Information Systems
Final Exam – Definitions
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Application Service Provider (ASP) – A company that offers an organization access over the
Internet to systems and related services that would otherwise have to be located in personal or
organizational computers
Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Simulates human intelligence such as the ability to reason and learn
Attribute – Characteristics or properties of an entity class
Business Intelligence – Refers to applications and technologies that are used to gather, provide
access to, and analyze data and information to support decision-making efforts.
Byte – Group of eight bits represent one natural language character
Cache Memory – A small unit of ultra-fast memory that is use to store recently accessed or
frequently accessed data so that CPU does not have to retrieve this data from slower memory
circuits such as RAM
Central Processing Unit (CPU) – The actual hardware that interprets and executes the program
(software) instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware devices work together.
Clickstream – Records information about a customer during a web surfing session such as what
websites were visited, how long the visit was, what ads were viewed, and what was purchased.
Clickstream Data – Exact pattern of a customer’s navigation through a site.
Click-Through – A count of the number of people who visit one site and click on an
advertisement that takes them to the site of the advertiser
Client – Computer that is designed to request information from a server
Client/Server Network – A model for applications in which the bulk of the back-end processing,
such as performing a physical search of a database, takes place on a server, while the front-end
processing, which involves communicating with the user, is handled by the clients.
Coaxial Cable – Cable that can carry a wide range of frequencies with low signal loss
Confidentiality – The assurance that messages and information are available only to those who
are authorized to view them.
Consolidation – Involves the aggregation of information and features simple roll-ups to complex
groupings of interrelated information
Control Unit – Interprets software instructions and literally tells the other hardware what to do,
based on software instructions
Cookie – A small file deposited on a hard drive by a website containing information about
customers and their web activities
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – Involves managing all aspects of a customer’s
relationship with an organization to increase customer loyalty and retention and an
organization’s profitability
Data – Raw facts that describe the characteristics of an event
Database – Maintains information about various types f objects (inventory), events
(transactions), people (employees) and place (warehouses)
Database Management System (DBMS) – Software through which users and application
programs interact with a database.
Data-driven website – An interactive website kept constantly updated and relevant to the needs
of its customers through the use of a database.
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Data mining – The process of analyzing data to extract information not offered by raw data
alone
Data Model – A formal way to express data relationships to a database management system
(DBMS)
Decision Support System (DSS) – Models information to support managers and business
professionals during the decision-making process
Digital Dashboard – Integrates information from multiple components and tailors the
information to individual preferences
Drill Down – Enables users to get details, and details of details of information
Ebusiness – The conducting of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling but also
serving customers and collaborating with business partners
Ecommerce – Buying and selling of goods over the Internet
Encryption – Scrambles information into an alternative form that requires a key or password to
decrypt the information
Entity – In the relational database model, a person, place, thing or transaction or event about
which information is stored
Epocurement – The business to business purchase and sale of supplies and services over the
Internet
Ethernet – A physical data layer technology for LAN networking
Executive Information System (EIS) – A specialized DSS that supports senior level executives
within the organization
Expert System – Computerized advisory programs that imitate the reasoning process of experts
in solving difficult problems
Extranet – An intranet that is available to strategic allies ( such as customers, suppliers and
partners)
Fiber Optic – The technology associated with the transmission of information as light impulses
along a glass fiber
Flash Memory – A special type of rewritable read-only memory (ROM) that is compact and
portable
Foreign Key – A primary key of one table that appears as an attribute in another table and acts
to provide a logical relationship between the two tables
Forward Integration – Takes information entered into a given system and sends I automatically
to all downstream systems and processes
Fuzzy Logic – A mathematical method of handling imprecise or subjective information
Genetic Algorithm – An artificial intelligence system that mimics the evolutionary, survival of
the fittest process to generate increasingly better solutions to a problem
Goal-seeking Analysis – Find the inputs necessary to achieve a goal such as a desired level of
output
Hard Drive – Secondary storage medium that uses several rigid disks coated with a magnetically
sensitive material and houses together with the recording heads in a hermetically sealed
mechanism
Hardware – Consists of the physical devices associated with a computer system
Hierarchical Database Model – Information is organized into a tree-like structure that allows
repeating information using parent/child relationships, in such a way that it cannot have too
many relationships.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) – The internet standard that supports the exchange of
information on the WWW.
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Information – Data converted into a meaningful and useful context.
Information Integrity – A measure of the quality of information
Information Technology (IT) – The field concerned with the use of technology in managing and
processing information
Integration – Allows separate systems to communicate directly with each other
Integrity Constraint – The rules that help ensure the quality of information
Intelligent-Agent – A special purpose knowledge based information system that accomplishes
specific tasks on behalf of its users
Intelligent System – Various commercial applications of artificial intelligence
Internet – A global public network of computer networks that pass information from one to
another using common protocols
Internet Service Provider (ISP) – A company that provides individuals and other companies
access to the Internet along with additional related services, such as website building.
Interoperability – Capability of two or more computer systems to share data and resources,
even though they are made by different manufacturers
Intranet – An internalized portion of the internet, protected from outside access, that allows an
organization to provide access to information and application software to only its employees
Kiosk – Publically accessible computer system that has been set up to allow interactive
information browsing.
Local Area Network (LAN) – Computer network that uses cables or radio signals to link two or
more computers within a geographically limited area, generally one building or a group of
buildings
Logical View – Focuses on how users logically access information to meet their particular
business needs
Management Information System (MIS) – A general name for the business function and
academic discipline covering the application of people, technologies, and procedures collectively called information systems – to solve business problems
Memory Card – Contains high capacity storage that holds data such as captured images, music
or text files
Memory Stick – Provides nonvolatile memory for a range of portable devices
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) – A computer network that provides connectivity in a
geographic area or region larger that covered by a LAN, but smaller than the area covered by a
WAN.
Mcommerce – The ability to purchase goods and services through a wireless Internet-enabled
device
Network – A communication, data exchange, and resource-sharing system created by linking
two or more computers and establishing standards or protocols so that they work together
Network Database Model – A flexible way of representing object and their relationships
Network Operating System (NOS) – The operating system that runs a network, steering
information between computers and managing security and users
Network Topology – Refers to the geometric arrangement of the actual physical organization of
the computers in a network
Neural Network (Artificial Neural Network) – A category of AI that attempt to emulate the way
the human brain works
Online Service Provider (OSP) – Offers an extensive array of unique services such as its own
version of a web browser
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Packet-Switching – Occurs when he sending computer divides a message into a number of
efficiently sized units called packets, each of which contains the address of the destination
computer.
Physical View – The physical storage of information on a storage device such as a hard disk
Podcasting – Distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over
the Internet to play on mobile devices and personal computers
Pop-under Ad – Form of a pop-up ad that users do not see until they close the current web
browser screen
Pop-Up Ad – Small web page containing an advertisement that appears on the web page outside
the current website loaded in the web browser
Portal – A website that offers a broad array of resources and service, such as e-mail, online
discussion groups, search engines and online shopping malls
Primary Key – A field (or group of fields) that uniquely identifies a given entity in a table
Primary Storage – Computers main memory, which consists of the RAM, cache memory, and
read-only memory that is directly accessible to the CPU
Protocol – A standard that specifies the format of data as well as the rules to be followed during
transmission
Prototype – A smaller-scale representation or working model of the user’s requirements or a
proposed design for an information system
Pure-Play (Virtual) Business – A business that operated on the Internet only without a physical
store
Random Access Memory (RAM) – The computers primary working memory, in which program
instructions and data are stored so that they can be accessed directly by the CPU via the
processors high-speed external speed bus
Read-only memory (ROM) – The portion of the computer’s primary storage that does not lose its
content when one switches off the power
Redundancy – The duplication of information or storing the same information in multiple places
Relational Database Model – A type of database that stores information in the form of logically
related two-dimensional tables
Router – An intelligent connecting device that examines each packet of data it receives and then
decides which way to send it onward toward its destination
Scalability – Refers to how well a system can adapt to increased demands
Secondary Storage – Consists of equipment designed to store large volumes of data for longterm storage
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) – Creates a secure and private connection between a client and server
computer, encrypts the information and sends the information over the internet
Sensitivity Analysis – The study of the impact that changes in one (or more) parts of the model
have on other parts of the model
Server – Computer that is dedicated to providing information in response to external requests
Service Level Agreement (SLA) – Defines the specific responsibilities of the service provider and
sets the customers’ expectations
Slice-and-Dice – The ability to look at information from different perspectives
Spamdexing – Uses a variety of deceptive techniques in an attempt to manipulate search engine
rankings, whereas legitimate search engine optimization focuses on building better sites and
using honest methods of promotion
Telecommunication System – Enables the transmission of data over public or private network
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Transaction Processing System (TPS) – The basic business system that serves the operational
level (analysts) in an organization
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) – Provides the technical foundation for
the public Internet as well as for large numbers of private network
Twisted-Pair Wiring – A type of cable composed of four or more copper wires twisted around
each other within a plastic sheath
Value-Added Network (VAN) – A private network, provided by a third party, for exchanging
information through a high capacity connection
Viral Marketing – Technique that induces website or users to pass on a marketing message to
other websites or users, creating exponential growth in the message’s visibility and effect
Virtual Private Network – A way to use the public communication infrastructure to provide
secure access to an organizations network
What-if-Analysis – Checks the impact of a change in an assumption on the proposed solution
Wide Area Network (WAN) – Computer network that provides data communication services for
business in geographically dispersed areas
Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) – An ISP that allows subscribers to connect to a server
at designated hotspots or access points using a wireless connection
Wire Media – Transmission material manufactured so that signals will be confined to a narrow
path and will behave predictably.
Wireless Media – Natural parts of the Earth’s environment that can be used as physical paths to
carry electrical signals