What is a system? A system is a collection of components that interact to achieve a specific task.
A system Consist of 3 basic components Input Process Output
Example: School Input Process Output Children, Teachers . Text Book, Syllabus , Management , Building…. Teaching and Learning A well-educated students
Information System A system which converts data into information is known as an information system Data Process Information
There are two types of information system 1. Computer based (Automated) Ex: Contact List 2. Manual information systems Ex: School register
1. Manual System In this type of a system all processes are done manually. 2. Computer based (Automated) A system which converts data into Information using a computer is known as a computer based information system.
System development Life cycle (SDLC ) This has the following steps. 1. I dentification of requirements 2. D esigning the solution 3. C oding of the solution 4. T esting and debugging 5. D eployment of the system 6. M aintenance of the system
1 . Identification of requirements At this stage the system analyst will study the existing system There are several methods of gathering information. Some of them are as follows; Observation – T he initially existing workflow of the system is observed as it is by visiting , to gather information. E.g . - Observation of issuing of books in a library 2 . Interviews - discuss matters related to personal attitudes openly, it is useful to identify personal requirements. E.g. - Meet Librarian 3 . Questionnaires - 4 . Document sample collection – previous documents are observed 5 . Prototyping – A model of the proposed system to be implemented is developed and demonstrated to the staff and users for feedback
2. Designing the solution Some activities related to the design process are as follows: 1. Identification of software and software architecture 2. User interface - what the user sees on the screen and preparation for data storage 3. Identification of dependency of each sub-system 4. Deciding on the required hardware and software to run the system 5. Designing infrastructure for software, databases, user interfaces
3. Coding of the solution Suitable Languages are selected, making the code simple and efficient
4. Testing and debugging The main objective of this phase is to resolve errors . There are several steps 1) Unit Testing – each unit in the system is tested 2) Integration Testing 3) System Testing – complete system is tested 4) Acceptance Testing – Users are allowed to use the system so that either they approve and accept the system or request future changes.
5. Deployment of the system Deployment (i.e. install and use) of the system which has been tested and debugged is carried out at this stage.
There are different deployment approaches to deploy a system. They are as follows: Direct deployment The existing system is totally terminated and the new system is installed. Parallel deployment The existing and the new systems are used parallel for a certain period. Pilot deployment Pilot deployment is about using the newly developed system in a selected area. Phased deployment Here, the new system is deployed in stages. Success with each stage leads to the next and in completing the new system, the old system is completely replaced by the new.
6. Maintenance of the system A system once installed and in the use for a certain period, needs to be maintained well.
System Development Life cycle Models There are several models of Systems Development Life Cycle. Each model facilitates the system development in different ways. Some example models are: Waterfall Model - linear development. Iterative Incremental Model - smaller portions at a time (incremental). Prototyping Model Spiral Model