1

Data versus Information
 Data are raw facts.
 Information is data that has been organized and converted into meaningful and useful context for end users
 Knowledge: Awareness and understanding of a set of information
 Example:
 Sales data is names, quantities and dollar amounts
 Sales information is amount of sales by product type, sales territory or salesperson
2

Types of Data
Fundamentals of Information Systems,
Sixth Edition
3

Data versus Information (cont.)
Fundamentals of Information Systems,
Sixth Edition
4




Valuable information:
 Can help decision makers achieve their organization’s goals
 Can help people and their organizations perform tasks more efficiently and effectively
If an organization’s information is not accurate or complete:
 People can make poor decisions, costing thousands, or even millions, of dollars
Depending on the type of information you need:
 Some characteristics become more important than others
5

Fundamentals of Information Systems,
Sixth Edition
6

 A system
 Is a set of interrelated components
 With a clearly defined boundary
 Working together to achieve a common set of objectives
 By accepting inputs and producing outputs in an organized transformation process
7

•
• Almost everything is a system
One system can be made up of other systems or can be part of a bigger system
8




Input involves capturing and assembling elements that enter the system to be processed
Processing involves transformation process that convert input into output
Output involves transferring elements that have been produced by the transformation process to their ultimate destination
9

What is a System? (cont.)
Fundamentals of Information Systems,
Sixth Edition
10

 A manufacturing system accepts raw materials as input and produces finished goods as output.
 An information system is a system that accepts resources (data) as input and processes them into products (information) as output.
 A business organization is a system where human and economic resources are transformed by various business processes into goods and services.
11

self-regulating system
 All systems have input, processing and output
 A self-regulating system, adds feedback and control:
 Feedback is data about the performance of a system
 Control involves monitoring and evaluating feedback to determine whether a system is moving towards the achievement of its goal
12

self-regulating system
13

 An organized combination of
 People
 Information technologies: Hardware, Software,
Communications networks, Data resources
 Policies and procedures
 That retrieves(input), transforms(process), stores, disseminates(output) information
Provide a corrective reaction (feedback) to meet an objective
14

Information System (IS) versus Information
Technology (IT)
 IS is all the components and resources necessary to deliver information and functions to the organization
 IT is hardware, software, networking and data management
 In theory, IS could be paper based
 But we will focus on Computer-Based Information
Systems (CBIS)
15

16

17

 Input of data resources
 E.g. Activity of gathering and capturing raw data
 Processing of data into information
 E.g. calculate, compare, sort, classify, summarize
 Output of information products
 E.g. Messages, reports, forms and graphic images
 Storage of data resources
 E.g. Data elements and databases
 Control of system performance
 Monitoring and evaluating feedback
18



People Recourses:

IS specialists: the people who develop and operate IS
(e.g: systems analysts, software developers, system operators )



End users: anyone else who uses information systems. or the people who use the IS or the information it produces.
(e.g. customers, salespersons, clerks or accountants)
Knowledge Workers (end users) who spend most of their time communicating and collaborating in teams and workgroups and creating, using, and distributing information.
19



Hardware Resources:



All physical devices used in information processing:
Machines, e.g. computers, video monitors, magnetic disk drives, printers, optical scanners data media, e.g. floppy disks, magnetic tape, optical disks, plastic cards, paper forms.
Peripherals, e.g. keyboard, mouse


Software Resources


All information processing instructions including programs and procedures:
Programs, e.g. operating system programs, spreadsheet programs, word processing programs.
Procedures: operating instructions for the people who will use an information system. E.g. procedures.
data entry procedures, error correction procedures, paycheck distribution
20

 Data Resources



Facts about the business transactions
Processed and organized information
Databases of organized data
 E.g. Product descriptions, customer records, employee files, inventory databases.
 Network Resources
 Communications media, e.g. wireless transmission media, wired data transmission media.
 communications processors, e.g. routers, switches. etc.


Network infrastructure: hardware and software
The Internet, intranets and extranets
21

22

23

24

 What are they?
 Efficiently process data resulting from business transactions ( Transaction Processing )
 Control and monitor industrial processes (Ex.:
Power generation, petroleum refining and steel production) ( Process Control )
 Support communications and collaboration and
Update corporate databases ( Enterprise
Collaboration )
25




Transaction Processing Systems


Record and process data resulting from business transactions
Update operational databases, and produce business documents.
 Examples: sales processing, inventory systems, accounting systems
Process Control Systems


Monitor and control physical processes
Example: a petroleum refinery uses electronic sensors linked to computers to monitor chemical processes
Enterprise Collaboration Systems
 the use of SW tools to support communications, coordination and collaboration among teams and work groups, e.g., virtual teams
 Enhance team and work group communications and collaboration.
 Examples: e-mail, chat, videoconferencing
26

 What are they?
 Provide information and support for effective decision making by managers
27

Types of Management Support Systems



Management Information Systems (MIS)
 Provide reports and displays to managers
 Example: daily sales analysis reports
Decision Support Systems (DSS)
 Provide interactive ad hoc support for decision making
 Example: A what-if-analysis to determine where to spend advertising dollars
 Example: product pricing, profitability forecasting, and risk analysis systems
Executive Information Systems (EIS)
 Provide critical information from MIS, DSS, and other sources for executives and managers
 Example: easy access to actions of competitors
28

29

30

 Among the fastest growing occupations through 2012
 Systems Analyst,
 Database administrators,
 Other managerial-level positions
 Network specialists
 Information security
31