BUILDING SOLUTIONS: Database, system & Application Development Tools

Database- Collection of data organized in a manner that allows access, retrieval, and use of that data

Data- Collection of unprocessed items
(text, numbers, images, audio, video)

Information-Processed data
(organized, meaningful & useful)

Database software / Database management system( DBMS)
-Create a computerized database
-Add, modify, and delete data
-Sort and retrieve data
-Create forms and reports from the data

Levels:
1: Characters - Numbers, letters, blank space, punctuation marks, or other symbols
2: Fields- a combination of one or more related characters
(Field name, Field size, Data type)
3; Records-a group of related fields
4: data files- a collection of related records

File maintenance- the procedures that keep data current ( adding, modifying & deleting records)

Validation- compares data with a set of rules or values to determine if the data meets certain criteria

  • alphabetic/ numeric check
    -Range check
    -Consistency check
    -Completeness check
    -Check digit
    -Other checks

file processing system:
-Each department has its own set of files
-Redundant data
-Isolated data

Database approach:
-Programs and users share data
-Reduced data redundancy
-Improved data integrity
-Shared data
-Easier access
-Reduced development time

Disadvantages of a database approach
-more complex than a file processing system
-Require more memory and processing power
-Data can be more vulnerable

Web databases : offers information ( jobs, travel,destinations,Television programming,Photos,movies,videos,local and national weather,sporting events& legislative info)

Data model: defines how users view the organization of the data
( including Relational database, Object-oriented database (OODB),Multidimensional and other database types)

data dictionary : contains data about each file in the database and each field in those files

provides several tools that allow users and programs to retrieve and maintain data in the database
-Query language
-Query by example
-Form
-Report writer

query: a request for specific data from the database

query language: consists of simple, English-like statements that allow users to specify the data to display, print, store, update, or delete

Structured Query Language (SQL): a popular query language that allows users to manage, update, and retrieve data

form: a window on the screen that provides areas for entering or modifying data in a database

report writer: allows users to design a report on the screen, retrieve data into the report design, and then display or print the report

A DBMS provides means to ensure that only authorized users access data

  • Access privileges
  • Principle of least privilege policy

A DMBS: provides a variety of techniques to restore the database to a usable form in case it is damaged or destroyed

  • Backup, log, recovery utility, continuous backup

information system: a collection of hardware, software, data, people, and procedures that work together to produce information

System development: a set of activities used to build an information system

System development activities: grouped into phases, and is called the system development life cycle (SDLC)

System development phases:
1) planning
2) analysis
3) design
4) implementation
5) support & security

general guidelines:
-Group activities into phases
-Involve users
-Define standards

should involve representatives from each department in which the proposed system will be used

systems analyst: responsible for designing and developing an information system

Project management :the process of planning, scheduling, and then controlling the activities during system development

elements in planning& scheduling a project:
scope,Required activities,Time estimates for each activity,Cost estimates for each activity,Order of activities,Activities that can take place at the same time


popular tools used:
Gantt and PERT charts

Feasibility : a measure of how suitable the development of a system will be to the organization

including:

  • Operational feasibility
  • Schedule feasibility
  • Technical feasibility
  • Economic feasibility

Documentation : the collection and summarization of data, information, and deliverables

Gathering data& information :
-Review documentation
-Observe
-Survey
-interview
-JAD Sessions
-research

During a JAD session, the systems analyst is the moderator, or leader of the discussion. Another member, called the scribe, records facts and action items assigned during the session

Planning phase :begins when the steering committee receives a project request

Four major activities are performed:
1) Review and approve the project request
2) Prioriitize the project request
3) allocate resources
4) form a project development team

analysis phase :

  • Conduct a preliminary investigation
    -Determines the exact nature of the problem or improvement
    -Interview the user who submitted the request
    • Perform detailed analysis
      -Study how the current system works
      -Determine the users’ wants, needs, and requirements
      -Recommend a solution

system proposal :assesses the feasibility of each alternative solution

steering committee ; discusses the system proposal and decides which alternative to pursue

  • Modify existing system
  • Buy retail software
  • Use web apps
  • Build custom software
  • Outsource

design phase ; consists of two major activities

  • acquire hardware and software
    • Develop all of the details of the new or modified information system

To acquire the necessary hardware and software:
-Identify technical specifications

  • Solicit vendor proposals
    -Test and evaluate vendor proposals
    -Make a decision

develop detailed design specifications
-Database design
-Input and output design
-Program design

Systems analysts typically develop two types of designs for each input and output
-mock-up
-layout chart

prototype (proof of concept) is a working model of the proposed system’s essential functionality


The purpose of the implementation phase is to construct the new or modified system and then deliver it to users

  • develop programs and apps
  • install and test the new system
  • train users
  • convert to the new system

Various tests should be performed on the new system

  • unit test

    Verifies that each individual program or object works by itself

  • system test

    Verifies that all programs in an application work together properly

  • integration test

    Verifies that an application works with other applications

  • acceptance test

    Checks the new system to ensure that it works with actual data


Training involves; showing users exactly how they will use the new hardware and software in the system

  • one-on-one class
  • classroom-style lectures
  • web-based training
  • direct conversion
  • parallel conversion
  • phased conversion
  • pilot conversion

can be used to change from the old system to the new system

support and security phase; to provide ongoing assistance for an information system and its users after the system is implemented

  • perform maintenance activities
  • monitor system performance
  • assess system security

programming language: a set of words, abbreviations, and symbols that enable a software developer to communicate instructions to a computer or mobile device

application development tool : provides a means for creating, designing, editing, testing, and distributing programs and apps

procedural language : the programmer writes instructions using English-like words that tell the computer what to accomplish and how to do it

The C programming language: used to write many of today’s programs

compiler : converts the entire source program to machine language before executing it

An interpreter : translates and executes one instruction at a time

object-oriented programming (OOP) language allows system developers to implement objects in a program

  • other advantages:

    Objects can be reused


    Developers create applications faster


    Most object-oriented application development tools are IDEs


C++ is an extension of the C programming language
-Additional features for working with objects

Visual Studio : is Microsoft’s suite of object-oriented application development tools that assists software developers in building programs and apps for Windows or any operating system that supports the Microsoft .NET Framework

4GL (fourth-generation language) is a nonprocedural language that enables users and software developers to access data in a database (One popular 4GL is SQL)

Classic programming languages include:
-BASIC
-COBOL
-FORTRAN
-RPG

application generator is a program that creates source code or machine code from a specification of the required functionality
-Often bundled as part of a DBMS


A macro is a series of statements that instructs a program or app how to complete a task


You usually create the macro in one of two ways:
-record the macro
-write the macro

HTML is a special formatting language that software developers use to format documents for display on the web

XML allows web developers to create tags that describe the structure of information

  • WML is a subset of XML and is used to design pages specifically for microbrowsers

add interactivity on webpages
to add special media effects (such as animated graphics, scrolling messages, calendars, and advertisements) , web developers write small programs called scripts using a variety of scripting languages

  • JavaScrpt
  • Perl
  • PHP
  • Python
  • Ruby