INTRODUCTION TO

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Safia Bal-Bourai
[email protected]

2CP 2024-2025

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CHAPTER1
Introduction to Systems and Information Systems (IS)

1. System Concepts

2. Information Concepts and Analysis Tools

3. Information System Concepts

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CHAPTER 1

2. Information analysis tools:

Information coding and control

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INFORMATION CODING AND CONTROL

Objectives:
- Understand the concept of codification
- Apply acquired notions to real-life cases
- Understand the notion of information control.
- Apply the different types of control to data
manipulated in concrete applications.

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 CONTENT

▪ Information Coding
- Definitions
- Characteristics and Types of coding
- Coding and standardization
- Controllable codes
- Conducting coding operations
▪ Information Control
- Definitions
- Types
- When to start the control?
- How do I set up an error message?
DEFINITIONS
Definition 1
A code: Is an abbreviated name or representation of information used to
designate an object or concept clearly and uniquely.
Definition 2
A Codification: Is the process of replacing information, in its natural form,
with a clear code that is better adapted to the needs of the information user.
Codification involves not only the name of the information to be codified, but
also its value.

Example:
StudCod=23/00174.
Name of the information: student code: StudCod and its value: : 23/00174.
DEFINITIONS
A coding language is a coding technique. It is composed of:

● An alphabet: (0,1,...,9, a, b,...., z and special characters)

● Syntax: code construction and assembly rules
● Semantics: meaning

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The lexicographic power : Plex
• The lexicographic power (Lex-Power) is exactly the right
formula to count the total number of distinct values or
combinations that your code can generate.

Lex-Power = ct C : is the number of characters in the alphabet,

t : word length (number of positions).

Examples:
- A code with 4 alphabetical positions will have a Lex-Power of : 264
- A code with 4 numerical positions will have a Lex-Power of: 104
- A code with 2 alphabetical positions and 4 numerical positions will
have a Lex-Power of: 26 2 x104
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CODING OBJECTIVES
● Identify an individual within a set.
● Save space and time.
● Represent certain properties of an object.
● Allow certain form controls on information.
CODING CHARACTERISTICS

1. It must not be ambiguous (uniqueness)

2. It must be adaptable to user needs
3. It must allow the insertion of new values and the extension of
the set of objects to be coded.
4. It must be concise.
5. It must be as meaningful as necessary.

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CODING TYPES
1. Basic Coding:
❑ Sequential Coding
❑ Sequential Coding by Range
❑ Significant Coding
2. Complex Coding:
❑ Articulated or juxtaposed coding
❑ Hierarchical coding

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CODING TYPES
1 - Sequential Coding
Consists in assigning consecutive numbers to objects to be coded in the
same set.
Example: A company's employees are coded in chronological order of
recruitment: 001, 002,..., 112. New recruits will be assigned codes 113,
114,...

Advantages:
Unambiguous, Easy to implement and expandable.
Disadvantages:
Impossible to insert, Not meaningful
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CODING TYPES
2- Sequential Coding by Range:
- Consists in dividing the set of objects to be coded into several
categories, each of which is assigned a code range.
- Within each slice, codes are generally sequential.

Example: In a library, books are classified by category, as follows:

technology, literature, medicine and general culture. Books can be
coded as follows:
- From 001 to 100: Technology
- From 101 to 200: Literature
- From 201 to 300: Medicine 13

- From 301 to 400: General culture

CODING TYPES

2- Sequential Coding by Range:

● Advantages:
Unambiguous, simple to implement, can be inserted (if the amount
of information to be coded does not exceed the range of codes
provided for this range) and possible extension .
● Disadvantages:
Not significant, the number of codes in a range is sometimes
difficult to determine, the division of objects into categories is
not always obvious, impossible insertion (if the number of items
to be coded exceeds the specified range).
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CODING TYPES
3 - Significant Coding (Mnemonic)
It consists in abbreviating the designation of an object using a
reduced set of characters that must be evocative of the
codified object. There are 2 types :
- "Consonant codes," obtained by removing vowels.
Example: FACTURE → FCTR
- Abbreviative codes," obtained by abbreviating the
designation of the object.
Example: FACTURE → FACT

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CODING TYPES
4- Articulated or Juxtaposed Coding:
Assigning codes divided into independent zones (descriptors). Each
descriptor has a specific meaning related to the coded element.
Example : Car registration plate:

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(a): Sequential number. (Vehicle registration number)
(b): Vehicle type
(c ): Year of 1st registration
(d): Wilaya

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CODING TYPES
4- Articulated or Juxtaposed Coding:

❑Advantages: Unambiguous Insertion and extension possible,

possibility of grouping objects according to a given criterion,
widely used coding, possibility of control.
❑ Disadvantages:
Codes that are too long to handle, possibility of saturating a
descriptor, instability: if a descriptor changes, the whole code
will change

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CODING TYPES
5- Hierarchical coding
It is used when there are inclusion relationships between different
sets.
The code is divided into multiple zones (levels), each representing a
set of objects. From left to right, these zones represent increasingly
specific subsets.

Example: The room number in a university residence Composed

of a building Code and a Sequential.
ROOMID=E35.

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CODING TYPES

5- Hierarchical coding

● Avantages: Same advantages as for articulated coding, Easy

search thanks to hierarchical levels.
● Disadvantages: Same disadvantages as for articulated coding

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CODING AND STANDARDIZATION
Examples:
• Currency coding (ISO 4217:2015):DZD for Algerian
dinar, EUR for euro, USD for US dollar.
• Representation of date and time (ISO 8601:2004):
YYYY-MM-DD for dates, HH:MM:SS for hours.

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CONTROLLABLE CODES

Codes rarely have any apparent meaning, and the risk of

errors when writing or copying is high.

Add a control key

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CONTROLLABLE CODES
Méthodes :

- Méthode arithmétique « MODULO 10 »

- Méthode de la lettre de contrôle « MODULO 23 »

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CONTROLLABLE CODES

‘’MODULO 10” arithmetic method:

To obtain the control key:
1- Each digit is multiplied by 2 or 1 from the left, depending on
whether it is odd or even.
2- The sum of the products is subtracted from the next higher ten.
Example:
Code =3261
Key calculation : (3x2) + (2x1) + (6x2) + (1x1) = 21
30- 21 = 9 ;
The code will be: 32619 (9: control key)
CONTROLLABLE CODES

‘’MODULO 23” control letter method:

The control key is the letter corresponding to the rank given by the
Code modulo 23 + 1
Example :
- Code = 1249
- Key calculation: 1249 Modulo 23 = 7
The code will be: 1249H

Note: the letters I, O and S are not taken into account so as not to be
confused with the numbers 1, 0 and 5.
CONTROLLABLE CODES

QR code and barcode

CONDUCTING CODING OPERATIONS

▪ Study the future use of the codes to be defined

▪ define the populations to be coded,
▪ stable properties to be retained,
▪ possible corresponding values.
▪ Study the number of objects to be coded, and its growth,
▪ Find out if there are any existing codes for the objects under study.

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CONDUCTING CODING OPERATIONS

▪ Define a code with the people who will subsequently

have to use it, and for the sake of standardization, take
into account the codes used within the organization.
▪ Test the coding very thoroughly before using it.

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 Exercise:

We want to codify the 40 teachers and 500 trainees at a training

center.
1. Propose a codification for the teachers to facilitate their
identification and find out the type of teacher (temporary or
permanent) from this codification.
2. Propose a codification for the trainee number that takes into
account the year of registration and the trainee's training (IT,
electronics, electromechanics, management, electricity).

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 Control of
information

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 CONTROL OF INFORMATION

The verification that the characteristics of information conform to

what it should be.
There are two types of control: direct and indirect.

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 CONTROL TYPES : DIRECT CONTROLS
These are controls performed on the information itself, without
considering other information in the system. The main direct controls
that can be carried out on information are:
● Presence or Absence Control
● Type Control
● Alignment Control

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Presence or Absence Control:

This involves verifying whether or not information exists on the

medium where it should be found. The medium can be a document
or a file.

Examples:
The insertion of a new student requires verifying that they do
not already exist in the student file (absence).
Before entering a student's exam grades, it is necessary to first
verify that they exist (presence).

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Type Control
This consists of checking whether the type of information
corresponds to what it should be.

Checks that information is written in the appropriate class

(alphabetic, numeric, etc.) according to its meaning.

Example: Postal code (numeric)

- Code 16I90 is wrong ( i instead of 1)

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Alignment Control
Alignment refers to the position of information within an input
or filling area. Numeric information is right-aligned.

Example: Employee name ''Mahdi ‘’

M a h d i

Exemple: Employee ID=333

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3 3 3
 Control types: Indirect controls
Checking the conformity of information against other
information:An indirect control consists in checking the
conformity of one item of information with other items of
information, which implies a comparison between the items of
information.
- Indirect control without calculation: performed by comparing
information.
- Indirect control with calculation: performed by recalculating
the value of the information to be controlled.

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Indirect controls without calculation

1. Internal consistency check:This involves checking the

accuracy of one part of the information against other
parts of the same information.

Example : Date control : JJ/MM/AAAA

If MM=2 then 0<JJ<30
28/02/2000 √
30/02/2000 X

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Indirect controls without calculation

2. External consistency check: To check the conformity of

information with other information..

Example: An employee's personnel number is made up of the

year of recruitment and a sequential number.
Year of recruitment: 2020
Personnel number: 19/117 X

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Indirect controls without calculation

3. Plausibility check: Ensure that information is plausible. It is

possible and conceivable in terms of its meaning.
Examples:
Date of birth: 15/15/2000. Wrong date
Postal code: 601909. Wrong code.

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Indirect controls with calculation

Carried out by recalculating the value of the information

to be checked.

Example:
Stock quantity = Quantity received - Quantity issued

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EXERCISE: ORDER OF EXECUTION OF
CONTROLS

Put the types of control in the correct order:

● Presence control
● Alignment control
● Type control
● External consistency control
● Internal consistency control

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1. When to start the control?

After entering the field...

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 2. How do I set up an error message?

▪ Be visible
▪ Specify what's missing and/or unsuitable
▪ Indicate actions to be taken
▪ Use appropriate vocabulary
▪ Guide the user with an example of the expected information.

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 Conclusion

Information is valuable. It must be codified and controlled to

facilitate and ensure the validity of processing and the
accuracy of the results obtained..
A well-structured coding and control system improves data
reliability, reduces inconsistencies, and enhances overall
operational efficiency.

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