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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 1 Q.

Transaction Processing System


A. Updating the appropriate database records as soon as a transaction (order, payment, etc.) is entered into the computer. It may also imply that confirmations are sent at the same time. Transaction processing systems are the backbone of an organization because they update constantly. At any given moment, someone may need an inventory balance, an account balance or the total current value of a financial portfolio. Also called "online transaction processing" (OLTP), the OLTP market is a demanding one, often requiring 24x7 operation and the most reliable computers and networks. A manual example of transaction processing would be that every time you purchased an item, you added the amount paid to a running total. Contrast with "batch processing," which means that you save all receipts in a drawer and add them up at the end of the year for taxes. The success of commercial enterprises depends on the reliable processing of transactions to ensure that customer orders are met on time, and that partners and suppliers are paid and can make payment. The field of transaction processing, therefore, has become a vital part of effective business management, led by such organizations as the Association for Work Process Improvement and the Transaction Processing Performance Council. Transaction processing systems offer enterprises the means to rapidly process transactions to ensure the smooth flow of data and the progression of processes throughout the enterprise. Typically, a TPS will exhibit the following characteristics: Rapid Processing The rapid processing of transactions is vital to the success of any enterprise now more than ever, in the face of advancing technology and customer demand for immediate action. TPS systems are designed to process transactions virtually instantly to ensure that customer data is available to the processes that require it. Reliability Similarly, customers will not tolerate mistakes. TPS systems must be designed to ensure that not only do transactions never slip past the net, but that the systems themselves remain operational permanently. TPS systems are therefore designed to incorporate comprehensive safeguards and disaster recovery systems. These measures keep the failure rate well within tolerance levels. Standardization Transactions must be processed in the same way each time to maximize efficiency. To ensure this, TPS interfaces are designed to acquire identical data for each transaction, regardless of the customer. Controlled Access Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa

Since TPS systems can be such a powerful business tool, access must be restricted to only those employees who require their use. Restricted access to the system ensures that employees who lack the skills and ability to control it cannot influence the transaction process. Transactions Processing Qualifiers In order to qualify as a TPS, transactions made by the system must pass the ACID test. The ACID tests refers to the following four prerequisites: Atomicity Atomicity means that a transaction is either completed in full or not at all. For example, if funds are transferred from one account to another, this only counts as a bone fide transaction if both the withdrawal and deposit take place. If one account is debited and the other is not credited, it does not qualify as a transaction. TPS systems ensure that transactions take place in their entirety. Consistency TPS systems exist within a set of operating rules (or integrity constraints). If an integrity constraint states that all transactions in a database must have a positive value, any transaction with a negative value would be refused. Isolation Transactions must appear to take place in isolation. For example, when a fund transfer is made between two accounts the debiting of one and the crediting of another must appear to take place simultaneously. The funds cannot be credited to an account before they are debited from another. Durability Once transactions are completed they cannot be undone. To ensure that this is the case even if the TPS suffers failure, a log will be created to document all completed transactions. These four conditions ensure that TPS systems carry out their transactions in a methodical, standardized and reliable manner. Types of Transactions While the transaction process must be standardized to maximize efficiency, every enterprise requires a tailored transaction process that aligns with its business strategies and processes. For this reason, there are two broad types of transaction: Batch Processing

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


Batch processing is not transaction processing. Batch processing involves processing several transactions at the same time, and the results of each transaction are not immediately available when the transaction is being entered; there is a time delay. Batch processing is a resource-saving transaction type that stores data for processing at pre-defined times. Batch processing is useful for enterprises that need to process large amounts of data using limited resources. Examples of batch processing include credit card transactions, for which the transactions are processed monthly rather than in real time. Credit card transactions need only be processed once a month in order to produce a statement for the customer, so batch processing saves IT resources from having to process each transaction individually. Real Time Processing In many circumstances the primary factor is speed. For example, when a bank customer withdraws a sum of money from his or her account it is vital that the transaction be processed and the account balance updated as soon as possible, allowing both the bank and customer to keep track of funds. Transaction Processing System or Transaction Processing Monitor is a set of information which process the data transaction in database system that monitors transaction programs (a special kind of program). The essence of a transaction program is that it manages data that must be left in a consistent state. E.g. if an electronic payment is made, the amount must be either both withdrawn from one account and added to the other, or none at all. In case of a failure preventing transaction completion, the partially executed transaction must be 'rolled back' by the TPS. While this type of integrity must be provided also for batch transaction processing, it is particularly important for online processing: if e.g. an airline seat reservation system is accessed by multiple operators, after an empty seat inquiry, the seat reservation data must be locked until the reservation is made, otherwise another user may get the impression a seat is still free while it is actually being booked at the time. Without proper transaction monitoring, double bookings may occur. Other transaction monitor functions include deadlock detection and resolution (deadlocks may be inevitable in certain cases of cross-dependence on data), and transaction logging (in 'journals') for 'forward recovery' in case of massive failures.

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 2


Q. Executive Information System A. Executive information systems make a variety of critical information readily available in a highly summarized and convenient form. Senior managers characteristically employ many informal sources of information, however, so that formal, computerized information systems are of limited assistance. Nevertheless, this assistance is important for the chief executive officer, senior and executive vice presidents, and the board of directors to monitor the performance of the company, assess the business environment, and develop strategic directions for the future. In particular, these executives need to compare their organizations performance with that of its competitors and investigate general economic trends in regions or countries for potential expansion. Often relying on multiple media, executive information systems give their users an opportunity to drill down from summary data to increasingly detailed and focused information. An Executive Information System (EIS) is a type of management information system intended to facilitate and support the information and decision-making needs of senior executives by providing easy access to both internal and external information relevant to meeting the strategic goals of the organization. It is commonly considered as a specialized form of a Decision Support System (DSS) The emphasis of EIS is on graphical displays and easy-to-use user interfaces. They offer strong reporting and drill-down capabilities. In general, EIS are enterprise-wide DSS that help top-level executives analyze, compare, and highlight trends in important variables so that they can monitor performance and identify opportunities and problems. EIS and data warehousing technologies are converging in the marketplace. In recent years, the term EIS has lost popularity in favor of Business Intelligence (with the sub areas of reporting, analytics, and digital dashboards). History Traditionally, executive information systems were developed as mainframe computer-based programs. The purpose was to package a companys data and to provide sales performance or market research statistics for decision makers, as such financial officers, marketing directors, and chief executive officers, who were not necessarily well acquainted with computers. The objective was to develop computer applications that would highlight information to satisfy senior executives needs. Typically, an EIS provides data that would only need to support executive level decisions instead of the data for all the company. Today, the application of EIS is not only in typical corporate hierarchies, but also at personal computers on a local area network. EIS now cross computer hardware platforms and integrate information stored on mainframes, personal computer systems, and minicomputers. As some client service companies adopt the latest enterprise information systems, employees can use their personal computers to get access to the companys data and decide which data are relevant for their decision makings. This arrangement makes all users able to customize their access to the proper companys data and provide relevant information to both upper and lower levels in companies.

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


Components The components of an EIS can typically be classified as: Hardware When talking about hardware for an EIS environment, we should focus on the hardware that meet the executives needs. The executive must be put first and the executives needs must be defined before the hardware can be selected. The basic computer hardware needed for a typical EIS includes four components: 1. Input data-entry devices. These devices allow the executive to enter, verify, and update data immediately; 2. The central processing unit (CPU), which is the kernel because it controls the other computer system components; 3. Data storage files. The executive can use this part to save useful business information, and this part also help the executive to search historical business information easily; 4. Output devices, which provide a visual or permanent record for the executive to save or read. This device refers to the visual output device or printer. In addition, with the advent of local area networks (LAN), several EIS products for networked workstations became available. These systems require less support and less expensive computer hardware. They also increase access of the EIS information to many more users within a company. Software Choosing the appropriate software is vital to design an effective EIS. Therefore, the software components and how they integrate the data into one system are very important. The basic software needed for a typical EIS includes four components: 1. Text base software. The most common form of text is probably documents; 2. Database. Heterogeneous databases residing on a range of vendor-specific and open computer platforms help executives access both internal and external data; 3. Graphic base. Graphics can turn volumes of text and statistics into visual information for executives. Typical graphic types are: time series charts, scatter diagrams, maps, motion graphics, sequence charts, and comparison-oriented graphs (i.e., bar charts); 4. Model base. The EIS models contain routine and special statistical, financial, and other quantitative analysis. Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


Perhaps a more difficult problem for executives is choosing from a range of highly technical software packages. Ease of use, responsiveness to executives' requests, and price are all reasonable considerations. Further, it should be considered whether the package can run on existing hardware. User Interface An EIS needs to be efficient to retrieve relevant data for decision makers, so the user interface is very important. Several types of interfaces can be available to the EIS structure, such as scheduled reports, questions/answers, menu driven, command language, natural language, and input/output. It is crucial that the interface must fit the decision makers decision-making style. If the executive is not comfortable with the information questions/answers style, the EIS will not be fully utilized. The ideal interface for an EIS would be simple to use and highly flexible, providing consistent performance, reflecting the executives world, and containing help information. Telecommunication As decentralizing is becoming the current trend in companies, telecommunications will play a pivotal role in networked information systems. Transmitting data from one place to another has become crucial for establishing a reliable network. In addition, telecommunications within an EIS can accelerate the need for access to distributed data. Applications EIS enables executives to find those data according to user-defined criteria and promote information-based insight and understanding. Unlike a traditional management information system presentation, EIS can distinguish between vital and seldom-used data, and track different key critical activities for executives, both which are helpful in evaluating if the company is meeting its corporate objectives. After realizing its advantages, people have applied EIS in many areas, especially, in manufacturing, marketing, and finance areas. Manufacturing Basically, manufacturing is the transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale, or intermediate processes involving the production or finishing of semi-manufactures. It is a large branch of industry and of secondary production. Manufacturing operational control focuses on day-to-day operations, and the central idea of this process is effectiveness and efficiency. To produce meaningful managerial and operational information for controlling manufacturing operations, the executive has to make changes in the decision processes. EIS provides the evaluation of vendors and buyers, the evaluation of purchased materials and parts, and analysis of critical purchasing areas. Therefore, the executive can oversee and review purchasing operations effectively with EIS. In addition, because production planning and control depends heavily on the plants data base and its communications with all manufacturing work centers, EIS also provides an approach to improve production planning and control. Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


Marketing In an organization, marketing executives role is to create the future. Their main duty is managing available marketing resources to create a more effective future. For this, they need make judgments about risk and uncertainty of a project and its impact on the company in short term and long term. To assist marketing executives in making effective marketing decisions, an EIS can be applied. EIS provides an approach to sales forecasting, which can allow the market executive to compare sales forecast with past sales. EIS also offers an approach to product price, which is found in venture analysis. The market executive can evaluate pricing as related to competition along with the relationship of product quality with price charged. In summary, EIS software package enables marketing executives to manipulate the data by looking for trends, performing audits of the sales data, and calculating totals, averages, changes, variances, or ratios. All of these sales analysis functions help marketing executives to make final decisions. Financial A financial analysis is one of the most important steps to companies today. The executive needs to use financial ratios and cash flow analysis to estimate the trends and make capital investment decisions. An EIS is a responsibility-oriented approach that integrates planning or budgeting with control of performance reporting, and it can be extremely helpful to finance executives. Basically, EIS focuses on accountability of financial performance and it recognizes the importance of cost standards and flexible budgeting in developing the quality of information provided for all executive levels. EIS enables executives to focus more on the long-term basis of current year and beyond, which means that the executive not only can manage a sufficient flow to maintain current operations but also can figure out how to expand operations that are contemplated over the coming years. Also, the combination of EIS and EDI environment can help cash managers to review the companys financial structure so that the best method of financing for an accepted capital project can be concluded. In addition, the EIS is a good tool to help the executive to review financial ratios, highlight financial trends and analyze a companys performance and its competitors. Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages

Easy for upper-level executives to use, extensive computer experience is not required in operations Provides timely delivery of company summary information Information that is provided is better understood Filters data for management Improves to tracking information Offers efficiency to decision makers Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


Disadvantages

Functions are limited, cannot perform complex calculations Hard to quantify benefits and to justify implementation of an EIS Executives may encounter information overload System may become slow, large, and hard to manage Difficult to keep current data May lead to less reliable and insecure data Small companies may encounter excessive costs for implementation Too detailed Oriented

Future Trends The future of executive info systems will not be bound by mainframe computer systems. This trend allows executives escaping from learning different computer operating systems and substantially decreases the implementation costs for companies. Because utilizing existing software applications lies in this trend, executives will also eliminate the need to learn a new or special language for the EIS package. Future executive information systems will not only provide a system that supports senior executives, but also contain the information needs for middle managers. The future executive information systems will become diverse because of integrating potential new applications and technology into the systems, such as incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and integrating multimedia characteristics and ISDN technology into an EIS.

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 3


Q. Expert System (ES) A. An expert system is software that attempts to reproduce the performance of one or more human experts, most commonly in a specific problem domain, and is a traditional application and/or subfield of artificial intelligence. A wide variety of methods can be used to simulate the performance of the expert however common to most or all are 1) the creation of a so-called "knowledgebase" which uses some knowledge representation formalism to capture the Subject Matter Experts (SME) knowledge and 2) a process of gathering that knowledge from the SME and codifying it according to the formalism, which is called knowledge engineering. Expert systems may or may not have learning components but a third common element is that once the system is developed it is proven by being placed in the same real world problem solving situation as the human SME, typically as an aid to human workers or a supplement to some information system. As a premiere application of computing and artificial intelligence, the topic of expert systems has many points of contact with general systems theory, operations research, business process reengineering and various topics in applied mathematics and management science. One advantage of expert systems over traditional methods of programming is that they allow the use of "confidences", also known as certainty factors. A human, when reasoning, does not always conclude things with 100% confidence: he might venture, "If Fritz is green, then he is probably a frog" (after all, he might be a chameleon). This type of reasoning can be imitated by using numeric values called confidences. For example, if it is known that Fritz is green, it might be concluded with 0.85 confidence that he is a frog; or, if it is known that he is a frog, it might be concluded with 0.95 confidence that he hops. These numbers are similar in nature to probabilities, but they are not the same: they are meant to imitate the confidences humans use in reasoning rather than to follow the mathematical definitions used in calculating probabilities. Individuals involved with expert systems There are generally three individuals having an interaction with expert systems. Primary among these is the end-user; the individual who uses the system for its problem solving assistance. In the building and maintenance of the system there are two other roles: the problem domain expert who builds and supplies the knowledge base providing the domain expertise, and a knowledge engineer who assists the experts in determining the representation of their knowledge, enters this knowledge into an explanation module and who defines the inference technique required to obtain useful problem solving activity. Usually, the knowledge engineer will represent the problem solving activity in the form of rules which is referred to as a rule-based expert system. When these rules are created from the domain expertise, the knowledge base stores the rules of the expert system.

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 4


Q. Office Automation (OA) A. Office automation refers to the varied computer machinery and software used to digitally create, collect, store, manipulate, and relay office information needed for accomplishing basic tasks and goals. Raw data storage, electronic transfer, and the management of electronic business information comprise the basic activities of an office automation system. The history of modern office automation began with the typewriter and the copy machine, which mechanized previously manual tasks. Today, however, office automation is increasingly understood as a term that refers not just to the mechanization of tasks but to the conversion of information to electronic form as well. The advent of the personal computer revolutionized office automation, and today, popular operating systems and user interfaces dominate office computer systems. This revolution has been so complete, and has infiltrated so many areas of business, that almost all businesses use at least one commercial computer business application in the course of daily activity. Even the smallest companies commonly utilize computer technology to maintain financial records, inventory information, payroll records, and other pertinent business information. "Workplace technology that started as handy (but still optional) business tools in the 1980s evolved into a high-priority requirement in the 1990s," summarized Stanley Zarowin in Journal of Accountancy. "As we enter the new millennium, it has taken another quantum leap, going from a priority to a prerequisite for doing business." The Basics of Office Automation Generally, there are three basic activities of an office automation system: data storage of information, data exchange, and data management. Within each broad application area, hardware and software combine to fulfill basic functions. Data storage usually includes office records and other primary office forms and documents. Data applications involve the capture and editing of files, images, or spreadsheets. Word processing and desktop presentation packages accommodate raw textual and graphical data, while spreadsheet applications provide users with the capacity to engage in the easy manipulation and output of numbers. Image applications allow the capture and editing of visual images. Text handling software and systems cover the whole field of word processing and desktop publishing. Word processing, the most basic and common office automation activity, is the inputting (usually via keyboard) and manipulation of text on a computer. Today's commercial word processing applications provide users with a sophisticated set of commands to format, edit, and print text documents. One of the most popular features of word processing packages are their preformatted document templates. Templates automatically set up such things as font size, paragraph styles, headers and footers, and page numbers so that the user does not have to reset document characteristics every time they create a new record. Desktop publishing adds another dimension to text manipulation. By combining the features of a word processor with advanced page design and layout features, desktop publishing packages have emerged as valuable tools in the creation of newsletters, brochures, and other documents that combine text and Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


photographs, charts, drawings and other graphic images. Image handling software and systems are another facet of office automation. Examples of visual information include pictures of documents, photographs, and graphics such as tables and charts. These images are converted into digital files, which cannot be edited the same way that text files can. In a word processor or desktop publishing application, each word or character is treated individually. In an imaging system, the entire picture or document is treated as one whole object. One of the most popular uses of computerized images is in corporate presentations or speeches. Presentation software packages simplify the creation of multimedia presentations that use computer video, images, sound, and text in an integrated information package. Spreadsheet programs allow the manipulation of numeric data. Early popular spreadsheet programs such as Visi Calc and Lotus 123 greatly simplified common business financial record keeping. Particularly useful among the many spreadsheet options is the ability to use variables in pro forma statements. The pro forma option allows the user to change a variable and have a complex formula automatically recalculated based on the new numbers. Many businesses use spreadsheets for financial management, financial projection, and accounting. DATA EXCHANGE. While data storage and manipulation is one component of an office automation system, the exchange of that information is another equally important component. Electronic transfer is a general application area that highlights the exchange of information between more than one user or participant. Electronic mail, voice mail, and facsimile are examples of electronic transfer applications. Systems that allow instantaneous or "real time" transfer of information (i.e. online conversations via computer or audio exchange with video capture) are considered electronic sharing systems. Electronic sharing software illustrates the collaborative nature of many office automation systems. Office automation systems that include the ability to electronically share information between more than one user simultaneously are sometimes referred to as groupware systems. One type of groupware is an electronic meeting system. Electronic meeting systems allow geographically dispersed participants to exchange information in real time. Participants in such electronic meetings may be within the same office or building, or thousands of miles apart. Long-distance electronic sharing systems usually use a telephone line connection to transfer data; while sharing in the same often involves just a local area network of computers (no outside phone line is needed). The functional effectiveness of such electronic sharing systems has been one factor in the growth of telecommuting as an option for workers. Telecommuters work at home, maintaining their ties to the office via computer. Electronic transfer software and systems allow for electronic, voice, and facsimile transmission of office information. Electronic mail uses computer based storage and a common set of network communication standards to forward electronic messages from one user to another. Most of these systems allow users to relay electronic mail to more than one recipient. Additionally, many electronic mail systems provide security features, automatic messaging, and mail management systems like electronic folders or notebooks. Voice mail offers essentially the same applications, but for telephones, not computers. Facsimile transmissions are limited to image relay, and while usage of this communication option has declined somewhat with the emergence of electronic mail, fax machines remain standard in almost all business offices in America. In addition, new technologies continue to transform fax use, just as they have influenced other modes of Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


corporate communication. For example, facsimile converters for the personal computer that allows remote printing of "faxed" information via the computer rather than through a dedicated facsimile machine are now available. Indeed, these facsimile circuit boards for the microcomputer are slowly replacing stand-alone fax machines. Simultaneously, other traditional office equipment continues to undergo changes that improve their data exchange capacities as well. Digital copiers, for example, are increasingly multifunctional (with copying, printing, faxing, and scanning capabilities) and connectable to computer networks. DATA MANAGEMENT. Office automation systems are also often used to track both short-term and longterm data in the realms of financial plans, workforce allocation plans, marketing expenditures, inventory purchases, and other aspects of business. Task management or scheduling systems monitor and control various projects and activities within the office. Electronic management systems monitor and control office activities and tasks through timelines, resource equations, and electronic scheduling. As in data exchange, groupware and network computer systems are gaining in popularity for data management. Under such arrangements, multiple members of the office environment are provided with access to a variety of information at a central electronic location.

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 5


Q. Decision Support System (DSS) A. All information systems support decision making, however indirectly, but decision support systems are expressly designed for this purpose. The two principal varieties of decision support systems are model-driven and data-driven. In a model-driven decision support system, a preprogrammed model is applied to a limited data set, such as a sales database for the present quarter. During a typical session, an analyst or sales manager will conduct a dialog with this decision support system by specifying a number of what-if scenarios. For example, in order to establish a selling price for a new product, the sales manager may use a marketing decision support system. Such a system contains a preprogrammed model relating various factorsthe price of the product, the cost of goods, and the promotion expenseto the projected sales volume over the first five years on the market. By supplying different product prices to the model, the manager can compare predicted results and select the most profitable selling price. The primary objective of data-driven decision support systems is to analyze large pools of data, accumulated over long periods of time in data warehouses, in a process known as data mining. Data mining searches for significant patterns, such as sequences (buying a new house, followed by a new dinner table) and clusters (large families and van sales), with which decisions can be made. Data-driven decision support systems include a variety of statistical models and rely on various artificial intelligence techniques, such as expert systems, neural networks, and intelligent agents. An important category of decision support systems enables a group of decision makers to work together without necessarily being in the same place at the same time. These group decision systems include software tools for brainstorming and reaching consensus. Another category, geographic information systems, can help analyze and display data by using digitized maps. By looking at a geographic distribution of mortgage loans, for example, one can easily establish a pattern of discrimination. A. A computer-based system that enables management to interrogate the computer system on an ad hoc basis for various kinds of information on the organization and to predict the effect of potential decisions beforehand. Abbreviated DSS. A system that supports technological and managerial decision making by assisting in the organization of knowledge about ill-structured, semi structured, or unstructured issues. A structured issue has a framework comprising elements and relations between them that are known and understood. Structured issues are generally ones about which an individual has considerable experiential familiarity. A decision support system (DSS) is not intended to provide support to humans about structured issues since little cognitively based decision support is generally needed. Emphasis in the use of a decision support system is upon provision of support to decision makers in terms of increasing the effectiveness of the decision-making effort. This support involves the systems engineering steps of formulation of alternatives, the analysis of their impacts, and interpretation and selection of Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


appropriate options for implementations. Decisions may be described as structured or unstructured, depending upon whether or not the decisionmaking process can be explicitly described prior to its execution. Generally, operational performance decisions are more likely than strategic planning decisions to be pre structured. Thus, expert systems are usually more appropriate for operational performance and operational control decisions, while decision support systems are more appropriate for strategic planning and management control. The primary components of a decision support system are a database management system (DBMS), a modelbase management system (MBMS), and a dialog generation and management system (DGMS). An appropriate database management system must be able to work with both data that are internal to the organization and data that are external to it. Model-base management systems provide sophisticated analysis and interpretation capability. The dialog generation and management system is designed to satisfy knowledge representation, and control and interface requirements

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 6


Q. Management Reporting System (MRS)

A. A large category of information systems comprises those designed to support the management of an organization. Those systems rely on data obtained by transaction processing systems, as well as data acquired outside the organization (such as business intelligence gleaned on the Internet) and data provided by business partners, suppliers, and customers. Information systems support all levels of management, from those in charge of short-term schedules and budgets for small work groups to those concerned with long-term plans and budgets for the entire organization. Management reporting systems provide routine, detailed, and voluminous information reports specific to each managers areas of responsibility. Generally, these reports focus on past and present performance, rather than projecting future performance. To prevent information overload, reports are automatically sent only under exceptional circumstances or at the specific request of a manager.

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 7


Q. Major functions of Management are planning, Organizing, staffing, Directing and Controlling. A. management is an act of keeping and protection of certain things such as office activities Management is an art of getting things done from others. Its an art as well as a science. There are 5 basic functions of management. 1. Planning 2. Organizing 3. Staffing 4. Directing 5. Controlling Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and who is to do it. WHY IS PLANNING IMPORTANT A plan is useful in determining and documenting the resources needed to accomplish the target project. A plan assists in better using those resources in reaching the established goals. A plan assists in foreseeing som e of difficulties that are likely to occur. A plan can keep other people informed and updated if they join the organisation after a program, project, or venture is under way. STEPS FOR DEVELOPING A PLAN Establishing goals Developing planning assumptions Collecting information Identifying and appraising alternatives Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


choosing a course of action from alternatives

ORGANIZATION: The planned and intentional structure of roles or positions in an identified unit that seeks to achieve established purposes and objectives. The purpose of organising is to make human effort productive and effective. Formal and Informal Span of control: The number of subordinates that a manager supervises. Narrow and Wide FACTORS Task complexity Experience and maturity of the personnel Task relationships STEPS IN ORGANIZING Identifying specific tasks or activities Grouping the tasks or activities Assigning resources and responsibilities Co-ordinating activities and relationships

STAFFING Not hire a good person; hire a person who can meet the demands of the position. JOB DESCRIPTION: a) Goals b) Job content (tasks/activities) c) Job formulation or job analysis d) job qualifications and e) job specifications JOB ANNOUNCEMENT Position title Job specifications Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


Minimum qualifications Education and special certification, required Closing date for applying Starting date of employment Salary and benefits How to apply Description of the community and organisation

DIRECTING (LEADING) Decision making---Motivation techniques Communication

CONTROLLING Establishing measurable standards Measuring performance and accomplishment against the standards Revising or correcting variations from the standards when they occur PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE CONTROL Tailor controls to specific circumstances Use both subjective and objective means of evaluation Be flexible Be economical Aim to improve performance

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 8


Q. Transaction Processing System or Transaction Processing Monitor

A. A Transaction Processing System or Transaction Processing Monitor is a set of information which process the data transaction in database system that monitors transaction programs (a special kind of program). The essence of a transaction program is that it manages data that must be left in a consistent state. E.g. if an electronic payment is made, the amount must be either both withdrawn from one account and added to the other, or none at all. In case of a failure preventing transaction completion, the partially executed transaction must be 'rolled back' by the TPS. While this type of integrity must be provided also for batch transaction processing, it is particularly important for online processing: if e.g. an airline seat reservation system is accessed by multiple operators, after an empty seat inquiry, the seat reservation data must be locked until the reservation is made, otherwise another user may get the impression a seat is still free while it is actually being booked at the time. Without proper transaction monitoring, double bookings may occur. Other transaction monitor functions include deadlock detection and resolution (deadlocks may be inevitable in certain cases of cross-dependence on data), and transaction logging (in 'journals') for 'forward recovery' in case of massive failures. Transaction Processing is not limited to application programs. The 'journaled file system' provided with IBMs AIX Unix operating system employs similar techniques to maintain file system integrity, including a journal.

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 9


Q. Main areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are expert systems, natural languages, vision systems, robotics and neural networks.

A. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science which aims to create it. Major AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents," where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions which maximize its chances of success. John McCarthy, who coined the term in 1956, defines it as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines." The field was founded on the claim that a central property of human beings, intelligencethe sapience of Homo sapienscan be so precisely described that it can be simulated by a machine. This raises philosophical issues about the nature of the mind and limits of scientific hubris, issues which have been addressed by myth, fiction and philosophy since antiquity. Artificial intelligence has been the subject of breathtaking optimism, has suffered stunning setbacks and, today, has become an essential part of the technology industry, providing the heavy lifting for many of the most difficult problems in computer science. AI research is highly technical and specialized, so much so that some critics decry the "fragmentation" of the field. Subfields of AI are organized around particular problems, the application of particular tools and around longstanding theoretical differences of opinion. The central problems of AI include such traits as reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, communication, perception and the ability to move and manipulate objects. General intelligence (or "strong AI") is still a long term goal of (some) research.

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 10


Q. Star topology A. Also known as a star network, a star topology is one of the most common network setups where each of the devices and computers on a network connect to a central hub. A major disadvantage of this type of network topology is that if the central hub fails, all computers connected to that hub would be disconnected. Below is a visual example of a simple computer setup on a network using the star topology.

Also:Network topology is the study of the arrangement or mapping of the elements (links, nodes, etc.) of a network, especially the physical (real) and logical (virtual) interconnections between nodes. A local area network (LAN) is one example of a network that exhibits both a physical topology and a logical topology. Any given node in the LAN will have one or more links to one or more other nodes in the network and the mapping of these links and nodes onto a graph results in a geometrical shape that determines the physical topology of the network. Likewise, the mapping of the flow of data between the nodes in the network determines the logical topology of the network. The physical and logical topologies might be identical in any particular network but they also may be different. Any particular network topology is determined only by the graphical mapping of the configuration of physical and/or logical connections between nodes. LAN Network Topology is, therefore, technically a part of graph theory. Distances between nodes, physical interconnections, transmission rates, and/or signal types may differ in two networks and yet their topologies may be identical. Basic types of topologies There are six basic types of topology in networks: 1. Bus topology Page 1 of 18

NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa


2. Star topology 3. Ring topology 4. Mesh topology 5. Tree topology 6. Hybrid topology Classification of network topologies There are also three basic categories of network topologies:

physical topologies signal topologies logical topologies

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 11


Q. Systems Development Life Cycle

A. Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), or Software Development Life Cycle, in systems engineering and software engineering refers to the process of creating or altering systems, and the models and methodologies that people use to develop these systems. The concept generally refers to computer or information systems. In software engineering the SDLC concept underpins many kinds of software rdevelopment methodologies. These methodologies form the framework for planning and controlling the creation of an information system: the software development process. Overview Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is any logical process used by a systems analyst to develop an information system, including requirements, validation, training, and user ownership. An SDLC should result in a high quality system that meets or exceeds customer expectations, reaches completion within time and cost estimates, works effectively and efficiently in the current and planned Information Technology infrastructure, and is inexpensive to maintain and cost-effective to enhance. Computer systems have become more complex and often (especially with the advent of Service-Oriented Architecture) link multiple traditional systems potentially supplied by different software vendors. To manage this level of complexity, a number of system development life cycle (SDLC) models have been created: "waterfall," "fountain," "spiral," "build and fix," "rapid prototyping," "incremental," and "synchronize and stabilize." Although the term SDLC can refer to various models, it typically denotes a waterfall methodology. In project management a project has both a life cycle and a "systems development life cycle," during which a number of typical activities occur. The project life cycle (PLC) encompasses all the activities of the prroject, while the systems development life cycle focuses on realizing the product requirements.

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NICMAR Management Information System Questionnaire Gopaal Dhussa 12


Short Notes:

Q. Communication Protocols: A. In the field of telecommunications, a communications protocol is the set of standard rules for data representation, signaling, authentication and error detection required to send information over a communications channel. An example of a simple communications protocol adapted to voice communication is the case of a radio dispatcher talking to mobile stations. Communication protocols for digital computer network communication have features intended to ensure reliable interchange of data over an imperfect communication channel. Communication protocol is basically following certain rules so that the system works properly. Most recent protocols are assigned by the IETF for Internet communications, and the IEEE, or the ISO for other types. The ITU-T handles telecommunications protocols and formats for the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The ITU-R handles protocols and formats for radio communications. As the PSTN. radio systems, and Internet converge, the different sets of standards are also being driven towards technological convergence. For marine electronics the NMEA standards are used.

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