Benefits of using Excel spreadsheet

1. Manipulate data, develop & solve models that support

business data analysis
2. Provide means for visualizing data & increase accuracy

DATA: facts and figures without any real context/meaning

INFORMATION: meaningful data that helped someone understand
something
KNOWLEDGE: information that has been incorporated into
someones mind

INFORMATION SYSTEM: systems that use info to capture data and

transmit, store, retrieve, manipulate and display information
TRANSACTION PROCESSING: capture and record info about the
business transactions that affect the organization
o Keep track of routine operations
o Record events in database
ONLINE (immediate) BATCH (accumulated)
MANAGEMENT INFO: supplies info for decision-making
responsibilities
o Analyze the collected data to produce useful reports
DECISION SUPPORT: organized collection of people,
procedures, software, databases, and devices used to support
problem-specific decision making (textual / graphical
orientation)
EXPERT SYSTEM: simulation of decision-making ability of a
human expert

Components: an aggregation of parts referred as subsystems

Interrelated components: dependency of a subsystem on one or
more subsystems to achieve predetermined objectives within their
environment
Input: whatever a system takes from its environment to fulfill its
purpose
Output: systems output to its environment to fulfill its purpose
Environment: external to a system and interacts with the system
Boundary: marking inside and outside of a system
Interfaces: point of contact between a system and its
environment / subsystems
Constraint: a limit or condition set out for a system
Stakeholders: parties that have direct interest in the system

PROBLEM SYMPTOM: apparent evidence that a problem exists

PROBLEM CAUSE: underlying situation that is the source of the
symptoms
Hardware
Problem: Capacity
Symptom: Slow computer response times
Management
 Problem: Control/strategic planning
Symptom: Reduced profit
1. Problem Analysis identification (rich pictures, framework),
estimation of the dimension of the problem, determine
internal/external causes
2. Problem Understanding fact collection (interviews,
observations)
3. Decision Making selecting the best option
4. Solution Design take into account logical / physical
components, structural / procedural organizational constraints
5. Implementation creation and execution of a planned
strategy

eBusiness any business transaction or activity that uses networks

eCommerce a subset of ^ ; includes all electrically mediated info
exchanges between an organization and its external stakeholders
Intranet: facilitate communication within organizations can
support inventory control, finance, improvement of
performance
Extranet: support business-to-business transactions
Internet: support both b2c, b2b relationships
o B2C deals directly without an intermediary
o C2C consumers selling directly to each other
o B2B largest & fastest growing
o Supply Chain: flow of materials, info, and service from
raw material suppliers through factories to the end
customers.
SIMPLE LINEAR SUPPLY CHAIN
Upstream: front tier suppliers & second tier
suppliers
Internal: internal activities transforming inputs to
outputs
Downstream: activities involved in developing
products or services to the final customers

MEASUREMENT OF USABILITY
1. Learnability easy to learn, most important and fundamental
Measurement: the increased proficiency reached by users
completing tasks after a specific period of training
How fast? How clear? How easy?
2. Memorability able to return to the system after a period of
time without much relearning
Measurement: users after a period of no use / memory test
How easy is it? Can you remember it well enough?
3. Efficiency of Use high level of productivity once the system is
learned
Measurement: how much faster the expert user can complete the
task compared with the previous time
 Once the system is learned, is it highly productive?
4. Errors any action that inhibits the accomplishing of a desired
goal
Measurement: error rate - # of errors occurred while performing a
task
How often? How serious are they? How easy is it to recover?
5. Subject Satisfaction systems should be pleasant to use,
entertainment value can be more important than the speed
Measurement: asking users for their subjective opinions post-use
How much does the user like using the system?

FORMS a simple way to enter data held in tables

QUERIES means of questioning the database
REPORTS present data from tables/queries in a user-friendly
format
Forms + Queries + Reports = DATA INFORMATION

LAN a network that connects computers within each store

WAN the type of network that could link up all computers among
stores
Authorization a means of making sure users can only complete
certain actions in the ordering system
IP the protocol that a computer needs to use so that its address
can be recognized on the Internet
Firewall specialized hardware and software designed to prevent
unauthorized access to information assets stored on a private
network
Authentication the issue of confirming that a user is who he says
he is
Server the type of computer service of the central computer

WEB 2.0: web applications that facilitate participatory info sharing,

interoperability, user-centered design, collaboration on the
worldwide web
Interact in social media as creators of user-generated info
(prosumers)
Wikis, blogs, podcasts, tags, RSS
o Social Network: online service that focuses on building
and reflecting social networks or social relations among
people who share similar interests

ASSET IDENTIFICATION customers info, payment information, product

information, sales figures, marketing information
RISK ASSESSMENT hardware failure, theft loss of service, data integrity,
virus, hacker, human errors incorrect payment, loss of payment details,
disaster: fire, flood destroy hardware, loss of stored data on hardware
RISK PREVENTION hardware checkup, physical control to protect availability
and integrity of data, antivirus, firewall and authentication, backup: protect
availability