the systems that we are talking about are the systems within
organizations and businesses, systems of communication,
financial systems, manufacturing systems , etc. Basically the
systems that make the organization or business work.
research
before the system analyst can make any
recommendations about a new system, they first have to
understand how the present system works
questionnaires
with large groups of people a questionnaire is a quick and
simple way to gather information.
collecting information
as much information about the present
system needs to be gathered as possible
interviews
the system analyst can interview key people within the
system to find out how it works
collecting documents
most businesses and organizations use documents to record information, or
to communicate information .
Designing
System Inputs
Process
Data must be captured
It can be manual or automatic
Data must be input to the
computer
Types of methods to do the
data cature and data input
Paper Forms
They have spaces for numbers and text to
be written in. The data from this form
would then be typed into the computer
manually or by a OMR
Bar Code Reader
Captures the numeric code that the
barcode represents. They are used
with POS systems and also
stock-control systems
Card Reader
Cards contain data stored on a magnetic
strip or in smart cards which can be
captured with a card reader, they are
mostly used in systems such as EFTPOS
Camara
It captures still
or moving
images which
can then be
input to a
computer for
processing
On-screen Forms
It should
have:
*Have all of the necessary fields *Have obvious
places for user inputs *Use appropriate controls for
each field *Have text box controls that are the right
size for the data *Have easy-to-understand
instructions *Make good use of the screen area
available
Form Controls
Text Box
Normal text input
Buttons
Perform an action
Option Buttons
To select options
Check Boxes
Select options
Drop-Down menus
Select options from a list
Validation and Verifications techniques
Validation
The computer checks that the data is sensible
Presence Check
Range Check
Is the data value within a
set range?
Length Check
Is an item of text too short
or too long?
Type Check
Format Check
Verification
To check that data is the
correct value
Proof Reading
After the data has been entered a person
compares the original data with the data in
the computer
Advantages and Disadvantages
Proof-reading is quick and simple, but
doesn’t catch every mistake.
Double-Entry
The data is entered into the
computer twice
Advantages and Disadvantages
Double-entry takes more time and
effort, but it catches almost every
mistake.
System processes
Data and File structures
A data structure is an organised collection of
data, this will be some sort of database in
which data will be stored as it is being
processed
Needs to concider
*The type of data being stored *The
size of the data *The field names to
use How many records will need to
be stored
Backing storage device and media
*How often will the data need to
be accessed *How quickly the
data needs to be accessed *How
large will the data files be So, for
example
How the Data Will be Processed
The system designer also needs
to design the actual steps to be
followed to processing the data
System Outputs
On-Screen Reports
The designer should consider
*Show all of the necessary fields *Have fields that
are the right size for the data *Have
easy-to-understand instructions *Make good use of
the screen area available *Make good use of colours
and fonts to make the data clear
Printed Reports
The report needs to fit a piece of printer paper, it might also
include page numbers, a header / footer, etc