explain the different type of information system

Transaction Processing Systems

A Transaction Processing System (TPS) is a type of information system that collects, stores,
modifies and retrieves the data transactions of an enterprise. Transaction processing systems also
attempt to provide predictable response times to requests, although this is not as critical as for
real-time systems.

A transaction refers to any event or activity that affects the organization Depending on the
organization’s business, transactions may differ from one organization to another

Every firm needs to process transactions in order to perform its daily business operations. A
transaction refers to any event or activity that affects the organization. Depending on the
organization’s business, transactions may differ from one organization to another. In a
manufacturing unit, for example, transactions include order entry, receipt of goods, shipping,
etc., while in a bank, transactions include deposits and withdrawals, cashing of cheques, etc.

However, some transactions, including placing orders, billing customers, hiring employees,
employee record keeping, etc., are common to all organizations. To support the processing of
business transactions, transaction processing systems (TPS) are used in organizations.

Management Information Systems

A management information system (MIS) is a computer system consisting of hardware and

software that serves as the backbone of an organization’s operations. An MIS gathers data from
multiple online systems, analyzes the information, and reports data to aid in management
decision-making.

The purpose of an MIS is improved decision-making, by providing up-to-date, accurate data on a

variety of organizational assets, including:

 Financials

 Inventory

 Personnel

 Project timelines

 Manufacturing

 Real estate

 Marketing

 Raw materials

Decision Support System

A decision support system (DSS) is an information system that aids a business in decision-
making activities that require judgment, determination, and a sequence of actions. The
information system assists the mid- and high-level management of an organization by analyzing
huge volumes of unstructured data and accumulating information that can help to solve problems
and help in decision-making. A DSS is either human-powered, automated, or a combination of
both.
Purpose of a Decision Support System

A decision support system produces detailed information reports by gathering and analyzing
data. Hence, a DSS is different from a normal operations application, whose goal is to collect
data and not analyze it.

In an organization, a DSS is used by the planning departments – such as the operations

department – which collects data and creates a report that can be used by managers for decision-
making. Mainly, a DSS is used in sales projection, for inventory and operations-related data, and
to present information to customers in an easy-to-understand manner.

Theoretically, a DSS can be employed in various knowledge domains from an organization to

forest management and the medical field. One of the main applications of a DSS in an
organization is real-time reporting. It can be very helpful for organizations that take part in just-
in-time (JIT) inventory management.

In a JIT inventory system, the organization requires real-time data of their inventory levels to
place orders “just in time” to prevent delays in production and cause a negative domino effect.
Therefore, a DSS is more tailored to the individual or organization that is making the decision
rather than a traditional system.

 Components of a Decision Support System

The three main components of a DSS framework are:

1. Model Management System

The model management system S=stores models that managers can use in their decision-making.
The models are used in decision-making regarding the financial health of the organization and
forecasting demand for a good or service.

 
2. User Interface

The user interface includes tools that help the end-user of a DSS to navigate through the system.

3. Knowledge Base

The knowledge base includes information from internal sources (information collected in a
transaction process system) and external sources (newspapers and online databases).

Types of Decision Support Systems

 Communication-driven: Allows companies to support tasks that require more than one
person to work on the task. It includes integrated tools such as Microsoft SharePoint
Workspace and Google Docs.
  Model-driven: Allows access to and the management of financial, organizational, and
statistical models. Data is collected, and parameters are determined using the information
provided by users. The information is created into a decision-making model to analyze
situations. An example of a model-driven DSS is Dicodess – an open-source model-
driven DSS.
 Knowledge-driven: Provides factual and specialized solutions to situations by using
stored facts, procedures, rules, or interactive decision-making structures like flowcharts.
 Document-driven: Manages unstructured information in different electronic formats.
 Data-driven: Helps companies to store and analyze internal and external data.

Advantages of a Decision Support System

 A decision support system increases the speed and efficiency of decision-making

activities. It is possible, as a DSS can collect and analyze real-time data.
 It promotes training within the organization, as specific skills must be developed to
implement and run a DSS within an organization.
 It automates monotonous managerial processes, which means more of the manager’s time
can be spent on decision-making
 It improves interpersonal communication within the organization.

Disadvantages of a Decision Support System

 The cost to develop and implement a DSS is a huge capital investment, which makes it
less accessible to smaller organizations.
 A company can develop a dependence on a DSS, as it is integrated into daily decision-
making processes to improve efficiency and speed. However, managers tend to rely on
the system too much, which takes away the subjectivity aspect of decision-making.
  A DSS may lead to information overload because an information system tends to
consider all aspects of a problem. It creates a dilemma for end-users, as they are left with
multiple choices.
 Implementation of a DSS can cause fear and backlash from lower-level employees. It is
because many of them are not comfortable with new technology and are afraid of losing
their jobs to technology.

Executive Support System

Executive Support System (ESS) is a software used by companies which has information
related to business, which enables the top management to take better decisions in favor of the
company.

ESS mainly deals with data related to key departments like billing, accounting, scheduling,
staffing etc. In addition to providing quick access to the data, ESS helps to analyze the data
systematically and helps the companies to even forecast and prepare for the future.

Some of the advantages of ESS are:

1. Improved personal efficiency

2. Increased organizational control
3. Competitive advantage over competitors
4. Automation of the managerial processes.

Question No 2

Different Types of Database Structures

A database is an organized collection of data. The data is typically organized to

model aspects of reality in a way that supports processes requiring information.
Simply, it is a structured set of data held in a computer, especially one that is
accessible in various ways. For example, modelling the availability of rooms in
hotels in a way that supports finding a hotel with vacancies.
A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be
accessed, managed, and updated. In one view, databases can be classified
according to types of content: bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and images. More
specifically, a database is an electronic system that allows data to be easily
accessed, manipulated and updated. The following are examples of database
applications:

 computerized library systems

 automated teller machines
 flight reservation systems
 computerized parts inventory systems

In computing, databases are sometimes classified according to their

organizational approach. The most prevalent approach is the relational database,
a tabular database in which data is defined so that it can be reorganized and
accessed in a number of different ways. A distributed database is one that can
be dispersed or replicated among different points in a network. An object-
oriented programming database is one that is congruent with the data defined in
object classes and subclasses. Modern databases are managed using a
database management system (DBMS)

Types of Database
There are several types of databases, some of which are listed here.

1. Distributed Database
2. Centralized Database
3. Personal Database
4. Relational Database
5. Operational Database
6. Hierarchical Database
7. Cloud Database
8. Object Oriented Database
9. NoSQL Database
1. Distributed Database

It is a database that comprises of at least two documents situated in various destinations

either on a similar system or on unique systems. Parts of the database are put away in
various physical places and handling is disseminated among different database hubs.
Distributed databases are physically stored across multiple locations and logically
interconnected with each other and they are usually signifying a solitary logical database.

Distributed databases can be homogenous or heterogeneous. Generally, distributed

databases may include the following features:

 Hardware independent
 Location independent
 Operating system independent
 Network independent
 Transaction transparency
 Distributed query processing
 Distributed transaction management
Examples of distributed database:
 Apache Cassandra
 Apache HBase
 Apache Ignite
 Couchbase Server
 Amazon SimpleDB
 FoundationDB
 Clusterpoint
Replicated Data
It is a type of distributed database, which is used to create examples of data in various parts
of the database. It can be divided into these two categories.

1. Read only data

2. Writable data
Advantages of Distributed Database:
 Administrators can face lower communication costs for distributed database
frameworks if the information is found near where it is utilized the most,
whereas, it is not possible in centralized database.
 It is easy to update and growth.
 Increases consistency and ease of use
 Ensures better performance
 Loss of database from one place may not cause loss of all data.
 Effective for load balancing and reduces latency.
 Distributed database has the capability of fault tolerance
Disadvantages of Distributed Database:
 Enforcement of integrity may require more network resources.
 More complexity as its architecture requires better design, administration and
troubleshooting.
  Sometimes, problems faced during accessing from the master database.
 Security is another concern in distributed database
 Lack of standard and experience
You can read here further about Distributed and its Types
2. Centralized Database

A centralized database framework is a framework that keeps the information in one single
database at one place.

Advantages of Centralized Database:

 Centralized database storage improves data safeguarding. 
 Centralized database provides physical security as locally stored data signifies
an ongoing physical security hazard.
 Maintenance of centralized storage is less costly than multiple storage spaces.
 Easy to share ideas across the market analysts.
 It reduces conflicts due to centralization
 Centralized database reduces conflicts amongst organizations and they can
focus on their vision and promptly act.
 In centralized database, the data redundancy is negligible.
Disadvantages of Centralized Database:
 Centralized database can be unresponsive to work under a heavy workload.
 Administrators can face high communication costs if the information is not
found where it is utilized the most.
 In centralized database, information is stored within a single database so the
chance of data loss may increase.
 No proper database recovery measures
3. Personal Database

Information is gathered and stored on PCs, which is in small quantity and can easily
manageable.

This information is commonly utilized by the same department of an association and can
easily be accessed by a small number of people.

Generally, a personal database system can support one application at a time, involve a
single computer, a database having few tables.

Advantages of Personal Database:

 Improve data sharing and security
 Better data integration and fast data access
 Fast end-users productivity and improved decision making
Disadvantages of Personal Database:
 Increased cost due to the requirement of licensing and proper training of
database users, and administers to utilize and manage the new traits.
 Personal database can be unresponsive to work under a heavy workload.
4. Relational Database:

A relational database is described by a set of tables from where data can be accessed.

Relational database can store a large amount of information in a set of tables, which are
linked to each other.

Each table is composed of information in rows & columns in which each column represents
a particular type of information like name, address, each row contains unique information
and each field in a table has its own data type.

Advantages of Relational Database:

 Relational database is used to store the financial record of any company
 It keeps records of customers’ consignments and their orders.
 Relational database ensures data integrity and better performance.
 It provides better data security and allows multiple users.
 A vast amount of data can be stored in relational database, which can easily
extendable and modifiable.
 Several clients can access the same database.
Disadvantages of Relational Database:
 High setup and maintenance cost
 Sophisticated networking and hardware setups are required for relational
databases.
 Few relational databases have bound on field lengths.
5. Operational Database:

An operational database is used to store and manage a huge amount of data in real-time.
Data regarding operations (marketing, services provided to customers & relations with
them) of any project can be stored inside an operational database.

A national climate administration consistently gathers information from computerized

climate stations that produce convenient climate gauges and as an authentic record for
scientists.
Similarly, a company permits its sales reps in the field to update sales information in order
to boost revenue. Microsoft, Oracle, Amazon Web Services, SAP and IBM are the important
players in Operational Database Management System (ODBMS)

Advantages of Operational Database:

 It ensures real-time operations as data can be added and modified in real-
time.
 Operational database provides up-to-date information.
 It supplies data for real-time computation and analyzing processes.
 It is helpful to run the day to day operation of the business.
Disadvantages of Operational Database:
 Real-time analysis requires special training sessions for database users which
impose more cost on companies.
 Queries against operational data are usually narrow in scope i.e. speed critical.
6. Hierarchical Database:

In hierarchical database model, data is organized in a tree structure that links a number of
different elements to one parent record.

Each record type has only one parent. Top element of tree is called parent while its branches
are called children. It is useful for certain types of data storage and most popular in the time
of mainframe computers.

An entity type is corresponding to a table and entity types are related to each other with
one-to-many association.

Advantages of Hierarchical Database:

 Hierarchical databases are easy to comprehend 
 In hierarchical structure clear chain of command
 In hierarchical database, navigating among the records is fast enough as the
parent and child relationships are implemented with pointers from one data
record to another record.
Disadvantages of Hierarchical Database:
 Hierarchical structures have no tendency to adopt new changes rapidly.
 Communication barriers
 Cannot change the database to ensemble current business’ requirements
7. Cloud Database:

Cloud database is a kind of database administration that is deployed and delivered through
a cloud platform like Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that permits the organizations and their
applications to store and mange information from the cloud.
In present era, it got popularity due to several benefits like acquiring more storage capacity,
high bandwidth, scalability and availability as per the payment ability of the user.  

A cloud database regularly functions as a standard database arrangement that usually

executed through the installation of database programming over a registering/framework
cloud.

In addition, a cloud database is likewise conveyed as an administration, where the merchant

specifically deals with the backend procedures of database installation and deployment.

Advantages of Cloud Database:

 Cloud database provides great flexibility to run database workload either
traditionally or as a service.
 Helpful for disaster recovery
 Companies can reduce the annual operating costs by utilizing cloud storage
 Easy to access data via internet
Disadvantages of Cloud Database:
 Data protection is a great challenge in cloud database.
 Difficult to access in case of absence of internet connection
 More conscious during drag & drop action to move a document into the
cloud storage folder
8. Object Oriented Database

It is a group of object-oriented programming and relational database, which is organized

around object rather than actions and logic.

Some examples of object-oriented database engines are Smalltalk, db4o and Cache.
Information is described in the form of objects in object-oriented database. Alike objects are
categorized to classes and sub-classes and relationship between two objects is maintained
by utilizing the notion of opposite reference.

Advantages of Object Oriented Database:

 Permits the integration of databases, operating system, word processors
spreadsheets, and other applications
 Ensures the referential sharing of products and applications
 Easily creates a new object from an existing object
 Object Oriented Database Management System permits to create persistent
object to solve the issue of concurrency and recovery.
Disadvantages of Object Oriented Database:
 Storage of huge ADTs and structured objects
  Query processing and optimization is a complex task
 It is much more complex that Relational Database, so professional
programmers required instead of inexperienced end users.
 User cannot permit access rights on individual objects and classes
 Absence of standard query language to Object Oriented Database as
Structured Query Language to Relational Database Management System
9. NoSQL Database:

NoSQL database is used to efficiently manage and analyze a large set of distributed data
that might be stored at several virtual servers. Types of NoSQL database are:

 Document Stores
 Key-value data Stores
 Wide Column Stores
 Graph Stores 
Many NoSQL data stores are available now, some of which are, MongoDB, CouchDB,
GemFire, Casandra, Hbase, Mnesia, Memcached, and Neo4j

Advantages of NoSQL Database:

 Easy to use and flexible due to Object-oriented programming
 It has geographically distributed scale-out architecture as a substitute of
monolithic architecture
 Frequent code pushes and quick schema iteration
 It offers better performance and high global availability
 It also offers flexible data modeling
 Massive volumes are easily handled by NoSQL databases
Disadvantages of NoSQL Database:
 Advance expertise is required for its installation and maintenance.
 Most common business intelligence gadgets do not provide connectivity to
NoSQL Databases.

Question No3

The Seven Phases of the System-

Development Life Cycle
Following are the seven phases of the SDLC
1. Planning
This is the first phase in the systems development process. It identifies whether or not there
is the need for a new system to achieve a business’s strategic objectives. This is a
preliminary plan (or a feasibility study) for a company’s business initiative to acquire the
resources to build on an infrastructure to modify or improve a service. The company might
be trying to meet or exceed expectations for their employees, customers and stakeholders
too. The purpose of this step is to find out the scope of the problem and determine
solutions. Resources, costs, time, benefits and other items should be considered at this
stage.

2. Systems Analysis and Requirements

The second phase is where businesses will work on the source of their problem or the need
for a change. In the event of a problem, possible solutions are submitted and analyzed to
identify the best fit for the ultimate goal(s) of the project. This is where teams consider the
functional requirements of the project or solution. It is also where system analysis takes
place—or analyzing the needs of the end users to ensure the new system can meet their
expectations. Systems analysis is vital in determining what a business’s needs are, as well
as how they can be met, who will be responsible for individual pieces of the project, and
what sort of timeline should be expected.

There are several tools’ businesses can use that are specific to the second phase. They
include:

 CASE (Computer Aided Systems/Software Engineering)

 Requirements gathering
 Structured analysis

3. Systems Design
The third phase describes, in detail, the necessary specifications, features and operations
that will satisfy the functional requirements of the proposed system which will be in place.
This is the step for end users to discuss and determine their specific business information
needs for the proposed system. It’s during this phase that they will consider the essential
components (hardware and/or software) structure (networking capabilities), processing and
procedures for the system to accomplish its objectives.
4. Development
The fourth phase is when the real work begins—in particular, when a programmer, network
engineer and/or database developer are brought on to do the major work on the project.
This work includes using a flow chart to ensure that the process of the system is properly
organized. The development phase marks the end of the initial section of the process.
Additionally, this phase signifies the start of production. The development stage is also
characterized by instillation and change. Focusing on training can be a huge benefit during
this phase.

5. Integration and Testing

The fifth phase involves systems integration and system testing (of programs and
procedures)—normally carried out by a Quality Assurance (QA) professional—to determine
if the proposed design meets the initial set of business goals. Testing may be repeated,
specifically to check for errors, bugs and interoperability. This testing will be performed until
the end user finds it acceptable. Another part of this phase is verification and validation,
both of which will help ensure the program’s successful completion.

6. Implementation
The sixth phase is when the majority of the code for the program is written. Additionally, this
phase involves the actual installation of the newly-developed system. This step puts the
project into production by moving the data and components from the old system and placing
them in the new system via a direct cutover. While this can be a risky (and complicated)
move, the cutover typically happens during off-peak hours, thus minimizing the risk. Both
system analysts and end-users should now see the realization of the project that has
implemented changes.

7. Operations and Maintenance

The seventh and final phase involves maintenance and regular required updates. This step
is when end users can fine-tune the system, if they wish, to boost performance, add new
capabilities or meet additional user requirements.
Question No
3. Identify and explain methodologies of information system development

Information system in this present period is been used by organizations,

institutions, businesses and many industries. Information system
development method is a general technique and procedures that is been
followed in stages by system developers in the process of building a system.
However, there are different types of information system development
method which will be stated below.

The Waterfall Method: - The waterfall information system development method is one of the
easiest and straight forward information systems development method that talks about series of
activities in the others of requirement, design, implementation, verification, and maintenance
which are done in stages were each stage of the activity stated have to be hundred percent
accomplished before the following section can be done (Davidson, 2002). Though, it also has
some drawbacks which include high level of risk, been disciplined in completing each stage of
the activities in the model.

The Spiral Method: - The spiral method combines the important features of both the waterfall
method and the prototyping method and most concerned about risk analysis. Although, the spiral
method has four stages compared to the waterfall and system development life cycle method
which is in the stated order, determine objective, identify and resolve risk, development and
testing then finally plan the next execution. All these levels that are mentioned are constantly
repeated over and over again section by section until all the difficulties of the waterfall method
are rectify.

Thus it could be concluded that the spiral information system development method is mostly
used for larger and complicated system development where the entire requirements are very
difficult to understand compared to the waterfall and system development life cycle method

System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Method:- This is also another type of information
system development method similar to the waterfall and the spiral method with series of
activities followed in a circular other in stages through which every developer, database designer
and project manager pass through as to develop an information system. The system development
life cycle method is the overall cognitive process that takes place in the development of
information systems in a gradual manner until there is an achievement of the best quality in the
development of a system.

In addition, “system development life cycle is the general process of developing, implementing,
and constructing information systems through a multistep process from Requirement, Design,
Build, Test and maintenance”. On this basis, it can be inferred that the SDLC is a procedure that
every information system development must pass through even if each of them emphasizes on
different part of the five stages of the SDLC method.

Information systems development method: - Information systems development method

(ISDM) is defined as: “A collection of procedures, techniques, tools and documentation aids
which help the system developers in their efforts to implement a new information system. A
methodology will consist of phases, themselves consisting of sub phases, which will guide the
systems developers in their choice of the techniques that might be appropriate at each stage of
project and also help them plan, manage, control and evaluate information systems project”
(Avison & Fitzgerald, 2006, p. 24).

It is clear therefore that the information systems development methods concentrate on the
general process of development.
Question NO 5

Explain security measures to be taken to safeguard computers and information resource

from risk.

Because companies are more dependent on computers than ever before, they need to protect data
and equipment from natural disasters and computer crime. Types of computer crime include
unauthorized use and access, software piracy, malicious damage, and computer viruses. To
protect IT assets, companies should prepare written security policies. They can use technology
such as virus protection, firewalls, and employee training in proper security procedures. They
must also take steps to protect customers’ personal privacy rights.

 Establish strong passwords: - This first measure is really easy to put in place. You must put
together a combination of capitals, lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols to create a
strong password. The more characters you put, the better. With that, you must avoid using
your birthday or any personal information and change the password accordingly.
 Set up a firewall: - In order to protect your network, firewalls are an important initiative to
consider. They are a must-have for any company, as they control the internet traffic coming
and leaving your business.
 Think of antivirus protection: - Antivirus and anti-malware are indispensable to protecting
your Data. They are designed to prevent, search for, detect and remove viruses but also
adware, worms, trojans, and so on.
 Updating is important: - Your computer must be properly patched and updated. Recent
updates allow your Data to be more secured.
 Secure every laptop: - Laptops are portable so there is a higher risk that they can be stolen.
As a consequence, it is important to take more security measures in order to protect all
laptops. A simple solution is to encrypt them. In doing so, without the right password, your
computer’s Data is unreadable.
 Secure mobile phones: - Mobile phones are even more easily stolen than laptops but they
are as valuable for companies. Equally to laptops, phones can be encrypted- you can put a
 strong password and enable an automatic lock-out. You can also set up a wiping process if
the phone is lost or stolen.
 Schedule backups: - You can schedule backups to external hard drives or in the cloud in
order to keep your data stored safely. The right frequency is weekly but you can do
incremental backups every few days. You can also use Wimi, which centralizes your
documents. With it, you can then share your documents with your team, your clients, and
your partners
 Monitor steadily: - Data, Software, technologies, everything is moving so fast. Keep track
of them; keep in touch with news to see what is new on the market.
 Be smart with emails and surfing the web: - Downloading apps or files, opening emails
and clicking on links can infect your computer and your network. Be careful with the sources
you find online or you receive. Take every “warning box” seriously.
 Educate your employees about Data Security: - Prevention is the best way to keep your
Data safe. Warned employees will always be more attentive.