What Is System: Definition of A System and Its Parts

What is System
The key term used most frequently. Understanding systems and how
they work is critical to understanding systems analysis and design.
Definition of a System and Its Parts

system is an interrelated set of business procedures (or components)
used within one business unit, working together for some purpose. For
example, a system in the payroll department keeps track of checks,
whereas an inventory system keeps track of supplies. The two systems
are separate. A system has nine characteristics. A detailed explanation of
each characteristic follows, system exists within a larger world, an
environment. A boundary separates the system from its environment.
The system takes input from outside, processes it, and sends the
resulting output back to its environment.
Elements of a System:
1. Components : An irreducible part or aggregation of parts that makes up a

system; also called a subsystem.
2. Interrelated components : Dependence of one part of the system on one
or more other system parts.
3. Boundary : The line that marks the inside and outside of a system and that
sets off the system from its environment.
4. Purpose : The overall goal or function of a system.
5. Environment : Everything external to a system that interacts with the
system.
6. Interfaces : Point of contact where a system meets its environment or where
subsystems meet each other.
7. Constraints : A limit to what a system can accomplish.
8. Input : Inputs are the information that enters into the system for processing.
9. Output : The main objective of a system is to get an output which is helpful
for its user. Output is the final outcome of processing.
Characteristics and types of system

 Organization
 structure and order
 Example: Hierarchical organization in a company.
 Computer system: organization of various components like input
devices, output devices, CPU and storage devices
 Interaction
 Between sub systems or the components
 Example: the main memory holds the data that has to be operated by
the ALU.
 Interdependence
 Component linkage
 Component dependence
 Integration
 How subsystems are tied together to achieve the system objective
 Central Objective
 Should be known in early phases of analysis
Types of Systems
 Physical or Abstract System
 Physical system: tangible entities
 static or dynamic in nature.
 Example : system-computer centre
 Desks and chairs are the static parts
 Programs, data, and applications can change according to the user's
needs.
 Abstract systems are conceptual. These are not physical entities. They
may be formulas, representation or model of a real system.
 Open Closed System- Majority of systems are open systems
 open system has many interfaces with its environment
 can also adapt to changing environmental conditions
 can receive inputs from, and delivers output to the outside of system
 Closed systems: Systems that don't interact with their environment.
Closed systems exist in concept only.
 Man made Information System
 Information system is the basis for interaction between the user and the
analyst.
 Main purpose-manage data for a particular organization.
Further Categorized as:
1. Formal Information Systems: Responsible for flow of information from top

management to lower management But feedback can be given from lower
authorities to top management
2. Informal Information Systems: Informal systems are employee
based. These are made to solve the day to day work related problems.
3. Computer-Based Information Systems: This class of systems depends on
the use of computer for managing business applications
Information systems (IS)

in organizations capture and manage data to produce useful information
that supports an organization and its employees, customers, supliers,
and partners. Many organizations consider Information systems to be
essential to their ability to compete or gain competitive advamage. Most
organizations have come to realize that ail workers need ro participate in
the development of informatlon systems.
1. Transaction processing systems (TPSs)

2. Management Information systems (MISs)
3. Decision support systems (DSSs)
4. Executive information system (EIS)
5. Expert systems
6. Communications and collaboration system
7. Automation systems
 Transaction processing systems (TPSs) process business transactions

such as orders, thne cards, payments, and reser'latlons.
 Management Information systems (MISs) use the transaction data to
produce lnformatlon needed by managers to run the business.
 Decision support systems (DSSs) help various decision makers Identify
and choose between options or decisions.
 Executive information system (EIS) are tailored to the unique information
needs of executives who plan for the business and assess performance
against those plans.
 Expert systems capture and reproduce the knowledge of an expert problem
solver or decision maker and then slmulate the “thinking" of that expert.
 Communications and collaboration system enhance communlcatlon and
collaboration between people, both Internal and extenal to the organization.
 Finally, office automation systems help employees create and share
documents that support day-to-day oftlce activities
Important Information System Concepts

Systems analysts need to know several other important systems
concepts:
1. Decomposition
2. Modularity
3. Coupling
4. Cohesion
Decomposition
is the process of breaking down a system into its smaller components.
These components may themselves be systems (subsystems) and can be
broken down into their components as well. Decomposing a system also
allows us to focus on one particular part of a system, making it easier to
think of how to modify that one part independently of the entire system.
Decomposition is a technique that allows the systems analyst to:
1. Break a system into small, manageable, and understandable subsystems

2. Focus attention on one area (subsystem) at a time, without interference from
other areas. Concentrate on the part of the system pertinent to a particular
group of users, without confusing users with unnecessary details
3. Build different parts of the system at independent times and have the help of
different analysts
Modularity
is a direct result of decomposition. It refers to dividing a system into
chunks or modules of a relatively uniform size. Modules can represent a
system simply, making it easier to understand and easier to redesign and
rebuild. For example, each of the separate subsystem modules for the
MP3 player shows how decomposition makes it easier to understand the
overall system.
Coupling
means that subsystems are dependent on each other. Subsystems
should be as independent as possible. If one subsystem fails and other
subsystems are highly dependent on it, the others will either fail
themselves or have problems functioning. components of a portable MP3
player are tightly coupled. The best example is the control system, made
up of the printed circuit board and its chips. Every function the MP3
player can perform is enabled by the board and the chips. A failure in
one part of the circuit board would typically lead to replacing the entire
board rather than attempting to isolate the problem on the board and fix
it. Even though repairing a circuit board in an MP3 player is certainly
possible, it is typically not cost-effective; the cost of the labor expended
to diagnose and fix the problem may be worth more than the value of
the circuit board itself. In a home stereo system, the components are
loosely coupled because the subsystems, such as the speakers, the
amplifier, the receiver, and the CD player, are all physically separate and
function independently. If the amplifier in a home stereo system fails,
only the amplifier needs to be repaired.
Cohesion
is the extent to which a subsystem performs a single function. In the
MP3 player example, supplying power is a single function. This brief
discussion of systems should better prepare you to think about
computer-based information systems and how they are built. Many of the
same principles that apply to systems in general apply to information
systems as well. In the next section, we review how the information
systems development process and the tools that have supported it have
changed over the decades.

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What is System

Definition of a System and Its Parts

1. Components : An irreducible part or aggregation of parts that makes up a

Characteristics and types of system

1. Formal Information Systems: Responsible for flow of information from top

Information systems (IS)

1. Transaction processing systems (TPSs)

 Transaction processing systems (TPSs) process business transactions

Important Information System Concepts

1. Break a system into small, manageable, and understandable subsystems

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