Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

College of Natural Sciences

Department of Computer Science
CSC 324 (System Analysis and Design) Lecture Slides

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Course Objectives
To provide students with new ways of looking at information
in the world in order to solve business problems
To introduce students to concepts and methods of SAD
To describe the systems development life cycle (SDLC)
To teach students effective methods for gathering essential
information during system analysis
To teach students approaches to documenting and modeling of
gathered information
To teach students effective methods for designing systems to
solve problems effectively using appropriate methodology and
technology
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Topics to be covered
 System’s concept
The system development environment
 Types of information systems
 Rapid application development
 Role of the systems analyst
 Managing an IT project
 Initiating and planning a systems development project
 Determining systems requirements
 Process modeling
 Logic modeling
 Project documentation
 Understanding the elements of systems design
 Designing the user interface
 Designing system interfaces, controls and security

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 Recommended Textbooks
Textbook:
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, John
Satzinger, Robert Jackson and Stephen Burd. 5th edition.
Thomson Course Technology, 2009 (ISBN-13: 978-1-4239-0228-
7)

Recommended Reading:
Systems Analysis and Design, Alan Dennis and Barbara Haley Wixom. John
Wiley & Sons, 2000 (ISBN 0-471-24100-8)
Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design, Joseph Valacich, Joey F. George
and Jeffrey A. Hoffer. Prentice Hall, 2001 (ISBN 0-13-018373-3)
Systems Analysis and Design Methods, Jeffrey L. Whitten, Lonnie D. Bentley
and Kevin C. Dittman. Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 1998 (ISBN 0-256-23826-X)
Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design: A Structured Approach, Penny
A. Kendall. Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 1996 (ISBN 0-697-12414-2)
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Introduction
• Systems Analysis means understanding and specifying in detail
what an information system should do.
• System Design has to do with specifying in detail how the parts
of an information system should be implemented
Why is it important?
• Success of information systems depends on good SAD

• Widely used in industry - proven techniques

• Part of career growth in IT - lots of interesting and well-paying

jobs!
• Increasing demand for systems analysis skills

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SDLC as Part of the IT Project Lifecycle
While every IT project requires Initiation, Feasibility Analysis
and Project Planning, and concludes with a Project
Termination, there are certain steps that are specific to
systems development, which is the focus of this course.
Thus, the SDLC is contained within the generic IT project
lifecycle.

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 Systems Development Lifecycle Steps

The SDLC is generally presented as an iterative sequence

of five steps:
 Systems Planning
 Systems Analysis
 Systems Design
 Systems Implementation
 Systems Operation and Support,
each culminating in a deliverable, either a written
document or a piece of software (or both)

SDLC allows organizations to incorporate new requirements,

technology and human resources to IT development
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SDLC Details
Systems Planning
 Project definition
 Feasibility study/alternatives analysis
 Project scope, deliverables
 Standards, techniques, methods
 Task assessment, skill assessment, preliminary time estimation
 Yields Preliminary Investigation Report
Systems Analysis
 Analysis of existing hardware/software
 User requirements analysis
 Logical systems design:
 Conceptual data model (Entity-Relationship Diagram)
 Conceptual process model (Data Flow Diagram)
 Functional application description
 Yields Systems Requirements Document

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SDLC Details (cont’d)
Systems Design
 Relational database model and data dictionary (sometimes
included in Systems Analysis phase)
 Detailed description of application inputs and outputs
 Detailed conceptual design of forms, reports, application programs
and other application components
 Yields System Design Specification
Systems Implementation
 Application development and/or installation
 Testing and Evaluation
 Yields Functional Information System
Systems Operation and Support
 Maintenance
 Revisions
 Yields Operating Information System

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 How Is the SDLC Used In This Class?
Clearly, the SDLC requires significant time, human resources
and technical resources to perform well.
For the class project, your team must implement the SDLC
steps as follows:
 Systems Planning (project requirements summary, project team
description, preliminary work schedule, service area demographic
analysis)
 Systems Analysis (E-R diagram, Data Flow Diagrams, high-level
functional description)
 Systems Design (RDBM, Data Dictionary, identification/description
of database objects, Web site map)
 Systems Implementation (Access database, Web site content,
elementary test plan)

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 PERT Chart for
Abbreviated Systems Analysis and Design Life Cycle

Systems Analysis Phase

Start

Process(DFD) User
Model Interface
Test
Data
ER RDB Base
Model Model Tables Finish
Data
Dictionary
Development Phase

Start

Module 1 Unit 1
Testing

... ... Integration System

Testing
Module N Unit N
Testing
Finish

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Business Analysis with Data Flow Diagrams
We initially claimed that entity-relationship diagrams could
encode many business rules.
But many elements of business processes cannot be
represented by E-R diagrams:
 Actors (individuals, organizations) which generate input data
and/or receive output data;
 Data transformations using specific business rules (which we said
required application-level code);
 Data storage or display that may or may not correspond to entities
(e.g. views, reports, temporary tables, screens);
 Data flows between actors, processes or data stores over time, and
 Manual versus automated processing.

Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) are the link between initial business
analysis, E-R diagrams and relational database models
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Practical Significance of DFDs
Many older information systems (legacy systems):
 Are mainframe-based (inaccessible to most non-IT users);
 Use non-relational (hierarchical) databases, and
 Require second-generation programming languages (e.g.
COBOL) to perform data input, queries, reporting.
Thus, many IT professionals focus on data flows and
physical implementation, not data relationships or
RDBM design principles.
Many business processes are so complex that E-R
design alone will not give analysts insight into their
businesses

DFDs allow the analyst to determine: What does the

organization do? How does the organization do it?

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Creating DFDs
Define Entities
• External entities represent
persons, processes or machines
which produce data to be used
by the system or receive data Student
that is output by the system
• Examples: Student, Customer,
Client
2.1
Define Processes
• Processes are discrete actions Create
that transform input data to Student
output data Record
• Examples: Create Student
Record, Calculate Purchase
Cost, Register Client

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 Creating DFDs (cont’d)
Define Data Stores
• Data stores are temporary or
permanent repositories of
information that are inputs to or
Student
outputs of processes D3
• Examples: Student Master, Client Master
List

Define Data Flows

• Data flows represent the transfer of
data over time from one “place” New Student
(entity, process, data store) to Information
another
• Examples: New Student
Information (from Student, to
Student Master)

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Creating DFDs (cont’d)
Define the System
• A system is the collection of all
business processes which
perform tasks or produce outputs
we care about. It is “what
happens.”
• The system is a single process,
connected to external entities
• Represented in a “Context
Diagram”
Define Subsystems
• A subsystem gives a more
detailed view individual
processes contained in the
context diagram
• Includes data stores, more
elementary processes

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 DFDs Created by Top-Down Analysis
 Create a narrative: description of
system Narrative

 Create a Context Diagram that

Context Diagram
contains a single process (“the
system”) and all entities which share
data with the system Diagram 0 DFD
 Explode the “parent” context diagram
to produce a Diagram 0 (“child”) DFD
Diagram 1 DFDs
 Create Diagram 1, 2, …, n DFDs that
represent “explosions” of Diagram 0,
1, …, n-1 DFDs until a diagram has
only “primitive” processes
 Create process descriptions to be
implemented by application Diagram n DFDs
programs: queries, macros, reports,
programming languages
E-R Diagram Process Descriptions

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Where to Begin Creating DFDs
Start with the data flow from an external entity and
work forwards
Start with the data flow to an external entity and work
backwards
Examine the data flows into or out of a data store
Examine data flows, entity connections and data stores
associated with a particular process
Note fuzzy, ill-defined areas of the system for further
clarification

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 What to Avoid in DFDs
Processes with no outputs or 4
no inputs Perform
Processes whose inputs are Repair
obviously inadequate to yield
outputs
Connecting data stores directly Class List
Courses Students
to each other

Having data flows terminate at

data stores
Connecting entities to anything Payroll Employees
other than processes Department
Making the data flow diagram too
cluttered (e.g.  9 processes)
1 2 3
Many processes with a single Process Process Process
input and output (linear flow) A B C

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 DFD Example: Bus Garage Repairs
Buses come to a garage for repairs.
A mechanic and helper perform the repair, record the reason for the repair
and record the total cost of all parts used on a Shop Repair Order.
Information on labor, parts and repair outcome is used for billing by the
Accounting Department, parts monitoring by the inventory management
computer system and a performance review by the supervisor.
 Key process (“the system”): performing repairs and storing information
related to repairs
 External Entities: Bus, Mechanic, Helper, Supervisor, Inventory
Management System, Accounting Department, etc.
 Processes:
 Record Bus ID and reason for repair
 Determine parts needed
 Perform repair
 Calculate parts extended and total cost
 Record labor hours, cost

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DFD Example: Bus Garage Repairs
(cont’d)
 Data stores:
 Personnel file
 Repairs file
 Bus master list
 Parts list
 Data flows:
 Repair order
 Bus record
 Parts record
 Employee timecard
 Invoices

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 Bus Garage Context Diagram
Bus

Mechanical Fixed
problem mechanical
to be repaired problems

0 Repair Supervisor
Helper Labor
Bus summary
Repair
Process List of
parts used Inventory
Labor Management
Labor, System
parts cost
Mechanic details

Accounting

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Bus Garage Diagram 0 DFD

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