Introduction to
Systems Analysis and
Design
What is Systems Analysis
and Design?
Systems
are created to solve problems.
Think
of the systems approach as an
organized way of dealing with a
problem.
System
Analysis and Design, mainly
deals with the software development
activities.
Defining A System
This
term is derived from a Greek word
systema which means an organized
relationship among functioning units and
components.
collection of components that work together
to realize some objective forms a system.
Basically
there are three major components in
every system, namely input, processing and
output.
Systems
Analysis: understanding and
specifying in detail what an information
system should do
System
Design: specifying in detail
how the parts of an information system
should be implemented
System analysis and design
focus on three main things:
Systems: complete knowledge required for the
makeup of the system which in turn requires
knowledge about the functioning of an
organization for which the system is being
designed
Processes
Technology
Thus
a system is a way of thinking bout an
organization and their problems which
involves techniques that helps in solving
those problems.
Basic implications of a
A system exists because it is designed to
System
achieve one or more objectives.
As we know that the system consists of small
sub systems where none of the sub systems is
of much use as a single independent system
So there are three basic implications:
A system must be designed to achieve
predetermined objectives.
Interrelationships and interdependencies must
exist among the components.
The objectives of an organization must be
given higher priority than the objectives of the
sub system.
Characteristics of a
system:
organization
(order),
interaction,
interdependence,
integration
central
objective
Characteristics of a system contd..
1.
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
2.
Interaction
Between sub systems or the components
Example: the main memory holds the data
that has to be operated by the ALU.
3.
Interdependence
Component linkage
Component dependence
4.
Integration
How subsystems are tied together to
achieve the system objective
5.
Central Objective
Should be known in early phases of
analysis
Elements of a System
A system is a set of components working
together to achieve some goal.
The basic elements of the system may
be listed as:
Resources-h/w, s/w and liveware (human)
Example: Banking system- computers,
trained staff
Procedures-
set of rules to accomplish the
goal of the system.
Example: Banking systems have their
predefined rules for providing interest at
different rates for different types of
accounts.
Data/Information -inputs/outputs
Intermediate
Data- intermediate
transformation of data before final output
Output depends on it
Processes-operational
elements to convert
i/p into o/p
Example: the processing of a cheque as a
process.
A cheque passes through several stages
before it actually gets processed and
converted
Environment
System should adapt to the environment
Example: Y2K problem for computer systems.
Those systems, which are not Y2K compliant, will
not be able to work properly after year 2000. For
computer systems to survive it is important these
systems are made Y2K compliant or Y2K ready.
Feed Back
Compares
the output
against a
performanc
e standard.
Useful to
improve the
system to
meet the
Boundaries
and Interfaces
Every system has defined boundaries within
which it operates. Beyond these limits the
system has to interact with the other
systems.
Interfaces are another important element
through which the system interacts with the
outside world
Should be customized to the user needs.
These should be as user friendly as
possible.
Types of Systems
1.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.
2.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.
3.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:
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.
Informal Information Systems:
Informal systems are employee
based.
These are made to solve the day to
day work related problems.
Computer-Based Information Systems:
This class of systems depends on the
use of computer for managing
business applications
1. Formal Information system
Management and information levels in
an
organization:
Categories of information:
Information
can be categorized as:
strategic information
managerial information
operational information.
Strategic information
Strategic
information is the information
needed by top most management for
decision making.
This information is not required by the
lower levels in the organization.
The information systems that provide
these kinds of information are known as
Decision Support Systems (DSS).
For
example the trends in revenues
earned by the organization are required
by the top management for setting the
policies of the organization.
Managerial information
required
by the middle management
used for making short term decisions and
plans for the organization
Management information system (MIS)
caters to such information needs of the
organization.
Information like sales analysis for the past
quarter or yearly production details etc. fall
under this category.
Operational information
relating to the daily or short term
information needs of the organization such
as attendance records of the employees.
This kind of information is required at the
operational level for carrying out the dayto-day operational activities.
The information system is known as
Transaction Processing System (TPS) or
Data Processing System (DPS).
Some examples of information provided by
such systems are processing of orders,
posting of entries in bank, evaluating
overdue purchaser orders etc.
2. Informal Information system
The
system of relationships and lines of
authority that develops spontaneously as
employees meet; that is the human side of the
organization.
Basic Characteristics:
Involves two or more people
Informal relationships, groupings &
interactions
Involves the human need to socialize
Includes both friendly and hostile
relationships and interactions
3. Computer based information systems
a) Transaction Processing Systems or Data
Processing Systems
TPS processes business transaction of the
organization.
Transaction can be any activity of the
organization.
Transactions differ from organization to
organization.
For example, take a railway reservation system.
Booking, canceling, etc are all transactions.
Any query made to it is a transaction.
Transaction processing systems provide speed
and accuracy, and can be programmed to follow
routines functions of the organization.
b)Management Information Systems
These systems assist lower management in
problem solving and making decisions.
They use the results of transaction
processing and some other information also.
An important element of MIS system is
database.
And the information is accessed through
DBMS.
But
there are two drawbacks of database
i.e. requirement of a specialized personnel
and need to secure data from unauthorized
access.
The three sub-components:
System emphasizing a fair degree of
integration and a holistic view;
Information stressing on processed data
in the context in which it is used by end
users;
Management focusing on the ultimate
use of such information systems for
managerial decision making.
Components of MIS
c) Decision Support Systems
These
systems assist higher management
to make long term decisions.
These type of systems handle unstructured
or semi structured decisions.
A decision is considered unstructured if
there are no clear procedures for making
the decision and
if not all the factors to be considered in
the decision can be readily identified in
advance.
The user should be able to produce
customized reports by giving particular data
and format specific to particular situations.
Three
fundamental components of a
DSSarchitectureare:
thedatabase(orknowledge
base).
themodel(i.e.,
the decision context and
user criteria), and
theuser
interface.
Theusersthemselves
are also important
components of the architecture.
Classification of DSS
Using
the relationship with the user as
the criterion:
Apassive DSSis a system that aids the
process of decision making, but that cannot
bring out explicit decision suggestions or
solutions.
Anactive DSScan bring out such decision
suggestions or solutions.
Acooperative DSSallows the decision
maker (or its advisor) to modify, complete, or
refine the decision suggestions provided by
the system, before sending them back to the
system for validation.
Using
the mode of assistance as the
criterion :
Acommunication-driven DSSsupports
more than one person working on a shared
task; examples include integrated tools like
Microsoft's NetMeeting orGroove.
Adata-driven DSSor data-oriented DSS
emphasizes access to and manipulation of
atime seriesof internal company data and,
sometimes, external data.
Adocument-driven DSSmanages,
retrieves, and manipulates unstructured
information in a variety of electronic formats.
Aknowledge-driven
DSSprovides
specializedproblem-solvingexpertise stored
as facts, rules, procedures, or in similar
structures.
Amodel-driven
DSSemphasizes access to
and manipulation of a statistical, financial,
optimization, or simulation model.
Model-driven
DSS use data and parameters
provided by users to assist decision makers in
analyzing a situation; they are not necessarily
data-intensive
Basic Principles of a successful
system
System
should be of use for the user.
Ready in time.
Visible benefits
Maintained effectively
Well documented.
Man Made and Automated systems
Man-made systems
Man-made systems include such things as:
1. Social systems: organizations of laws,
doctrines, customs, and so on.
2. An organized, disciplined collection of
ideas.
3. Transportation systems: networks of
highways, canals, airlines and so on.
4. Communication systems: telephone,
telex, and so on.
5. Manufacturing systems: factories,
assembly lines, and so on.
6. Financial systems: accounting,
inventory, general ledger and so on.
Most of these systems include computers
Automated systems:
Some
information processing systems may not be
automated because ofthese common reasons:
Cost; Convenience; Security; Maintainability;
Politics.
Automated systems are the man-made systems
that interactwith or are controlled by one or
more computers.
We candistinguish many different kinds of
automated systems, but they all tend to have
common components:
1.Computer hardware (CPUs, disks, terminals, and
so on).
2.Computer software: system programs such as
operating systems, database systems, and so
on.
3. People: those who operate thesystem,
those who provide its inputs and consume
its outputs, and those who provide
manual processing activities in a system.
4. Data: the information that the system
remembers over a period of time.
5. Procedures: formal policies and
instructions for operating thesystem.
Real-Life business sub system
1.
Production sub system:
Related to production of goods and
services.
Main problems involved are:
Plant Location
Plant layout
Production policy(how much unit has
to be produced)
Purchase and inventory control.
Production planning and control
Quality and cost control.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Materials Management sub system
Purchase of material(quality and cost)
Storage and handling of material.
Financial Management sub system
Proper utilization of funds
Various issues involved like dividend
policy etc.
Personnel Management sub system
Deals with people at work
Planning man-power
Recruitment
HR policies
Marketing Management sub system
Marketing strategies
Increasing the sales and thus the profit.
Real-Time system
Real-time
systems have been defined as:
"those systems in which the correctness of
the system depends not only on the logical
result of the computation, but also on the
time at which the results are produced
Real-time systems often are comprised of a
Controlled system
environment.
Controlling system: acquires information
about environment using sensors and
controls the environment with actuators.
Con trolled System
Controlling
System
sensor
sensor
sensor
sensor
actuator
actuator
actuator
actuator
Environment
Hard versus soft real time system
Hard:
failure to meet constraint is a fatal fault.
Validation system always meets timing
constraints.
Deterministic constraints
Probabilistic constraints
Constraints in terms of some usefulness
function.
Soft:
late completion is undesirable but
generally not fatal.
No validation or only demonstration job meets
some statistical constraint.
Occasional missed deadlines or aborted
execution is usually considered tolerable.
Often specified in probabilistic terms
Distributed system
A
distributed system is a collection of
independent computers that appear to the
users of the system as a single system.
Examples:
Network of workstations
Distributed manufacturing system (e.g.,
automated assembly line)
Network of branch office computers
Advantages of Distributed Systems
Economics: cost effective way to increase
computing power.
Speed: a distributed system may have more
total computing power than a mainframe.
Ex. 10,000 CPU chips, each running at 50
MIPS. Not possible to build 500,000 MIPS
single processor since it would require 0.002
nsec instruction cycle.
Reliability: If one machine crashes, the
system as a whole can still survive. Higher
availability and improved reliability.
Incremental growth: Computing power can
be added in small increments. Modular
expandability
Data sharing: allow many users to
access to a common data base
Resource Sharing: expensive
peripherals like color printers
Communication: enhance human-tohuman communication, e.g., email, chat
Flexibility: spread the workload over
the available machines
Disadvantages of Distributed Systems
Software: difficult to develop software
for distributed systems
Network: saturation, lossy
transmissions
Security: easy access also applies to
secrete data
