Assignment

QUESTION 1

Reducing the number of input errors improves data quality. The best defense against incorrect data is to identify and correct errors before they enter the system by using data validation checks. A data validation check improves input quality by testing data and rejecting any entry that fails to meet specified conditions.

Discuss the EIGHT data validation checks that you can use to improve input qualification. Use of examples will enhance your answer.

Discuss what an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) is and briefly describe the types of relationships that exists in ERD with the use of cardinalities in Crow's foot notation. The use of diagrams and examples will enhance your answer.

QUESTION 2

Application architecture translates the logical design into a physical structure that includes hardware, software, network support, and processing methods. The end product of the systems design phase is the preparation of the system design specification document.

Discuss the application architecture checklist issues that the system analyst should consider when selecting an application architecture.

A supervisor states, "Integration testing is a waste of time. If each program is tested adequately, integration testing is not needed. Instead, we should move on to system testing as soon as possible. If modules don't interact properly, we'll handle it then." Do you agree or disagree with this comment? Justify your position.

QUESTION 3

New Century Health Clinic

New Century Health Clinic offers preventive medicine and traditional medical care. In yourrole as an IT consultant, you will help New Century develop a new information system.

The New Century clinic associates accepted your interface, output, input, and data designs and your recommendation to install a server and four personal computers as clients on a local area network. The network will include a tape backup unit and Internet access via a modem that can exchange data with insurance companies. A high-speed laser printer and an impact printer for multipart forms will be accessible by any of the four PCs. Now you will determine system architecture for the New Century system.

When you created ERDs and record designs for New Century during the data design process in Chapter 9, you considered whether to use a file-processing or database approach. As you know, each strategy has advantages and disadvantages, depending on the specific hardware and software environment and business requirements. At this point, you must decide which way to proceed, and Dr. Jones will accept your recommendation (with your instructor's approval). You should start by reviewing the DFDs and object-oriented diagrams that you prepared in the systems analysis phase, and the ERDs and table designs that you created in the systems design phase.

What would be the advantages of selecting an Internet-based architecture for the New Century system?

Should the New Century system be based on file-server or client/server architecture? Why?

Could the New Century system use both online and batch processing? How?