1 California State University, Fullerton Chapter 8 Personal Productivity and Problem Solving

2 California State University, Fullerton Improving Personal Productivity Productivity has to do with how much a person contributes to a business in a period of time. Individual information systems include computer applications that assist individuals in storing and analyzing data, presenting information and in locating and retrieving information on the Internet.

3 California State University, Fullerton Managing Stored Data Individual information systems often require that data be stored in secondary storage in either data files or databases. Using a database to manage data consists of three main functions: Creating a database Accessing (Retrieving) a database Updating or changing a database

4 California State University, Fullerton Creating a Database Creating a database consists of two main steps: 1.Entering a description of the structure of the data and the relationships. 2.Entering the initial data in the database, a process sometimes called populating the database.

5 California State University, Fullerton Accessing a Database Accessing data means retrieving the data from the database in secondary storage and bringing it into primary storage.

6 California State University, Fullerton Updating a Database Updating a database involves three main tasks: 1.Adding new data to the database 2.Deleting old data in the database 3.Changing data in the database

7 California State University, Fullerton Analyzing Data The most widely used analytical software is spreadsheet software. A spreadsheet is an arrangement of data into rows and columns that is used to analyze the data. With spreadsheet software an individual creates an electronic spreadsheet, or worksheet.

8 California State University, Fullerton Analyzing Data (cont’d.) One of the main reasons for making changes in a worksheet is to see what would happen to other figures when changes are made. This technique is called what-if-analysis.

9 California State University, Fullerton Presenting Information Information is prepared for presentation in a text form by using word processing software. Functions available in word processing software include: Formatting text by selecting the font, the font size, font color and font style. Editing the existing text. Printing the document.

10 California State University, Fullerton Presenting Information (cont’d.) Information is prepared for presentation in a graphical or pictorial form by using computer graphics software. Examples include: Charts Diagrams

11 California State University, Fullerton Presenting Information (cont’d.) Common types of computer graphics software include: Charting software: bar charts, pie charts, line charts Drawing software: auto shapes, free hand drawing Presentation graphics software Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE)

12 California State University, Fullerton Searching the World Wide Web A browser lets a user follow links from one Web page to another to locate information. A better approach is to use a search engine.

13 California State University, Fullerton Searching the World Wide Web (cont’d.) Three main types of search engines A search engine Locates pages on the Web periodically by sending programs, sometimes called spiders, wanderers, or robots, over the Web to look for new pages. Example – Alta Vista, Hotbot, Google. A meta-search engine does not search the Web, rather it searches other search engines. Example – MetaCrawler, Lycos

14 California State University, Fullerton Searching the World Wide Web (cont’d.) A portal is a Web site that provides multiple services for its users. Examples and Searching the Web using a browser can be thought of as pulling information into the users computer. Having information sent to you automatically uses a technique called push technology.

15 California State University, Fullerton Searching the World Wide Web (cont’d.) For information obtained from the Web, the user must carefully analyze the credibility of the source of the information to ensure that what is received is accurate.

16 California State University, Fullerton Problems, Solutions and Solution Procedures A problem is a question to which someone does not know the answer. The solution to a problem is the answer to the problem question. A solution procedure is a set of steps that, if carried out, results in the solution of a problem.

17 California State University, Fullerton End-User Computing End-user computing is the development and use of personal computer applications by end users. The user identifies the problems to be solved, decides on the appropriate software, determines the appropriate procedures, customizes the software, and uses the software to develop a solution.

18 California State University, Fullerton The Problem-Solving Process The five main activities of the problem-solving process are: 1.Understand and define the problem 2.Define the solution procedure 3.Implement the solution procedure, using the selected software 4.Test the software implementation and correct any errors 5.Document the result

19 California State University, Fullerton Understand & Define The Problem At a minimum the problem definition should include descriptions of the following: The output to be produced. The input data necessary to produce the output. The type of the calculations to be performed. Other types processing to be done. Software selection.

20 California State University, Fullerton Software Selection Determine the appropriate type of software that will be used to implement the solution procedure. The most common alternatives are database, spreadsheet, word processing, graphics software, and statistical software, among others.

21 California State University, Fullerton Solution Procedure Design Steps necessary to solve the problem must be carefully planned. Written notes should be made of the solution procedure. The designing activity does not involve setting up the software to solve the problem.

22 California State University, Fullerton Software Implementation Completing the implementation requires knowing how to use the software selected. Spreadsheet software requires that the numbers, text and formulas be entered. Database software requires that the data is defined and entered, and that the query specifications and formats of forms and reports be created.

23 California State University, Fullerton Implementation Testing The user must test the software implementation to see if there are any errors. Three types of errors: 1.Syntax error – an error in a command. 2.Execution (exception error) error – errors appearing during execution of the software. 3.Logic error – generally resulting in incorrect output.

24 California State University, Fullerton Documentation Documentation is a general term used for any written description of a computer application. Two types of documentation 1.User documentation – provides information so the user can understand how to use the software. 2.Developer documentation – is for the person who developed the software.