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Systems Analysis and Design

Introduction to Information Systems

Introduction to Information Systems
 Learning Objective 1

What is physical system & information system

Basic Terminologies of the Information Systems
Types of Systems due to organization level
The basic types of computer-based systems that a
systems analyst needs to address.
Understand how users working in context with new
technologies change the dynamics of a system.
Components of an Information Systems
Integrating New Technologies into Systems
what the many roles of the systems analyst are.
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 About Information Systems 1

•An information system is a conceptual system that enables

managers to control and monitor a firm’s physical systems
used to transform input resources into output resources.

•The information system resources:

• Paper or other data records of physical system
• The movement of object within the physical system
• Status of objects in the physical system
These resources are used to replace the objects of physical
system by information control the management of IS
Basic Terminologies of the Information Systems
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•A system: set of rules govern the relations among set of
subsystem functioning together to achieve an Outcomes
Systems analysis: process of understanding in detail what
a system should accomplish
Systems design: process of specifying in detail how
components of an information system should be
physically implemented
•Open system: a system interacts with an environment (e.g. a
user types a command and computer responds by displaying
data)
Information systems (IS): collection of interrelated
components that collect, process, store, and provide the
output information needed to complete business tasks
 Examples of Information Systems 1

Information system Physical System

the inventory represents goods in the warehouse
the bill represents goods coming in
the shipping note represents goods leaving
An information system is open, purposive system that
produces information using input/process/output cycle
 Components of Information Systems 1

Components of an Information System:

• People, procedures, and data
• People follow procedures to manipulate data to produce
information

Components of Computer-Based Information System

(CBIS):
• People, procedures, data, programs, and computers
• Programs are instructions for the computers just as
procedures are instructions for people
Role of computer in Information System1

- Serve as a data storage and retrieval device

- Provide computation to produce information
- Serve as a communication device to get information from
other computers
- Present information by producing tables, reports, charts,
graphs, and documents.
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Physical system and information system as1
subsystems of organization
• System Boundary vs.
Automation Boundary
• IS: a model of the
physical system but also
interacts with it.

• The physical and information systems can be regarded as

subsystems of larger organization system.
• The inputs to the information system from the physical system
are usually observations (e.g. the number of packets on shelf).
• The outputs from the information system to the physical
system are actions needed (e.g. the shipping order implies an
instruction to load)
Types of Systems due to organization level1
A systems analyst is involved with any or all of these
systems at each organization level.
 Systems of the Operational Level: 1
Transaction Processing Systems ( TPS).
• TPS is an information system that support day-to-day operations.
• It gathers data from the firm’s physical system and environment
and enters it into its database.
• The software also transforms the data into information for the
firm’s managers and other individuals in the firm’s environment.

Examples of TPS are:

• Ticket reservation systems
• Order entry systems
• Account payable systems
• Payroll processing systems
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Transaction is a representation of the event
Event TPS programs process the transaction
(Transaction) against TPS data

• A request ticket • In a ticket reservation system: data

contains the locations of the available seats.
• An order request • In order entry system: data contains a
list of available products, their prices,
and related data.
• A payment check • In a check processing system: data
contains account balances, customer
lists…etc
 Systems of the Knowledge Level 1

 Office Automation System (OAS)

 Supports data workers who share information, but do
not usually create new knowledge
 Examples: word processing, spreadsheets, desktop
publishing, electronic scheduling, communication
through voice mail, email, teleconferencing
 Knowledge Work System (KWS)
 Supports professional workers such as scientists,
engineers, and doctors
 Examples: computer-aided design systems, virtual
reality systems, investment workstations
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Management Information Systems (MIS).
• Supports a broad of organizational tasks by required
information for decision making problem.
• MIS modules are report-writing software, and models
that can simulate firm operations to be used by
organizational problem solvers as an aid in decision-
making
Examples:
profit margin of sales
region, expenses vs.
budgets
Decision Support Systems (DSS) & 1
ESS
• DSS: an information system used to aid managers and
decision makers with information for making decisions
to solve a specific problem
• It supports strategic non routine decisions
• There are 3-sources of information to decision- maker:
• a relational database, a knowledge base, and a
multidimensional database.
Examples:
financial planning with what-if analysis, compare
budget with modeling
ESS: Captures and uses the knowledge of an expert for solving a
particular problem which leads to a conclusion or
recommendation
 Systems of the Strategic Level 1
 Executive Support System (ESS)
 Helps executives to make unstructured strategic
decisions in an informed way
 Examples: drill-down analysis to get status access

 Group Decision Support System (GDSS)

 Permit group members to interact with electronic support.
 Examples: email, Lotus Notes
 Computer-Supported Collaborative Work System
(CSCWS)
 CSCWS is a more general term of GDSS.
 May include software support called groupware for
team collaboration via network computers
 Example: video conferencing, Web survey system
Information Systems and Subsystems 1

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Users of Information Systems

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Integrating New Technologies into Systems
1- Ecommerce and Web Systems
2- Enterprise Resource Planning Systems
3- Wireless and Mobile Systems
4- Open Source Software

Need for Systems

Analysis and Design
Systems Analysts Need
to Be Aware that
Integrating Technologies
Affects all Types of
Systems
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 1. Ecommerce and Web Systems 1
 Benefits
 Increasing user awareness of the availability of a service,
product, industry, person, or group
 The possibility of 24-hour access for users
 Improving the convenience and usability of interface design
 Creating system that can extend globally rather than remain
local, thus reaching people in remote locations without worry
of the time zone

2. Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)

• Performs integration of many information systems existing
on different management levels and within different
functions
• Example: SAP, Oracle
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3. Wireless and Mobile Systems
A system analyst may be asked to design standard or
wireless and mobile communication networks (MCN).
 MCN integrate voice, video, and email into organizational
intranets or industry extranets.
 A system analyst may also be asked to develop intelligent
agents.

 Example: iPhone, iPod, BlackBerry

 Wireless communication is referred to as m-commerce

(mobile commerce).
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4. Open Source Software
• An alternative of traditional software
development where proprietary code is hidden
from the users
• Open source software is free to distribute, share,
and modify.
• Characterized as a philosophy rather than simply
the process of creating new software
• Example:
• Linux Operating System, Apache Web Server, Mozilla
Firefox Web Browser
 Roles of the Systems Analyst 1
Systems analyst: uses analysis and design techniques to
solve business problems using information technology
 The analyst and experienced people work according to
three primary roles:
 Consultant (Professional)
 Supporting expert
 Mediator of change

Qualities of the Systems Analyst

 Problem solver
 Communicator

 Strong personal and professional ethics

 Self-disciplined and self-motivated
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Analyst’s Approach to Problem Solving
Research and understand the problem

Verify benefits of solving problem outweigh the costs

Define the requirements for solving the problem

Develop a set of possible solutions (alternatives)

Decide which solution is best and recommend

Define the details of the chosen solution

Implement the solution

Monitor to ensure desired results

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 Required Skills of the Systems Analyst 1

 Uses logical methods for solving problems

 Has fundamental curiosity ‫حب استطالع‬
 Wants to make things better
 More of a business problem solver than a technical programmer