Computer Science, Prifysgol Cymru Aberystwyth University of Wales

C374(h)* - Information Systems Analysis and Design

Brief Description

Aims, Objectives, Syllabus, Booklist

Further Details

Number of lectures

20

Number of seminars/tutorials

4

Number of practicals

0

Coordinator

Dr. Fred Long

Other staff involved

Not yet known

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

CS27220 (or C272(h) as a pre-requisite)

Incompatibilities

None

Assessment

Assessed coursework - 20%
Written exam - 80%

Timing

This half module is offered only in Term 2

• discuss the aims and objectives of an information system in the context of a human activity system,
• use a variety of analysis and design techniques to document existing information systems, to propose alternative new systems, and to specify required information systems,
• tune a database design specification to favour particular information requirements,
• combine these techniques within overall analysis and design methods,
• adapt analysis and design techniques and methods to meet the special needs of distributed information systems and object oriented information systems.

Information systems and human activity systems - 1 Lecture

Information systems as an enabling technology for human endeavour. Concepts: information, system, purposive system, human activity system, information system. Information systems in the context of a human activity systems. Information and data. The value of information as a resource or a commodity.

Dataflow modelling - 3 Lectures

Modelling the current system. Transforming a physical dataflow model to a logical dataflow model. Domain of change. Modelling proposed new systems. Modelling the required system.

Review of entity-relationship modelling techniques - 1 Lecture

The entity-relationship model as a description of the a universe of discourse. The entity-relationship model as a description of the structure of a database.

Entity-event modelling - 3 Lectures

Events and their effects on entity instances. Entities affected by an event. Entity event diagrams. Effect correspondance diagrams.

Relating different models of an information system - 1 Lecture

Entities and datastores. Entities and events. Events, processes and dataflows.

Analysis and design methods - 1 Lecture

Analysis and design aims. Questions to be addressed. Major steps in analysis and design. Analysis and design techniques. Combining techniques within design methods. SSADM Version IV.

Tuning a data model - 3 Lectures

Restructuring operations. When and how to restructure. Estimating processing performance. Estimating space usage. Derivation analysis. Temporal normal form analysis. Field grouping analysis. Key analysis. A design tuning method. Principal considerations in structural design. Structural design and implementation design.

Distributed information systems - 3 Lectures

Requirements and problems. Transparency. Approaches to distributed data provision. Centralised, distributed and federated databases. Processing distributed transactions.

Object oriented data modelling - 4 Lectures

Object oriented design principles. Data design principles. Object oriented data design. An object oriented data design method. Using an object oriented database.

Students are likely to need ready access to the following

Malcolm Eva. SSADM Version 4: A User's Guide. McGraw-Hill, 1992.

E. Downs, P. Clare, and J. Coe. SSADM Version 4. Prentice-Hall, 1992.

Caroline Ashworth and Laurence Slater. An Introduction to SSADM Version 4. McGraw-Hill, 1992.

J.G. Hughes. Database Technology, A Software Engineering Approach. Prentice-Hall, 1988.

Fred R. McFadden and Jeffrey A. Hoffer. Database Management. Benjamin/Cummings, 1985.

Notes

Only one of Eva, Downs et. al. or Ashworth and Slater will be required.

Version 2.2

Nigel Hardy Departmental Advisor