System Analysis and Design

Q-1 What is system? Briefly explain various types of system. Answer: "A system is an orderly grouping of interdependent components linked together according to a plan to achieve a specific objective." The following three points come to the surface. i. System is a group of components. ii. The components are interdependent. iii. The components are linked together to achieve a specific objective. Types of Systems (i) Physical or abstract systems (ii) Open or closed systems (iii) Deterministic or probabilistic systems (iv) Man-made information systems Physical or Abstract Systems Physical systems are tangible entities that may be static or dynamic in operation. For example, the physical parts of a computer center are the office, desk and chairs that facilitate the operation of the computer. They can be seen or counted. They are static. Abstract systems are conceptual or non-physical entities. They may be as straight forward as formulae of relationship among sets of variables or models. Open or Closed Systems A system interacts with its environment through the interfaces located on the boundary. A system is said to be an open system, if there exists an interaction between the system and its environment. If there is no interaction of the system with its environment, the system is said to be a closed system. Deterministic or Probabilistic Systems A deterministic system is one in which the occurrence of all events is perfectly predictable. An example of such a system is a numerically controlled machine tool. Probabilistic system is one in which the occurrence of events cannot be perfectly predicted. An example of such a system is a warehouse and its contents. Man-made Information Systems These systems are developed by man to process information to produce useful information. Most of the computer based systems come under this category railway reservation system, payroll packages, sales monitoring software. _ formal information systems _ informal information systems _ computer based information system. Computer based information system. system depends mainly on the computer for handling business applications. They are classified as: _ Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) _ Management Information Systems (MIS) _ Decision Support Systems (DSS)
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_ Office Automation Systems (OAS). CBIS in an Organizations Context HIERARCHICAL VIEW OF CBIS Q-2 (a) What is SDLC? What are its stages? Answer: SDLC stands for system development life cycle. The analyst must progress from one stage to another stage, answering key question & achieving results in each stage. STAGE KEY QUESTION RESULT 1. Recognition of need Preliminary survey/ initial investigation What is the problem or opportunity? Statement of scope and objectives Performance criteria 2. Feasibility study _ Evaluation of existing system and procedures _ Analysis of alternative candidate systems _ Cost estimates What are the user's demonstrable needs? Is the problem worth solving? How can the problem be redefined? Technical/behavioral feasibility Cost/benefit analysis System scope and objective Statement of new scope and objectives 3. Analysis _ Detailed evaluation of present system _ Data collection What must be done to solve the problem? What are the facts? Logical model of systemi.e., data dictionary, data flow diagram Pertinent data 4. Design _ General design specifications _ Detailed design specifications Output Input Procedures _ Program

construction _ Testing Unit testing Combined module testing User acceptance testing In general, how must the problem be solved? Specifically, how must the problem be solved? What is the system (processing) flow? Does the user approve the system? How well do individual programs/modules test out? How ready are programs for acceptance test? Design of alternative solutions Final Cost/benefit analysis Hardware specifications Cost estimates Implementation specifications Implementation schedule Approval of system by user Programs Test plans Security, audit and operating procedures Actual hardware use Formal System test 5. Implementation _ User training _ File/system conversion What is the actual operation? Are user manuals ready? Are there delays in loading files? Training program User-friendly documentation 6. Post-implementation and maintenance _ Evaluation _ Maintenance __ Enhancements Is the key system running? Should the system be modified? User requirements met User standards met Satisfied user Q-2 (b) Write several models used to analyze system. Ans There are three models used to analyze system:-

Waterfall Model for System Development Prototyping Model The Spiral Model Waterfall Model for System Development In this model, All the steps are followed by each other. An activity starts only when the previous activity has been completed. For example, as per the waterfall model, maintenance phase is started only when the implementation phase has been completed.
Problem Identification Feasibility Study System Analysis System Design & Coding Im plementation Maintenance Feedback

Waterfall Life Cycle Model Prototyping If prototyping is used, the changed requirements are known by the developers at every iteration. Since information collection is done at each iteration, new or changed requirements are updated every time. When the final prototype is ready, what do we do with it? We can do two things: _ The prototype can be used as it is, since, it is actually a fully working model. _ The prototype can be partially or fully reconstructed. This is done to suit the needs of implementing on a specific platform, environment etc.
Analyze prototype Input , processing, output Identify us er requirements Post implementation Implement prototype Final conversion Maintenance Revise through iterative process

Prototyping Model The Spiral Model The spiral model is divided into a number of framework activities, also called task regions. There are six task regions: _ Customer/user communication: Establish effective communication between developer and user. _ Planning: Define resources, timeliness and other project related information. _ Risk analysis: Uses both technical and management risk. _ Engineering: Build one or more representations of application. _ Construction and release: Construct, test, install and provide user support. _ Customer evaluation: User provides feedback based on evaluation of software.

Spiral Model Q-3 What is System Analyst? Elaborate on the multifaceted role of a system Analyst. Answer: System Analyst:- A system analyst is a person who does all this he identifies activities and objectives and determines a procedure to achieve the objectives. The analyst is a person with unique skills and put to use these skills to bring together the efforts made by different people in an organization to achieve business goals. Role of System Analyst:(a) System Analyst as an Agent of Change In the role of change agent, the system analyst may select various styles to introduce change to the user organization. when drastic changes are required, it may be necessary to adopt the imposer style. No matter what style is used, the goal is the same; to achieve acceptance of the candidate system with a minimum of resistance. (b) Investigator and Monitor The role of the investigator is the role of the monitor. To undertake and successfully complete a project, the analyst must monitor programs in relation to time, cost and quality. Of these resources, time is the most important. If time "gets away", the project suffers from increased costs and wasted human resource. (c) Role of Architect As an architect, the analyst also creates a detailed physical design of the candidate system. He/She aids the user in formalizing abstract ideas and provides details to build the end product the candidate system. (d) Psychologist In system development, it is very important to understanding people thoughts, behavior, be aware of people's feelings and be prepared to get around things in a graceful way. The art of listening is important in evaluating responses and feedbacks. (e) System Analyst as Salesperson selling the system to the user. However, selling the system, actually takes place at each step in the system life cycle. Sales skills and persuasiveness, then, are crucial to the success of the system. (f) Analyst as Motivator It becomes obvious during the first few weeks after implementation and during times, when turnover results in new people being trained to work with the candidate system. (g) Politician As much as a politician must have the support of his/her constituency, similar is the analyst's goal to have the support of the user's staff. He/She represents their thinking and tries to achieve their goal through computerisation. Q-4(a) What do you understand by project selection? Outline the procedure adopted in project selection. Answer: Project Selection:- Project selection is not a choice for system analyst but has to analyze different

requests of different persons from the organization or outside the organization, who are somehow related to the system. The project has to be identified before it can be solved. The basis for an alternative system is the recognition of a need for improving an information system or a procedure. The idea for change originates in the environment or within the firm due to any of the following reasons: speed of processing needed to be improved increased workload to cut down on cost of processing requirement of increased accuracy/reliability of output reports generated security of processing It involves following steps:(i) Project Requests There are mainly four primary sources of project requests. The requesters inside the organization are: Department Managers, Senior Executives and System Analysts. (ii) Managing Project Review and Selection As the requests come from various departments, someone has to decide which request to pursue and the other to reject. (iii) Preliminary Investigation This step involve determine the size of the project, assess costs and benefits of alternative approaches etc. this phase also check for feasibility analysis of project. Q-4 (b) What do you mean by feasibility analysis? Explain economic, technical consideration in feasibility analysis. Answer: Feasibility Analysis:- Feasibility Analysis refers to testing capability of a project to find out, what the most optimal solution to the problem will be, given the objectives of the problems & constraints identified for solving the problem. Economic Feasibility:- It is the most important study that determines the cost & benefits of the proposed system & compares with the budget. The cost of the project should not outweigh the budget. Technical Feasibility:- During this study, the analyst identifies the existing computer system of the concerned department & determines whether these technical resources are sufficient for the proposed system or not. Cost/Benefit Analysis:- Cost & benefit Analysis is performed to ascertain, whether the costs in the system match with the benefits it will provide. The various kinds of costs incurred in the development and implementation of the system include: _ Hardware Costs incurred in purchase of hardware, i.e., computer and its peripherals. _ Personnel Costs include the salaries of the EDP staff, as well as the perks of personnel involved in the development of the system.

_ Facility Costs include expenses incurred in the preparation of the physical site. This includes flooring, wiring, lighting, etc. _ Operating Costs include all costs associated with the day to day operation of the system. _ Supply costs include variable costs that increase with increased use of paper, ribbon, disks, etc. System Requirement Specifications The very first step in a system, for the purpose of selection is understand the requirements within the framework of the organizations objectives. It include flowcharts, input-output requirements, file structure & cost. The specifications must also describe each aspect of the system clearly, consistently & completely. It also describes the information that is input & output from the system. Conversion:- It means, charging from one system to another. It involves:- (1) Creating computer files (2) Installing Hardware (3) Training the operating staff Fact-Finding:- Fact-finding is the formal process of using research, interviews, questionnaires, sampling and other techniques to collect information about systems, requirements and preferences. It is also called information gathering or data collections. During these phases that the analysis learns about the vocabulary, problems, opportunities constraints, requirements, and priorities of a business and a system. How to do Fact-Finding? For fact-finding, the system analyst does the following: 1. Sampling of written (existing) documents 2. On-site observations 3. Interview 4. Questionnaires 5. Research and site visits. 6. Rapid Applications Development (RAD) 7. Joint Application Development (JAD). 8. Observes the current system 9. Gather forms and documents currently in use 10. Determines the flow of data through the system, and 11. Clearly defines the system requirements. Data Flow Diagrams (DFD):- A DFD, serves the purpose of clarifying system requirements and identifying major transformations that will become programs in system design. A DFD, is a representation of various processes and the input and output in each process. Graphical description of a systems data and how the processes transform the data is known as Data Flow Diagram (DFD). Symbols Used in DFDs _ A square defines a source or a destination of system data. (External entity). _ An arrow identifies data flow data in motion. It is a pipeline through which information flows. _ A circle or a bubble (some people use an oval bubble) represents process that transforms incoming data flow(s) into outgoing data flow(s). _ An open rectangle is a data store data at rest or a temporary repository of data.
Proc ess 1 Sourc e

Pro cess 2 Des tin ation Da ta Flow 1 Da ta Flow 4 D ata Flow 2 Data Flow 3 D ata Flow 5 D ata Store

Sample DFD Data Dictionary:- A data dictionary is a catalog a repository of the elements in a system. The major elements are data flows, data stores and processes. The data dictionary stores details and descriptions of these elements. Data Flows: EMP_NO: Char (6)
EMP_MASTER 4 GET EMP_DET EMP_NO EMP_DET

Emp_details: EMP_NA+EMP_ADD+EMP_DOB Data Stores: EMP_RECORD: EMP_NO+EMP_NA+EMP_ADD+EMP_DOB Process: Do while.not.eof EMP_MASTER open EMP_MASTER go top get EMP_DET If analysts want to know, how many characters are in a data item, and by what other names it is referenced in the system, they should be able to find the answers through data dictionary. Components of a Data Dictionary It contains two types of components are :- data elements and data structures. Data Element:- . Data elements are building blocks for other data in a system. The data element entry consists of the following items: _ Data Name _ Data Description: Brief description of what the data element represents _ Aliases or additional names for the data element _ Length or size of the element _ Data Values: It is the list of possible values for the data element Example Data Name : Part_Color Data Description : This is the color of the part of the machinery and is ordered time to time from local vendor Aliases : P_Colour, Color Length : Text of Length 15 Data Values : May take one of the following values. Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Data Structure:- It is a set of data items that are related to one another. These are built on four relationships of components:a) Sequence Relationship: Defines the components that are always included in a particular data structure; a concatenation of two or more data items. b) Selection (Either/Or) Relationship: Defines alternative data items included in a data structure. c) Iterational (Repetitive) Relationship: Defines the repetition of a component, zero or more times.

d) Optional Relationship: A special case of iteration; data elements may or may not be treated zero or one time. Decision Analysis It is a method, which breaks down a problem into parts and allows the user to focus separately on the critical issues. Following are the different ways for decision analysis. Decision Tree Decision tree is a tool where actions need to be taken depending on a number of conditions. If the group of conditions has a specific value, a certain action is taken. In such cases, decision trees are used. It is a diagram that presents conditions and actions sequentially and thus shows which conditions are considered first, which second and so on.
Action Condition Action Condition Action Condition Action Action Condition Action Condition Action

The Decision Tree Sequence

Condition Action Over $10,000 Take 3% discount from invoice total $5,000 - $10,000 Take 2% discount from invoice total Within ten days Below $5,000 Pay full invoice amount Pay full invoice amount More than 10 days

Decision Tree for Discount Authorization. Decision Table:- A decision table is a matrix of rows and columns, rather than a tree, that shows conditions and actions.This method has been used in analysis of business functions, such as inventory control, sales analysis, credit analysis and transportation control and routing. Characteristics of a Decision Table It is made up of four sections: condition statement, condition entries, action statements and action entries. CONDITIONS DECISION RULES Condition Condition Entries Action Action Entries Statement GENERAL FORM OF A DECISION TABLE Condition Decision Rules 1234 C1. Patient has basic health Y N Y N insurance C2. Patient has social health N Y Y N

insurance Actions A1. Pay amount of office call X A2. Pay nothing X X A3. Pay full amount of service X CLINIC PAYMENT DECISION TABLE System design :- It is a transition from a user-oriented document to a document oriented to a programmer or data base personnel. It goes through logical & physical design with emphasis on the following:(1) Preparing Input/Output specifications. (2) Preparing security and control specifications. (3) Specifying the implementation Plan. (4) Preparing a logical design walk through before implementation. (5) Review benefits, costs, target dates and system constraints. Objectives:Specify the logical design elements System design involves description of detailed design that describes the features of an information system: input, output, files, and databases and procedures. Support business activities It supports the business activity for which it is developed. It should always be secondary to the results the system is intended to produce. Ensure that system features meet user requirements The information system meets user needs if it accomplishes the following: Performs the right procedures properly. Presents information and instructions in an acceptable and effective fashion. Produces accurate results. Provides an acceptable interface and method of interaction. Is perceived by users as a reliable system. ___ Easy to use It is very easy to use because of some technical features of system reliability, accuracy and processing speed are secondary to the human aspects of a system design. ___ Provide software specifications The specifications state input, output and processing functions & algorithms used to perform them. ___ Confirm to design standards As a result, it should be no surprise to learn that well managed information system groups also maintain systems development standards. System design specifications are developed within these standards. File design:- Files are the heart of computer application. Constructing, files we must understand the basic types of files used to describe the file hierarchy. Types of file:- Files in which the records are collected and maintained. (1) Master File:- Master files are the most important type of files. It is very significant because they contains the records for maintenance of the organizations business. (2) Transaction File:- A transaction is a temporary file used for two purposes. First of all, it is used to accumulate data about events as they occur. Secondly, it helps in updating master files to reflect the result of current transactions. For e.g:- recording of sales. (3) Table file:- Table files are permanent files containing reference data used in processing transactions, updating master file or producing output. As the name implies, these files

store reference data in tabular form.