Introduction to System Analysis and Design

Defining A System
Organized set of related components established to accomplish certain task. Basically there are three major components in every system, namely input, processing and output.

Defining A System
In a SYSTEM the different components are connected with each other and they are unable to exist or survive without each other. For example: Human body represents a complete natural system. We are also bound by many national systems such as political system, economic system, educational system and so forth.

SYSTEM LIFE CYCLE

System life cycle is an organizational process of developing and maintaining systems. It helps in establishing a system project plan, because it gives overall list of processes and sub-processes required developing a system. System development life cycle means combination of various activities. In other words we can say that various activities put together are referred as system development life cycle.

Phases Of Software Development Cycle

Following are the different phases of software development cycle: System study Feasibility study System analysis System design Coding Testing Implementation Maintenance

(a) System Study

A detailed study to determine whether, to what extent, and how automatic data-processing equipment should be used. It usually includes an analysis of the existing system and the design of the new system, including the development of system specifications which provide a basis for the selection of equipment.

(b) Feasibility Study

aim to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the existing business or proposed venture, opportunities and threats as presented by the environment, the resources required to carry through, and ultimately the prospects for success.

should provide a historical background of the business or project, description of the product or service, accounting statements, details of the operations and management, marketing research and policies, financial data, legal requirements and tax obligations.
Generally, feasibility studies precede technical development and project implementation

(c) System Analysis

is the study of sets of interacting entities, including computer systems analysis. It is also "an explicit formal inquiry carried out to help someone (referred to as the decision maker) identify a better course of action and make a better decision than he might otherwise have made

(d) System Design

is the process of defining the architecture, components, modules, interfaces, and data for a system to satisfy specified requirements. There are several tools and techniques used for designing. These tools and techniques are: i. Flowchart ii. Data flow diagram (DFDs) iii.Structured English iv.Decision table v. Decision tree

(e) Coding
* the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging / troubleshooting, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. Means the transformation of data into a form understandable by computer software.

(f) Testing
a test run of the system is done removing all the bugs, if any. It is an important phase of a successful system. After codifying the whole programs of the system, a test plan should be developed and run on a given set of test data. The output of the test run should match the expected results. When it is ensured that the system is running error-free, the users are called with their own actual data so that the system could be shown running as per their requirements.

(g) Implementation
After having the user acceptance of the new system developed, the implementation phase begins. Implementation is the stage of a project during which theory is turned into practice. During this phase, all the programs of the system are loaded onto the user's computer. After loading the system, training of the users starts. Main topics of such type of training are: How to execute the package How to enter the data How to process the data (processing details) How to take out the reports

(h) Maintenance
Maintenance is necessary to eliminate errors in the system during its working life and to tune the system to any variations in its working environment. It has been seen that there are always some errors found in the system that must be noted and corrected. It also means the review of the system from time to time. The review of the system is done for: knowing the full capabilities of the system knowing the required changes or the additional requirements studying the performance

Information System

is any combination of information technology and people's activities that support operations, management and decision making. In a very broad sense, the term information system is frequently used to refer to the interaction between people, processes, data and technology. is the study of complementary networks of hardware and software that people and organizations use to collect, filter, process, create, and distribute data. an integrated set of components for collecting, storing, and processing data and for delivering information, knowledge, and digital products.

Types of info systems

Executive support system Decision support system Management information system Transaction Processing system

Transaction Processing Systems (TPS)

collect, store, modify, and retrieve the transactions of an organization. A transaction is an event that generates or modifies data that is eventually stored in an information system.

Management Information Systems (MIS)

provides information that is needed to manage organizations efficiently and effectively Management information systems involve three primary resources: -People -Technology -Information or decision making.

Decision Support Systems (DSS)

is a computer-based information system that supports business or organizational decision-making activities. DSSs serve the management, operations, and planning levels of an organization and help to make decisions, which may be rapidly changing and not easily specified in advance.

Executive Information System (EIS)

is a type of management information system intended to facilitate and support the information and decisionmaking needs of senior executives by providing easy access to both internal and external information relevant to meeting the strategic goals of the organization.

Why Do Organizations need Information Systems?

Computers are essential today. We check our email with it, find answers to questions, watch media, bank and more using computers. Therefore, we need systems that can organize, and serve information when people around the world request it. Servers do the task. Each website has a server. A computer that host the website. When you type Google.com the server who host that website receives data from your computer and sends data back. Letting you access the servers data. Thus you see Google's homepage. Without servers there would be no websites.