engineering when it comes to automated development tools in maintenance?
Reverse engineering uses automated tools that read program source code as input and create graphical and textual representations of design-level information such as program control structures, data structures, logical flow, and data flow while re-engineering performs an analysis of the program’s data and logic; and then automatically, or interactively with a systems analyst, alter an existing system in an effort to improve its quality or performance
Name and define 3 of the 7 different types of testing
Inspection, Walkthrough, Desk Checking, Syntax Unit, Integration, System