Learning Module D: Information Technology Systems I. IT Systems What are Five Components of Information Systems? - Hardware: equipment, devices - Software: programs - a set of instructions that controls hardware - Data: files, database - People: technical personnel, users - Procedures: documents that help people use and manage MIS (manuals, data dictionary, system operation manuals, …

1. Data Data: facts about objects Store data in computer: – binary data – bits – bytes Five types of data

What are Five Types of Data and What is Multimedia? Number (.txt,.xls) Text (.txt,.xls) Image (.bmp) Sound (.wav) Video (.avi) Multimedia

How are the Five Types of Data Represented in IT Systems? Number: Base 2 numbers (binary) Text: character set –ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange), e.g., A 65, B 66. –EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code), for IBM Mainframe. –Different countries may use different character set.

Picture: 2 formats –Pixel format (.bmp,.jpg, paintbrush) binary number -> dot for color resolution - dpi (dots per inch) & storage space –Vector format (autocad) Engineering drawings Mathematical description -> less storage space

Sound: –two components of sound: volume and pitch –digitize sound Sampling: take observations of two values (volume and pitch) several times per second (.wav) Video: –Tremendous amount of data (100 CD’s for one-hour movie) –Data compression

2. Hardware Components of Computer System What are Components of Computer Systems? Input Output Processor Secondary Storage

Input –Keyboard –Pointing devices: mouse, light pen, touch screen –Scanner –Pen-based systems: pen & software for converting handwriting to text –Sound: microphone and sampler –Voice recognition (expensive) –Video capture board: digitize video

Output –Monitor resolution: # of pixels & colors video card & video RAM –Printer laser ink-jet dot-matrix

Process System –Processor: CPU (Central Processing Unit): carries out instructions; Control Unit + Arithmetic Logic Unit –RAM (Random Access Memory) –Speed vs. Internal Clock Speed: MIPS Internal clock: 100MHz, 450MHz Speed  clock speed (# of clock cycles per instruction, 486D50 is slower than Pentium 50) Comparable only for the same manufacturer and the same family

–Speed depends on other components Data bus Access time and capacity of RAM Parallel processors –Price differential PC - the lowest $/MIPS Use for different purposes (e.g., IBM Mainframe for multiple users)

Secondary Storage –hard drive –floppy disk drive –tapes (backup) –optical drive CD-ROM (650 megabytes) WORM (Write Once Read Many) Erasable DVD (Digital Video Disk) –Solid State/RAM (keep data when power is off)

3. Software Programs Systems software –Operating systems –Utilities –Language translators Applications (Personal Productivity Software)

What are Operating Systems? A program that acts as an intermediary between users and hardware Three functions of OS –allocation and assignment of resources –scheduling of jobs –monitoring activities (security, usage)

Specific operating systems –VMS (DEC VAX) –MVS (IBM Mainframe) –UNIX (machine-independent) –OS/2 (IBM PC, robust and memory- intensive) –Windows 98 (PC) –Windows NT (workstation, network server) –Windows 2000 (Peer-to-Peer) GUI (Graphical User Interface)

Multitasking –Users can run more than one job at the same time –OS rotates jobs, not exactly run them at the same time –Reduce total processing time (OS coordinates all components of computer system) –Prevent users from changing data at the same time (concurrency problem).

What Are Examples of Application Software? DBMS: Access Calculation: Excel Writing: Word Presentation: PowerPoint Communication: (Outlook Express) Scheduling: Microsoft Outlook

II. Information in an Organization Three Levels of Management Decision Operation Level: –day-to-day operations –follow rules (structured decision) –transaction for collecting data Tactical Level: –managers’ specialization –structured and unstructured decisions –short-term to middle-term –without major changes to organization’s structure (continued)

Strategic Level: –top management –unstructured decision –long-term –with major changes to organization’s structure 1. What are the five categories of information- processing task? (p.12) –Capture information –Present information in useful form –Create new information –Store information –Sending information to other people

2. Why Point of origin or point of sales (POS)? Capture data at the point of origin (the sales register is a computer terminal connected to a central computer). Keyboard (gas station) Bar code scanner (supermarket) Optical character recognition (OCR) read handwritten zip code Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) - more accurate than OCR Error detection, computations and immediate update Avoid - rekey data, lost data, duplicate data, inaccuracies, long time, fail to identify error.

3. How is TPS Used for Manufacturing? Process Control Manufacturing machines are connected to computers or have built-in computers. Monitor production levels. Monitor quality. Monitor uptime or downtime. Problems –standard for various machines –an enormous amount of data: how to use, how to store, how to transmit.

4. What is Electronic data interchange (EDI)? The direct computer-to-computer exchange between two firms of standard business transaction documents (invoices, bills, purchase orders) or send documents through a third- party EDI provider. Cut lead time and improve quality control Lock in customers (easier for customers or distributors to order) Standard: software and hardware, data definitions, format of documents

5. Web Database Applications Why do business on the Internet? –Expanded reach –Corporate image enhancement –Improved customer service –Follow-up sales/marketing material –New product/service delivery channel –Reduced operating expenses possibly –Test marketing (new products, new services, new market campaigns)