Moore’s Law

• Co-founder of Intel• “The number of transistors per square inch on

an integrated chip [speed of computing] doubles every 18 months.”

• Accurate for 40 years• Dramatic reduction in Price/Performance

Reduction in Price/Performance

What is Information?

• Knowledge derived from data• Data presented in meaningful context• Processed data• A difference that makes a difference

Information is Subjective

• Context may vary by audience• What type of data would be of interest to…

– Supervisor in auto assembly plant?– Manager of auto assembly plant?– Accountants of auto assembly plant?– Corporate office of auto maker?– Investors?– Customers?– Dealers?

Characteristics of Good Information

• Accurate• Timely• Relevant• Just Barely Sufficient• Worth its Cost

If you ran Parking Services, what would be “good” info?

• Keep track of things that involve more than one theme– Spreadsheets okay if list is simple– Databases can track multiple items

What is the Purpose of a Database?

• Self-Describing collection of integrated records• Collection of tables or files• Plus relationships among the rows in the

tables• Plus special data (metadata) that describes the

structure of the data

What is a Database?

– A database is a self-describing collection of integrated records.

– Bytes, characters of data, are grouped into columns which are also called fields.

– The fields are grouped into rows which are also called records.

– A table is a group of similar rows or records which is also called a file.

Database Definitions

Relationships among Rows – Fig 5.6

• Key – column that identifies a unique row in a table– What is the Key for the Student Table?– What is the Key for the Email Table?– What is the Key for the Office Visit Table?

• Foreign Keys – columns that are keys of a different (foreign) table than the one in which they reside.– What is the Foreign Key for the Email Table?– What is the Foreign Key for the Office Visit Table?

In Class Assignment

• Metadata are data that describe data– In Access: Field Name, Data Type, Description, and

Field Properties– Analogy – Catalog of information about contents

Metadata

What are the Components of a Database Application System?

• Program used to create, process, and administer a database

• Popular products – DB2, Access, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL

• DBMS vs. Database– DBMS is the program– Database is the collection of tables, relationships,

and metadata

DBMS

• Forms are used to read, insert, modify, and delete data.

• Reports show data in a structured format.• Queries allow a user to quickly find a specific

record or collection of data.• Process logic that is specific to a given business

need.– Example – Ordered 10, only 3 on inventory

• Enables multiple users to do processing

How do database applications make databases more useful?

• Enterprise DBMS– Processes large organizational and workgroup

databases– Support many users– Examples – Oracle, DB2, SQL Server

• Personal DBMS– Designed for smaller, simpler database applications– Less than 100 users (usually <15!)– Example – Access

Enterprise vs. Personal DBMS

• Rectangle – Entity (or Table)• Underlined item – Identifier (or Key)

Student Data Model Entities

• Entity Relationship Diagrams – join entities

• Cardinalities– One-to-one – 1:1– One-to-many – 1:N– Many-to-many – N:M

Relationships

• In addition to the crows feet, you may see a vertical bar or an oval– Vertical bar – at least one entity of that type is

required – Minimum Cardinality– Oval – entity is optional– Crows Feet – Many entities possible – Maximum

Cardinality

Optional vs. Mandatory

Representing Relationships

What is collaboration?

• Occurs when two or more people work together to achieve a common goal, result, or work product

• Results of group are greater than could be done by an individual

• Involves coordination and communication

What is collaboration?

• Occurs when two or more people work together to achieve a common goal, result, or work product

• Results of group are greater than could be done by an individual

• Involves coordination and communication

3 Drivers of Collaboration

• Communication• Content Management• Workflow Control

Communication – Elements

• Skills and abilities of group members– Ability to give and receive feedback constructively

• Availability of communication systems– Geographic distribution– Availability

Content Management

• Manage content without creating conflict– Version management – who, what, when, and why– Permissions

• Full – create, edit, delete• Read/Write – can edit• Read Only

Collaboration Procedures

• Starting• Planning• Doing• Wrapping Up• Iteration and Feedback

(Look up definitions)

How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication?

• Depends on the type of communication needed– Synchronous – meet at same time

• Online group calendar, Outlook, Evite, virtual meetings, video conferencing

– Asynchronous – don’t meet at same time• Discussion forums, team surveys, email

Problem Solving

• Problem definition– Perception defines the problem– Example: broken laptop – user, CSR, tech– Need system to find common definition

• Problem solution– Identify, choose, broker alternative– How could system help our example?

Decision Making

• Decision making– Operational – day to day– Managerial – allocation of resources– Strategic – broader scope

• Decisions – structured vs. unstructured – what is the difference?

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Figure 3-1

Q1: How Does Organizational Strategy Determine Information Systems Structure?

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Organizations examine the structure of their industry and determine a competitive strategy

Competitive strategy determines value chains determine business processes

Structure of business processes determines design of supporting information systems

Q2: What Five Forces Determine Industry Structure? (cont’d)

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Five Forces at FlexTime

Q3: How Does Analysis of Industry Structure Determine Competitive Strategy?

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Porter’s Four Competitive Strategies

Q4 How Does Competitive StrategyDetermine Value Chain Structure?

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Value is amount of money a customer is willing to pay for a resource, product, or service. Difference between value an activity generates and its cost is called margin.

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Support Activities in the Value Chain

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Technology R & D, New Techniques, Methods, Procedures

Procurement Raw Materials

Human Resources Training, Recruiting, Compensation

Firm Infrastructure General Management, Finance, Accounting, Legal, Government Affairs

Support Activity Description

Organizations analyze their industry and choose a competitive strategy

Given a strategy, business processes to span value-generating activities are designed

Those processes determine scope and requirements of each organization’s information systems

Bottom Line

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Prentice Hall

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