Week 1: Computer Data Conversion

Register
This is a special high-speed storage area within the
CPU. All data must be represented in a register before it
can be processed, for example, if two numbers are to be
multiplied, both numbers must be in registers, and the
result must be placed in a register. (The register can
contain the address of a memory location where data is
Address
stored rather than the actual data itself.)
An address is used to
reference a storage
location in the main
memory. You can think
of computer memory
as an array of storage
boxes,
each of them has an
address (a unique
Bu
number) assigned to
it.s
A
col
lec
tio
n
of
wir
Types of registers es
The types of registers are Memory thrdata register
(MDR) and Current instruction Register
ou (CIR)
gh
The types of registers can be explained
wh better by
their functions. ich
MDR dat
: 1 The memory data register is useda is to hold data or the
. memory address tra
that contains either the next piece
ns of data or an
2 instruction that is to be used. mit
. The memory data register actsted as a buffer and
3 holds data that is transferred from
fro the memory
. to the processor. m
The memory data register is used
on whenever data is
CIR:
1. Current instruction register is the register, usually
in the control unit, that contains the instruction that is
being executed by the CPU.
2. The CIR stores the instruction currently being
executed. In simple processors, each instruction to be
executed is loaded into the instruction register which
holds it while it is decoded, prepared and ultimately
executed.
Differences between Register and Main
Memory
Factor considered: storage, speed, storage
capacity and relative
Storage devices Speed
cost. Storage capacity Relative cost

Register Fast Very low Very high

Main memory Very fast Low and moderate High speed

Data-Fetch-Execute
cycle
Fetch execute cycle is
the very basic way a
computer works. All
commands are
executed through the
running of this cycle.
The cycle itself has
very few commands,
however, when linked
up together it is
possible to create a
large program or even an
operating system. The cycle
contains 3 main parts
1. Fetch the
instruction
2. Decode the
instruction
3. Execute the
instruction
Operating procedure of computer data processing
Data processing consists of all activities which are
necessary to transform data into information. Computer
data processing is grouped under five basic categories
as shown

The following are factors affecting the Speed of

Data Transfer
1. Bus Speed
2. Bus Width
3. Medium of Storage
4. Data transfer medium
General
evaluation
1. Define
Registthe
following;
 er
 Bus
Addre
ss and explain types of
2. List
register
Week 2: Concept of
Computer Files
Computer files: Computer files are the most basic unit
of data that users
can store on a disk. Every program, image, video, song
employee numbers, a 3-digit, and document is stored as
Record:
a file A record is a collection of related data items or
fields. Each record
normally corresponds to a specific unit of information.
For example,
Field:
employeeData items are
number, physically
employee’s arranged
name, basicas fieldsand
salary in a
computer
house rentfile. Their
allowance.
length may be fixed or variable. Since all individuals
have 3 digits field is required to store the particular data.
Hence, it is a fixed field. In contrast, since customer’s
name varies considerably from one customer to another,
a variable amount of space must be available to store this
Data item:
element. Data
This canitem is thevariable
be called smallestfield.
unit of
information stored
in computer file. It is a single element used to
represent a fact such as an
TYPES OF DATA
employee’s name, Iitem price and so on.
TEMS
Numeric: this type of data item consists of
numbers 0-9.
Alphabet: this type of data item consists
of letters A-Z.
Alphanumeric: also known as alphameric is a
combination of alphabetic
and numeric characters, and is used to describe the
collection of Latin letters and Arabic digits or a text
construct from this collection. There are either 36
(single case) or 62(case-sensitive) alphanumeric
File
characters. The alphanumeric character set consists of
structure:
the numbers 0-9 and letters A-Z.
Data

Field

Record

file
Data: a data item is the smallest unit of
information stored
in computer file.
Field: is a collection of
related items.
Record: is a collection of
related fields.
File: the collection of records is
called a file
Types of file organization
method
Serial: A serial file is one which the records have been
stored in the order
in which they have arisen. They have not been sorted
into any particular order. An example of a serial file is
an unsorted transaction file. A
shopping list is an example of a non-computerized
serial file. Serial files can be stored on tape, disc or in
memory. Sequential: in sequential file organization,
records are organized in the sequence by which they
were added. A sequential file contains records
organized in the order they were entered. The order of
Indexed:
the records Anisindexed
fixed. Thefilerecords
organization contains
are stored and reference
numbers, like
sorted in physical, contiguous blocks within each block
employee
the records numbers, that identify
are in sequence. a record
Records in relation
in these files canto
other
only be records.
read orThese
writtenreferences are called the primary
sequentially.
keys that are unique to a particular record. Alternate
keys can also be defined to allow alternate methods of
accessing the record. For example, instead of accessing
an employee’s record using employee numbers, you can
use an alternate key that reference employees by
departments. This allows greater flexibility for users to
Random
randomly file:
search This is the file
through organized
thousands via an index.
of records in a file.
Also calleditaemploys
However, “direct complex programming in order to
file” or “direct access file,’’ it enables quick access to
be implemented.
specific records or other elements within the file rather
than having to read the file sequentially. The index
points to a specific location within the file, and the file is
Methods
read from of that point.
accessing files:
Serial files: To access a serially organized
file is serially.
Sequential files: the method of access used is still
serial but of course the
files are now in sequence, and for this reason the term
sequential is often used in describing serial access of a
sequential tape file. It is important to note that to
process (e.g. update) a sequential master tape file, the
transaction file must also be in the sequence of the
master file. Access is achieved by first reading the
transaction file and then reading master file until the
matching record (using the record keys) is found. Note
therefore that if the record required is the twentieth
Random
record onfiles: Generally
the file, in orderspeaking
to get itthe method
into of to
storage
accessing
process random
it the files iswill first have to read in all
computer
RANDOM.
nineteen The transaction
proceeding record keys will be put
records.
through the same mathematical formula as were the
keys of the master records, thus creating the
appropriate bucket address. The transactions in random
order are then processed against the master file, the
Computer
bucket address filesproviding the address of the record
classification:
required.
Master file: there are files of a fairly permanent nature,
e.g. customer
ledger, payroll, inventory, and so on. A feature to know is
the regular updating of these files to show a current
position. For example, customer’s order will be
processed, increasing the “balance owing “figure on a
customer ledger record. It is seen therefore that master
records will contain both data of a static nature, e.g. a
customer name, address, and data that, by its nature will
Transaction
change each time file: aThis is also known
transaction occurs,ase.g.
movement file.
the” balance”
This
figureis already
made up of
mentioned.
various transactions created from the source documents.
In a sales ledger application the file will contain all the
orders received at a particular time. This file will be
used to update the master file. As soon as it had been
used for this purpose it is no longer required. It will
Reference
therefore have files: A file
a very withlife,
short a reasonable
because itamount
will be of
permanency.
replace by a file containing the next batch of orders.
Examples of data used for reference purposes are price
lists, tables of rates of pay, names and addresses.
 Criteria for classifying computer files: Criteria for
classifying computer files
are:
 By nature of content: it refers to the nature of file
 content.
By organization method: it refers to the way files are
 arranged e.g. . Serial, sequential, random and so on.
By storage medium: it refers to storage devices in which
a file’s’ could only
EVALUATIO
be stored such as magnetic or optical disk and magnetic
N
tape and so on.
1 Define the following terms;
. Computer files
2 Record
. Field
3 Data Item
. Explain the classification of
4 computer file. State the criteria for
. classifying computer files.
5 b Draw a sample of file
. structure
6 8. List and explain the different method of
. accessing files.
b List and explain types of file
7
organization method.
.
Week 3: Handling Computer Files
Basic operations of
computer files
1. Create: Creating a file
with a given name.
2. Delete: Deleting an
unwanted file.
3. Retrieve: Retrieving a
stored file or lost file.
4. Copy: Copying a created
file to either an external or
in-built storage device.
5. View: Viewing a created file or granting privilege of
viewing.
6. Open:
Steps Opening a file to use its contents.
in creating
7. Update: Reading
sequential files or updating the contents.
The OPEN statement is used in writing information to a
file. In general,
the open statement follows this pattern;
OPEN file FOR OUTPUT
AS 1
The file determines the
filename to use
The FOR portion indicates how the file will be accessed
or operated; it
may be APPEND, BINARY, INPUT, OUTPUT, and
RANDOM The
The
AS isfollowing opensused
the identifier a file,
forusing mode OUTPUT
the filehandle and
in question.
number 1, and then
saves the text.
1 CLS
0 OPEN "textfile.dat" FOR
2 OUTPUT AS 1
0 PRINT 1, "Hello
3 World" CLOSE 1
0 END
4
CODE
0
The combination of all these records forms a file. Thus, a
5 is a group of related records.
file
0
To facilitate the retrieval of specific records from a file,
at least one field in each record is chosen as a record
key. Usually, the key is unique to every record to avoid
duplication of records in a file.
BASIC File Processing statement to read and
display files
The table below would be used in a BASIC program. The
table would be stored in a file named "EXAMFILE.TXT"
the content would be retrieved from the file and output
to the screen
MATHEMATICS ENGLISH TOTAL
C
01234 50 90 140

01235 70 40 110

01236 80 70 150

Examp
le
1 CLS
0 OPEN "EXAMFILE.TXT" FOR INPUT
2 AS 1
3 PRINT 1 "MATRIC MATH ENG.
0
TOTAL NO. S LANG
SCORE"
40 PRINT 1 000 5 9 140
50 " 1 0 0 "
60 PRINT 1 000 7 4 110
70 " PRINT 2 0 0 "
80 OPEN " 000
1 8
FOR 7
AS 150
90 CLOSE 3
"EXAMFILE.TXT" 0
OUTPUT 10 "
10 1
DO WHILE NOT
0 EOF(1) INPUT 1, test
11 PRINT
0 test
12 LOOP
0 CLOSE 1
Note
13 ENDthat Free-File function is used to determine the
next
0 available
filehandle
14 to be used in the OPEN statement. However,
in
0 a bigger project that uses many files,
Free-file ensures that there are no conflicting File
Handles used. It's a good
practice to use it whenever you're not sure of the
number of files your program might need to open.
 OPEN "Examfile.txt" for output AS #File
Number
This is the line that does the physical opening of file
and assigns it
#FileNumber as its filehandle. The 'FOR INPUT' part
Read mode as you'll
tells QuickBasic thatbe reading
you want tothe contents
open ofin
the file the file
later in the example.
Next is the loop indicated by the DO WHILE NOT EOF
(FileNumber)
line. In QuickBASIC EOF () means End Of File. There is
also BOF () for
Since you can't
Beginning goand
of File backwards onLength
LOF () for a sequential
of Filefile, you
won't need BOF () at
all.
 The first line Gets a line of data
Describe file insecurity
Computer file insecurity refers to the concept that a
computer system is vulnerable to attack and that this
fact creates a constant battle between
those looking to improve security, and those
looking to circumvent
security.
Effects of insecurity of files
Data loss refers to the unforeseen loss of data or
information. An occurrence of data loss can be called
Data Loss Event and there are several possible root
causes. Backup and recovery schemes are developed to
restore lost data.
Overwriting is a process of writing a binary set of data
on memory.
Overwriting generally occurs when unused file system
clusters are written upon with new data. In simple
terms, it writes over the previous data.
Methods for file
security
 Backup:
Backup or the process of backing up a file refers to
making copies of files so that these additional copies may
be used to restore the original after the data loss event.
Backup has two distinct purposes. The primary purpose
is to recover data as a reaction to data loss, be it by data
deletion or corrupted data. The secondary purpose of
backups it is to recover data from a historical period of
time within the constraints of a user-defined data
Antivirus:
retention policy.
An anti-virus program protects a computer file from
malicious virus attack, detects and heals files that have
been attacked. Usually, it consists of a firewall, a virus
scanner and remover and sometimes other tools as well.
Password:
It is a chosen secret string of characters that allows
access to a computer, interface, files etc. The use of a
password is at the user's discretion and caution must
be exercised by the user to remember the password
always.
Differences between computer files and manual
files
Manual is using the old method without the help of the
technology or maybe less to perform a certain task or
are more effective when compared with a manual
system in terms of the
productivity and time usage.

Week 4: Word
Processing
What is word
processing?
Word processing is
the use of computer
software to create,
edit. View, store,
retrieve and print
text documents. A
text document is a
written
communication like
letters reports,
memo and so on.
The software that is
used for word
Examples of word processing is called
processors a word processor.
1. Microsoft word
2. WordStar
3. WordPerfect
4. Word pro
5. Corel WordPerfect
6. Lotus notes
7. Perfect writer
8. MultiMate advantage
9. Professional
write
Word processors are used in place of typewriters
because of the quality of
outputs, ability to replicate copies without having to
Application areas of word
retype or photocopies.
processing
Word processing is used in the following
areas:
1. In offices
2. In publishing
3. In journalism
4. In education
5. For writing articles
Version:
Microsoft Word Versions: MS office 2000,
2003, 2007,
Features of 2010.
word processors
1. Typing document
2. Editing document
3. Storing or saving documents
4. Move, copy and paste
5. Insert, remove words, sentences,
paragraph etc.
6. Type, using different fonts types
and sizes.
7. Editing features of a word
processor
8. Editing features in MS word
include:
9. Copy, cut and paste
10. Format painter
11. Find and replace
12. Go to
13. Spelling
Copy, cut andandpaste
grammar
14. Thesaurus
You can use word's cut feature to remove information
15.
fromWord count
a document. You can use the Paste feature to place
the information you cut anywhere in the same or another
document. In other words, you can move information
from one place in a document to another in the same or
different
document by using the Cut and Paste features. The office
clipboard is a temporary storage area where copied and
paste the information that is stored on the Clipboard as
often as you like.
When you copy/cut a document, the copied/cut data can
be pasted into a new location.
Copying a document
Copying a document or portion of a document means
duplicating the document. The original document will
remain while the duplicate of it will be found in a new
location. To copy a document five major methods are
involved and they are:
1. Shortcut method
2. Keyboard method
3. Drag and drop method
4. Ribbon bar method
5. Right-click mouse method
Shortcut method
1. Highlight the portion of a document to be copied
2. Right-click on the highlighted text
3. Select Copy
4. Position the insertion point in a new location
5. Right-click in an empty space
6. Select paste
Keyboard method
1. Highlight the document to be copied.
2. Press the keys CTRL + C to copy.
3. Position the cursor on the insertion point
4. Press the keys CTRL + V to paste.
Drag and drop method
1. Highlight the document to be copied.
2. Hold down the CTRL key as you drag the highlight
to a new location.
3. Release the mouse button.
Right-click mouse method
1. Highlight the document to cut.
2. Right-click on the highlights and select cut
3. Position the insertion point in a new location
4. Right-click on an empty space.
5. Click on paste.
Find and
Replace
When a mistake is made all over a document, for
example, you mistakenly
typed Fred instead of fried, the find and replace feature
helps to locate the errors and quickly replace them with
the expected text. To apply the find and replace feature
in a document:
1. Click on Home Ribbon
2. Click on the Find icon and drop-down arrow and click
find
3. Click on the Replace Tab
4. Type the error text in the FIND WHAT text box and
Spelling
the and in
corrected Grammar
the REPLACE if you want it one after
5. Click cancel buttona to
They check whether document
abort theisoperations
error-free both in
spelling and grammar. To confirm if a document is
error- free using the spelling and grammar tool:
1. Click on Review ribbon
2. Click on the Spelling & Grammar icon
3. It selects a sentence and asks you to ignore or click on
its suggestion and click change. Select the one that
applies.
4. Click Next Sentence to move to the next error.
5. Click close if you don't want to continue.
6. When a spelling and grammar action is completed a
dialog box as shown is displayed,
7. Click ok
Formatting a document
Formatting a document makes the document
presentable. Formatting entails the following:
Font
Font Face: the text outlook format of a document:
Microsoft has embedded the following font face: Arial,
Times New Romans, Tahoma, Elephant, Freestyle
Script, Imprint MT, Shadow, and so on.
To set a the
1. Type fonttext
face for your text, do the following
2. Highlight the text
3. From the Home Ribbon click on the font face
(ctrl + shift + F)
4. Click the drop-down arrow and select a font face
of your choice.
Font Size: This displays text sizes of your choice:
Microsoft has embedded
font sizes ranging from 8-72.
To select a font size for your text, do the following:
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
3. From the Home Ribbon, click on the Font size
(ctrl + shift + F)
4. Click the drop-down arrow and select a font size
Font
of your style: This displays effects on text such as bold,
choice.
italic, regular, bold
italic.
BOLD
To select a bold font style for your text, do
the following:
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
3. From the Home Ribbon, click on the B
ITALIC
To select a bold font style for your text, do
the following:
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
3. From the Home Ribbon, click on the I
Underline
To select an underline font style for your text, do
the following:
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
3. From the Home Ribbon, click on the U
4. To select the different underline font style for
your text, do the following:
5. From the Home Ribbon, click on the drop-down
arrow
6. Click
Font on the
Color: desired
This underline
display's colourstyle.
for your text, do
the following:
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
3. From the Home Ribbon, click on the A icon
drop-down arrow.
4. Click on the desired colour of your choice.
Font Effect: This displays other effects on your
text such as strike-
through, subscript, superscript
Strikethrough
To apply the Strikethrough effect on your text, do the
following:
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
3. From the Home Ribbon, click on the" Abc" icon
Double Strikethrough
drop-down arrow.
Type the text
1. Highlight the text
2. From the Home Ribbon, click on the icon
beside the font.
Subscript
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
3. From the Home Ribbon, click on
the" X2" icon.
Superscript
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
3. From the Home Ribbon, click on the
"X2" icon.
Change case
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
Character
3. From thespacing: This displays
Home Ribbon, click on different
the
characteristics
"Aa" icon. of spacing that
can be applied to a text they include: Expanded or
condensed, kerning, and so on
Paragraph:
Indent and spacing: This feature creates a text with
spacing before and after. The effects here are
alignment, indentation, spacing, tabs.
Alignment
1. Right-click the white space on a document and
select paragraph.
2. Click on the indent and spacing tab. In the
general options in the alignment drop down menu,
Indentation
1. Type the text
2. Highlight the text
3. Right-click on the text and select paragraph
4. Click on indent and spacing tab. In the indentation
options, select your desired choice as shown in the
dialog box.
5. Click ok to apply to the document.
Features of word processing
1. A good word processor should have the ability to
create, save and retrieve documents.
2. It should have the ability to find and replace words
in a document.
3. It should be capable of wrapping your text.
4. Generate multiple copies of a document with the
aid of the printer.
5. Every word processor should have the ability to
manage files on the computer.
6. Ability to display graphics
7. A good word processor should have the ability to
spell check your document.
8. Ability to mail merge documents
General evaluation
9. To format a document and apply headers and
1. Define Word Processing and Word Processor
footers
2. List five (5) examples of Word Processor
3. Write out the steps to carry out the following; (ii
(i) Change
Subscr Case
(iii) Superscript (iv) (v) )
ipt Strikethrough
Strikethrough Double
4. List and explain the different methods in
copying a document

Week 5: System Development Cycle I

INTRODUCTION
Information systems are
important for the success
of any
modern business for
organization. Every many
information systems are
being developed to make
 more competitive and improve the
productivity and profit.
The two keys required for a successful development of
information system
are:
 Thorough Systems analysis and design
 Understand what the Business or
organization requires.
Definition of
terms
Systems analysis is the process of understanding in
detail what a system
should accomplish, how it will accomplish it required to
Systems
accomplish design
it. is the process of specifying in detail
how components of
an information system should be implemented
Systems analyst is a person that uses analysis and
physically.
design techniques to
solve business problems using information technology.
Skills of a systems
analyst
To be a good and successful systems analyst, the
person must have the
following skills:
 Information technology knowledge and
 programming expertise.
 Understand business problems.
 Use logical methods for solving problems.
Ability to find facts about the problem and develop
 how it should be solved.
 Always wanting the improvement of
the system. People management
Systems Analyst
knowledge Problem solving
and skills.
Approach
The steps taken by a system analyst to solve problems
are stated below:
1 Study and understand the problem: The analyst must
. identify that there is a
2 problem to be solved and specify that it is feasible to
. solve the problem. Define the requirements for solving
3 the problem: The analyst will identify the facts or data t
. hat are required to solve the problem.
Develop a set of possible or alternative solutions: If
there are alternative solutions, the systems analyst
 solution to use. However, in most cases, there may be
only one solution
4 which is chosen.
. Define the details of the chosen solution: All the facts
5 and method need to solve the problem are specified in
. detail.
6 Solve the problem: The problem is solved using the
. chosen solution method.
Monitor to ensure that desired result or outcome is
Example: let us
accomplished: apply
Here, this
the process
analyst willinmake
solving a simple
sure that
interest
the (SI) is not miscalculated.
formula
problem: A man invested the sum of N500, 000.00 for 5
years at an interest rate of 12% per annum. Calculate the
Soluti
amount at the end of the period.
on:
Step1: Study and understand the problem: the
simple interest is
understood as defined.
Step 2: verify that the benefits of solving the problem
outweigh the cost:
The SI can be solved with our current knowledge and the
resources that we have like four figure tables, calculator
and so on. We do not need to hire anybody.
Step3: Define the requirements for solving the problem:
the requirements
for solving the SI problem are Principal (N500, 000.00),
rate (12%) and
Step4:
Time Develop a set of possible or alternative solutions:
(5years).
The problem can
be solved in two ways: First calculating the SI using the
formula (I=P*R*T/100) and then calculate the amount
as A=Principal + Interest. Secondly, another way is
calculating the Amount using the formula that A=P (1+
Note that *means
(R*T/100))
multiplication.
Step 5: Decide which solution is best and recommended:
We decide to use
the first method because it is simpler than the second.
Step 6: Define the details of the chosen solution: The
variables (facts) that
we need to solve this problem are as stated in step
3 above and the procedure are as stated on step
4(1) above.
 Step 7: Implement the solution: The problem is
solved as follow:
1 I=P*R*T/
. 100
= 500,000*12*5/100=
N300, 000.00
ii Amount= P+I= N500, 000+ 300,000
. =800,000
Step 8: Monitor to ensure that desired result is
accomplished. To make
sure that the formula procedure and calculations are
CONCEPT OF
correct.
SYSTEMS
What is a
system?
A system is a collection of interrelated components that
function together
to form a whole and achieved outcome. Examples:
What is an information
system?
An information system is a collection of interrelated
components that
collect, process, store and provide as an output the
information needed to complete a (business) task.
In systems development, application systems are
referred to as information
systems. Therefore, an information System can also be
defined as a collection of programs running on
computers which interact with one another as well as
humans to provide the necessary information needed to
What is
make a
decisions within an organization.
subsystem?
A subsystem is a part of a larger system that can
function on its own to
perform a task. It can be a system having subsystems or
it may just be a single system. The components that
make up the overall computer system can be described
as sub-systems. These are mainly hardware and
software subsystems. The process of dividing a system
Information
into subsystemssystems and
and components is called Functional
subsystems
Decomposition.
A school information system will have the
following subsystems:
Academic system, Examination Systems, Discipline
 Hostel/Accommodation system, Library system, Fees
Billing System, Staff
System, Bursary System and so on.
Information Systems and
Component Parts
The main components of information
systems are:
1 IT i.e. hardware and
. software
2 Data/
. information
3 Procedures/pol
. icies People
4 Types of Information
Communication
. Systems
Networks
5 The ‘classical ‘types of Information Systems found
. organizations are:
1 Transaction processing
. systems
2 Management information
. systems Decision support
3 systems Executive
. Some new types
information of information systems that cannot be
systems
4 classified as above
. are listed below:
1 Data warehouses
. Enterprise resource
2 planning
. Enterprise systems
3 Expert systems
. Geographic information
4 system Global
. information system
5 Systems Development Life
Office Automation
. Cycle (SDLC)
6 Systems development is a planned undertaking with a
. fixed beginning and
7 end that produces the desired result or product. It may
. be a large job that involves many people working for a
long period or it can also be a small assignment that
one person can finish in a day. The SDLC PROVIDES AN
OVERALL FORMALISED METHOD FOR managing the
systems development processes and activities. It
 set of procedures, steps, and documents that are
required for the
development of an information system
The SDLC believes that the development of information
development.
systems should
follow a structured and methodical way, requiring
each stage of the life cycle from inception of the idea
to delivery of the final system, to be carried out in
Definition
rigid of SDLC: The
and sequential systems development life cycle
order.
is the process of
understanding how an information system (IS) can
support
the business needs of an organization, designing the
Objectives of
system, building it and delivering it to the users.
SDLC
The objectives of
SDLC are:
1 To ensure high quality systems are
. delivered.
2 To provide strong controls over the system
. development
3 STAGES IN SYSTEMS
To maximize DEVELOPMENT
the productivity of the LIFE
. CYCLE
systems staff
However, there are methods for developing information
systems. The
oldest and classical method of systems development life
cycle (SDLC) is called the Waterfall Model. The
waterfall SDLC is a sequence of stages that must be
followed one after the other. Stage 2(two) can only begin
when stage one is completed. Therefore the output of
each stage becomes the input for the next. These stages
1 Investigation stage and divided up in different ways,
can be characterized
. Systems
includingAnalysis stage
the following:
2 Systems Design Stage
. Systems
3 Implementation stage
. Systems Deployment
4 Systems maintenance
1
. Investigation
Stage stage: this stage involves the
.5 investigation of the existing
. system. The existing system is studied and evaluated
6 to identify its problems and deficiencies. It involves
. gathering information about the existing systems.
 Observation(observing the system),
Questionnaire(preparing
questionnaires based on the existing system and give to
the users to fill) and Interviewing(asking the users
verbal questions about the system). The information
gathered is used in a feasibility study. The aim of the
feasibility study is to identify the problems and proffer
feasible solution through a feasibility report. It also
identifies how this problem is to be solved(either
manually or computerized), when it is to be solved and
why it should be solved. It defines the objectives and
 Systems
goals thatAnalysis
the newstage:
systemThis
to stage starts with
be developed willaachieve.
more
detailed investigation
The feasibility report is the main output of the
into the existing system. The same facts finding
investigation.
methods of observation, questionnaire and interview are
used to gather end-users information such as data and
procedures and processes. The data and procedures are
analyzed to define the new system requirements. The
new system requirements are defined addressing the
 deficiency in the existing system with specific proposals
for improvement. The output of the analysis stage is the
users’ requirements.
Systems Design Stage: At this stage the proposed system
is designed. It involves layout plans for the physical
construction, hardware requirements, operating systems,
programming, communication, and security. The design
 describes the desired features and operations of the
proposed system in detail, including screen layouts,
business rules, process diagrams, flow charts, pseudo-
code and other documentation such as data dictionary
 and so on. The system design stage produces the
Systems Specification.
Systems Implementation stage: This stage is the stage
where programs of the new system are written in the
specified programming language in line with the
systems specifications. It involves testing of all the new
 system and adjustments and corrections are made
where necessary.
Systems Deployment: Here the system that was
developed in stage 4(four) is put into use. It involves
bringing all the different parts the proposed system
together. All parts of the system is integrated and tested
 change. Thus the remaining life of the system is subject
to changes,
correction, additions, moves to a different computing
platform and more. The system maintenance stage
 involves all the activities, processes and procedures
required by the system to exist forever.
ADVANTAGES OF
SDLC
1 Simple and easy to use
. Easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model.
2 Phases are processed and completed one at a time
. works well for the development of smaller information
3 systems where requirements are very well understood.
.
4 Provides guidelines for systems development as all the
. stages and activities
5 are clearly outlined
. Promotes consistency among systems
6 development projects. Reduces cost of
. managing different systems at different stages.
7 DISADVANTAGES OF
Helps in efficient allocation of resources to systems
. SDLC
development projects.
1 Adjusting scope during the life cycle can kill a project.
. No working software is produces until during the life
2 cycle
. High amounts of risk and uncertainty.
3 Poor model for complex and object-
. oriented projects. Poor model for long
4 and ongoing projects
. Poor model where requirements are at a
5
8 moderate to high risk of changing. If
. followed slavishly. It can result in the
6 generation of unnecessary documents.
. It takes time to go through the whole long development
7 General
cycle. evaluation
. 1. Define the System Development Cycle
2. List the stages in SDLC
3. Define the following; I. System II.
Development Life Cycle
Analys III. System System
is System
IV. Design
Analyst
4. Explain the following; I. II. Information III
System System .
Subsystem
 Week 6: Developm
Program ent
Definition of a
Program A computer
program can be
defined as a list of
instruction issued to
the computer to
perform a particular
task. Programs are
written
Characteristics
in computer pro of
a good
gramming
program
languages.
Every good program
must have
the following
1 Accuracy characteristics:
. Readability
2 Maintainab
. ility
3 Efficiency
. Generality
4 Clarity
. Reliability
1
5 Accuracy: every good program must be error free.
. Readability: the program should be easy for any
2
6 programmer to read and understand.
.3 Maintainability: a careful written program should be
.7 very easy to amend and maintain if need be.
4
. Efficiency: Should have the ability to solve a particular
. problem skillfully.
5 Generality: should be able to solve all
. similar problems. Clarity: should be straight
6 forward and easy to understand. Reliability:
. Precauti
should be depended upon at all times.
7 on
. Do not rush. Be careful, stable and patient when
writing programs.
No step should be
skipped.
The order of execution must be followed
sequentially.
Steps in Program
Development
Problem definition: the programmer is expected first of
all to understand
the problem and know exactly what the problem entails.
The definition of the problem must be unambiguous.
Problem analysis: The programmer is expected to
analyze the problem to
determine how it will be solved, the required inputs
Planning
and outputthe solution: before a program is written,
the algorithm or
flowchart for that program must be drawn and tested
before the actual coding of the program and this is
called dry running a program. The flowchart
therefore, is a diagrammatical representation of the
Program coding:
steps involved in This is the
writing actual
a given writing or coding of
program.
the program in a
particular programming language e.g. BASIC,
VBASIC, FORTRAN, Pascal, COBOL and so on.
Disk checking: This is used to check or verify that the
design represents a
correct solution to a problem and it is very important to
follow through the design using suitable test data.
Problem compilation: when the coding process is
completed, the program
will be compiled if it is necessary. It is necessary
to compile if the programming language allows it.
Program testing: this is similar to proofreading. The
written program is
tested and errors corrected to check the program is
able to solve the problem it is expected to solve
Program documentation: this involves writing a detailed
description about
the program and some specific facts pertaining
to the usage and maintenance of the program.
Program running: this is the actual running or
execution of the program
with the compiler or interpreter so as to check if the
desired output is generated.
 Maintena
nce:
It is the process of updating or amending previously
written program for
current use.

Week 8: and Flowcharts

Algorithms
Algorithm is the step by
step procedure of
solving a particular
problem. It is simply a
sequence of clear and
precise instructions for
solving a particular
problem. Algorithms are
usually written
in English and some
Characteristics
few mathematicalof
Algorithms
notations (signs,
1 They are
symbols)
. written in
sequen
ce.
2 They are
.in English
writtenlike
3 statements.
. Finite, it must have a beginning
4 and an end. Should be effective
. Should not be ambiguous. Should be consistent.
5 Examp
. le
An algorithm to calculate average of
three numbers:
Step1: Enter the first
number N1
Step2: Enter the second
number N2
Step3: Enter the third
number N3
Step4: Calculate the total
(N1+N2+N3)
Step5: Calculate the average
(N1+N2+N3)/3
Step6: Print
total
Step7: Print
Average
Step8:
End
Flowcha
rts
The flowchart is the diagrammatic representation of an
algorithm. It shows
the steps involved in solving a particular task.
Characteristics of
flowchart
Different flowcharting symbols are used for
different operations
Flow lines are used to connect the
flowcharting symbols.
Flowcharts are read and drawn from
top to bottom.
The start symbol indicates the beginning
of a program.
The end symbol signifies the end of
a program.
Flowchart
symbols:
1 Define algorithm and flowchart
. State three characteristics of an algorithm
2 Write an algorithm that will compute the average of
. three numbers a, b, c. Draw a flow chart to calculate the
3 area of a triangle with base, b and height, h.
.
4
.
Week 9: Introduction to Basic
Programming
BASIC stands for BEGINNERS ALL-PURPOSE
SYMBOLIC INSTRUCTION CODE. It is a single easy to
use language designed also for beginners. It is not only
simple but also powerful. It is science oriented. Professor
John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz developed the language
in
1964 at Dartmouth College, U.S.A., as a means of
teaching students a simple language for programming a
computer. The program can be used to solve problem
covering a wide range of application on many different
 There are different versions of Basic.
They include:
 Turbo Basic (T-
 BASIC)
 BASIC
 PLUS GW
 BASIC
QUICK
EVALUATIO
BASIC (Q-
N
BASIC)
1 What
VISUALis BASIC?
. List
BASICFIVE
(V- versions of
2 BASIC.
BASIC)
. THE BASIC
INTERPRETER
For the computer to execute your instructions in order
to produce the
desired result, the instruction must be first be
interpreted to what the computer can understand by
another program called the BASIC INTERPRETER (or
TRANSLATOR). The BASIC interpreter converts your
EVALUATIO
program into a form that can be executed directly by
N
the computer.
1 What is a BASIC
. interpreter?
KEYWORDS IN
BASIC
This is also referred to as BASIC statement or a
reserved word. It is an
instruction in BASIC, which has a specific means to
the compiler or interpreter.
1 REM
. STATEMENT
The REM statement is a remark statement. It is used to
insert remarks in
the program. Such remarks are used to explain what
the program is all about.
Exampl
e:
10 REM This program finds the average
of 5 numbers
2 LET
. STATEMENT
 The LET statement is used to assign (or give)
values to variables.
Exampl
es:
10 LET A = B
+C
3 INPUT
. STATEMENT
Input is used to assign or give values to variables while
program is running.
It can be used with both numeric and string variables.
Exampl
es:
10 INPUT A,
B, C
4 PRINT
. STATEMENT
The print statement tells your computer to display
the output of the
executed program on the screen of the monitor
Exampl
(VDU).
e:
10 PRINT
SUMS
5 END
. STATEMENT
End Statement is an instruction used to terminate the
program. One
the computer encounters END statement, it
automatically terminates the program.
50
END
6 RUN
. STATEMENT
The RUN statement is used to execute a program. In Q-
BASIC, F5 is used
to RUN a program. Note that the program will not RUN
if any mistake or error is detected in it.
EVALUATIO
N
1 Write the function of the following
. BASIC keywords
LE (b) (c) (d) (e)
2 T INPUT PRINT REM RUN
.
Week 10:
Revision