The Information system

SDLC
DBLC
Conceptual Design
Logical Design
Physical Design
The Information system
Information system, an integrated set of components for
collecting, storing, and processing data and for
providing information, knowledge, and digital products.
Business firms and other organizations rely on information
systems to carry out and manage their operations, interact
with their customers and suppliers, and compete in the
marketplace.
Information systems are used to run interorganizational
supply chains and electronic markets. For instance,
corporations use information systems to process financial
accounts, to manage their human resources, and to reach
their potential customers with online promotions.
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Many major companies are built entirely around information
systems. These include eBay, a largely auction
marketplace; Amazon, an expanding electronic mall and
provider of cloud computing services; Alibaba, a business-to-
business e-marketplace; and Google, a search
engine company that derives most of its revenue from
keyword advertising on Internet searches.
Governments deploy information systems to provide services
cost-effectively to citizens.
Digital goods—such as electronic books, video products,
and software—and online services, such as gaming and social
networking, are delivered with information systems.
Individuals rely on information systems, generally Internet-
based, for conducting much of their personal lives: for
socializing, study, shopping, banking, and entertainment.
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Every information system (IS) has
people, processes, and
information technology. In fact,
many IS professionals add most
of their value working with people
and processes. They manage the
programmers but typically avoid
programming themselves.
We can represent an information
system as a triangle with people, The three parts of the information systems
processes, and information triangle must interact in concert to realize
technology (computers) on the business objectives. The job of the IS professional
is to ensure that a balance is maintained and
three vertices. The three parts of enhanced for the good of all the actors and the
an information system are often business as a whole.
referred to as the information
systems triangle. > CHANGE, EVERYDAY
What is software development life cycle
(SDLC)?
SDLC or the Software Development Life Cycle is a process
that produces software with the highest quality and lowest
cost in the shortest time possible.
SDLC provides a well-structured flow of phases that help an
organization to quickly produce high-quality software which
is well-tested and ready for production use.
The SDLC involves six phases as explained in the
introduction. Popular SDLC models include the waterfall
model, spiral model, and Agile model.
So, how does the Software Development Life Cycle work?
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how does the Software
Development Life Cycle work?
SDLC works by lowering the cost of software development while
simultaneously improving quality and shortening production time.
SDLC achieves these apparently divergent goals by following a
plan that removes the typical pitfalls of software development
projects. That plan starts by evaluating existing systems for
deficiencies.
Next, it defines the requirements of the new system. It then
creates the software through the stages of analysis, planning,
design, development, testing, and deployment.
By anticipating costly mistakes like failing to ask the end-user or
client for feedback, SDLC can eliminate redundant rework and
after-the-fact fixes.
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 It’s also important to know that
there is a strong focus on the
testing phase.
As the SDLC is a repetitive
methodology, you have to ensure
code quality at every cycle.
Many organizations tend to
spend few efforts on testing
while a stronger focus on testing
can save them a lot of rework,
time, and money. Be smart and
write the right types of tests.
Next, let’s explore the different
stages of the Software
Development Life Cycle. > CHANGE, EVERYDAY
Stages and Best Practices
1. Identify the Current Problems
“What are the current problems?” This stage of the SDLC means
getting input from all stakeholders, including customers, salespeople,
industry experts, and programmers. Learn the strengths and
weaknesses of the current system with improvement as the goal.

2. Plan
“What do we want?” In this stage of the SDLC, the team determines
the cost and resources required for implementing the analysed
requirements. It also details the risks involved and provides sub-plans
for softening those risks.
In other words, the team should determine the feasibility of the project
and how they can implement the project successfully with the lowest
risk in mind. > CHANGE, EVERYDAY
3. Design
“How will we get what we want?” This phase of the SDLC starts by turning
the software specifications into a design plan called the Design
Specification. All stakeholders then review this plan and offer feedback
and suggestions. It’s crucial to have a plan for collecting and incorporating
stakeholder input into this document. Failure at this stage will almost
certainly result in cost overruns at best and the total collapse of the
project at worst.

4. Build
“Let’s create what we want.”
At this stage, the actual development starts. It’s important that every
developer sticks to the agreed blueprint. Also, make sure you have proper
guidelines in place about the code style and practices.
For example, define a nomenclature for files or define a variable naming
style such as camelCase. This will help your team to produce organized
and consistent code that is easier to understand but also to test
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the next phase.
5. Code Test
“Did we get what we want?” In this stage, we test for defects and
deficiencies. We fix those issues until the product meets the original
specifications.
In short, we want to verify if the code meets the defined requirements.

6. Software Deployment
“Let’s start using what we got.”
At this stage, the goal is to deploy the software to the production
environment so users can start using the product. However, many
organizations choose to move the product through different
deployment environments such as a testing or staging environment.
This allows any stakeholders to safely play with the product before
releasing it to the market. Besides, this allows any final mistakes to be
caught before releasing the product. > CHANGE, EVERYDAY
Extra: Software Maintenance
“Let’s get this closer to what we want.” The plan almost never turns
out perfect when it meets reality. Further, as conditions in the real
world change, we need to update and advance the software to
match.
The DevOps movement has changed the SDLC in some ways.
Developers are now responsible for more and more steps of the
entire development process. We also see the value of shifting left.
When development and Ops teams use the same toolset to track
performance and pin down defects from inception to the retirement
of an application, this provides a common language and faster
handoffs between teams.
Application performance monitoring (APM) tools can be used in a
development, QA, and production environment. This keeps everyone
using the same toolset across the entire development lifecycle.
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The most common SDLC examples or SDLC
models are listed below
Waterfall Model
This SDLC model is the oldest and most straightforward. With this
methodology, we finish one phase and then start the next. Each
phase has its own mini-plan and each phase “waterfalls” into the
next. The biggest drawback of this model is that small details left
incomplete can hold up the entire process.
Agile Model
The Agile SDLC model separates the product into cycles and delivers
a working product very quickly. This methodology produces a
succession of releases. Testing of each release feeds back info that’s
incorporated into the next version. According to Robert Half, the
drawback of this model is that the heavy emphasis on customer
interaction can lead the project in the wrong direction in some cases.
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Iterative Model
This SDLC model emphasizes repetition. Developers create a
version very quickly and for relatively little cost, then test and
improve it through rapid and successive versions. One big
disadvantage here is that it can eat up resources fast if left
unchecked.
V-Shaped Model
An extension of the waterfall model, this SDLC methodology
tests at each stage of development. As with waterfall, this
process can run into roadblocks.
Big Bang Model
This high-risk SDLC model throws most of its resources at
development and works best for small projects. It lacks the
thorough requirements definition stage of the other methods.
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Spiral Model
The most flexible of the SDLC models, the spiral model is similar to
the iterative model in its emphasis on repetition. The spiral model
goes through the planning, design, build and test phases over and
over, with gradual improvements at each pass.
Benefits of the SDLC
SDLC done right can allow the highest level of management control
and documentation. Developers understand what they should build
and why. All parties agree on the goal upfront and see a clear plan for
arriving at that goal. Everyone understands the costs and resources
required.
Several pitfalls can turn an SDLC implementation into more of a
roadblock to development than a tool that helps us. Failure to take
into account the needs of customers and all users and stakeholders
can result in a poor understanding of the system requirements at the
outset. The benefits of SDLC only exist if the plan is followed faithfully.
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What is Database Life Cycle
(DBLC)?
The database life cycle (DBLC) defines the stages involved for
implementing a database, starting with requirements analysis
and ending with monitoring and modification. Furthermore, the
DBLC never ends because database monitoring, modification,
and maintenance are part of the life cycle, and these activities
continue long after a database has been implemented. Put
simply, the DBLC encompasses the lifetime of the database.
The five stages in the database life cycle are:
Requirements analysis
Logical design
Physical design
Implementation
Monitoring, modification, and maintenance > CHANGE, EVERYDAY
The five stages in the database life cycle are:
1. Requirements analysis
2. Logical Design
3. Physical Design
4. Implementation
5. Monitoring and Modification

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1. Requirements analysis
Requirements Analysis is the first and most important stage in
the Database Life Cycle.
It is the most labour-intensive for the database designer.
This stage involves assessing the informational needs of an
organization so that a database can be designed to meet those needs.

2. Logical design
During the first part of Logical Design, a conceptual model is created
based on the needs assessment performed in stage one. A conceptual
model is typically an entity-relationship (ER) diagram that shows the
tables, fields, and primary keys of the database, and how tables are
related (linked) to one another.
The tables sketched in the ER diagram are then normalized. The
normalization process resolves any problems associated with the
database design, so that data can be accessed quickly and efficiently.
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Database Design
conceptual model: A description of the structure of a database.
entity-relationship (ER) diagram: A diagram used during the design
phase of database development to illustrate the organization of and
relationships between data during database design.
normalization: The process of applying increasingly stringent rules to a
relational database to correct any problems associated with poor
design.

3. Physical Design
The Physical Design stage has only one purpose: to maximize
database efficiency.
This means finding ways to speed up the performance of the RDBMS.
Manipulating certain database design elements can speed up the two
slowest operations in an RDBMS: retrieving data from and writing data
to a database. > CHANGE, EVERYDAY
Fourth Stage - Implementation
During the implementation stage of the DBLC, the tables developed in
the ER diagram (and subsequently normalized) are converted into SQL
statements. These SQL statements are then executed in the RDBMS to
create a database. By this stage in the database life cycle, the System
Administrator has installed and configured an RDBMS.
System administrator:
In this case the System administrator is the person responsible for
administering a multi-user computer system. His duties range from
setting up and configuring system components (i.e. an RDBMS) to
performing maintenance procedures (for example, database backups)
on the system.

Certain database design books consider converting an ER diagram into

SQL statements to be the final task in the logical-design stage.
According to such books, implementation is just a matter of feeding
SQL statements into an RDBMS and populating the>database with data.
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The difference is not especially important.
Fifth Stage - Monitoring, modification, and maintenance
A successfully implemented database must be carefully monitored to
ensure that it is functioning properly and that it is secure from
unauthorized access. The RDBMS usually provides utilities to help
monitor database functionality and security.
Database modification involves adding and deleting records, importing
data from other systems (as needed), and creating additional tables,
user views, and other objects and tools. As an organization grows,
its information system must grow to remain useful.
Well-designed Database
A well-designed database enhances the organization's ability to expand
its information system.

Ongoing maintenance procedures include periodic database backups, for

example, an important and ongoing maintenance procedure. Again, the
RDBMS provides utilities to assist in this task.
The next lesson introduces a special class of tools often used in database
design. > CHANGE, EVERYDAY