Skills on Sale

Computer Science covers different attributes and skills to perform the specified goal for this field. As a computer science student, I tend to focus in system analyzing, system designing, system engineering and web designing. Below are additional skills that I can offer:

• Database Design
• Database Administration
• Multimedia Design
• Content Writing
• Image Processing

Enterprise Resource Planning

Note: Assignment 12 of System Analysis and Design

ERP System

ERP System or Enterprise Resource Planning System is a complete solution package including the software and hardware utilities provided for the business organizations and institutions. This system is developed for the enterprise-wide systems which supports all the operational functions of an entire organization.

The introduction of ERP systems into organizations is very successful due to the fact that it is produced for enterprise-wide systems. And because it is enterprise-wide, it is a major undertaking and would need longer time to install and is very costly.

The advantage for having an ERP system is that the new system is obtained at a lower cost and risk compared to having an in-house software development. The cost is lower because major functions of the system are already present on the base system. The risk is lower because the base system is well-developed and tested, and a lot of other organizations are already using it making it have a successful track record.

SAP

SAP is one of the software developing companies that provide ERP systems to many enterprise-wide organizations. Large corporations such as IBM and Microsoft use SAP products to run their businesses.

SAP applications provide the capability to manage financial, asset, and cost accounting, production operations and materials, personnel, plants, and archived documents. The latest technology SAP offers to business organizations is called the R/3 system.


R/3 is a comprehensive set of integrated business applications that uses the client/server model and provides the ability to store, retrieve, analyze, and process in many ways corporate data for financial analysis, production operation, human resource management, and most other business processes.

Kodak
Kodak is one of the customers of SAP. Kodak uses SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) to improve its business. Eric Hunt, the ERP global data warehouse project manager at the worldwide leader in imaging, says that “We’re using a single instance of an R/3® global design to run all of our business processes worldwide. Then we use SAP® BW to merge crucial data from R/3 and non-SAP systems to provide us with easy access, through a user-friendly graphical interface, into the critical issues that drive our business.”

               

ERP Development Model

According to Ahituv, Neumann, and Zviran (Spring 2002), the following is the ERP life cycle model based on case studies identified during their literature research and system implementation methodologies developed by system vendors.

ERP Life Cycle Model

1.       Selection Phase

The objective of this phase is to identify the ERP package most appropriate for the organization and the technological infrastructure needed for it. In this phase, the standard activities and those unique to the organization are reviewed in order to determine the project boundaries.

2.      Definition Phase

This phase includes all the preparatory activities for the implementation phase that follows. The system components that will be included in the implementation are defined and the implementation plan is prepared.

3.       Implementation Phase

As the main phase of the ERP life cycle, its objective is to link the ERP system to the organizational processes so that when the system moves to the operation phase, its contribution to the organization would be at the maximum. During this phase, the organizational processes are redesigned to work with the ERP system, the system is implemented, user training and acceptance testing is performed. This phase is iterative and the iteration begins at the conclusion of the acceptance tests of the previous iteration.

4.     Operation Phase

In this phase, the ERP system is in operation, is maintained, and is upgraded, if needed. This is the longest phase of the ERP life cycle and can last for several years.

Comparison to SDLC

The major phases of SDLC include Definition, Development and Implementation, and Operation. On the other hand, ERP has Selection, Parallel Definition Development and Implementation, and Operation.


The selection phase is not part of the SDLC model because the systems are developed internally. In ERP, selection phase takes place at the start.


In SDLC, the definition phase is performed before the development and implementation phase. Unlike in ERP, the definition phase takes place in parallel to the process of development and implementation since the essence of ERP model is the mutual fit of the system and organization.

Source:

http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=onoxYRropMoC&pg=PA311&lpg=PA311&dq=From+a+news+article+or+internet+information,+find+an+example+of+an+organization+that+is+installing+an+ERP+package.&source=bl&ots=Xiow5qPgbZ&sig=PmTj3WdEH8YXtrQ6jnQNZZ6zWxc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CwxGT8zUJeyviQfstPiEDg&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=From%20a%20news%20article%20or%20internet%20information%2C%20find%20an%20example%20of%20an%20organization%20that%20is%20installing%20an%20ERP%20package.&f=false

http://www.sap.com/belux/platform/netweaver/businessintelligence/pdf/Kodak_50036402_e.pdf

http://searchsap.techtarget.com/definition/SAP

http://searchsap.techtarget.com/definition/R-3

http://paul-hadrien.info/backup/LSE/IS%20470/litterature%20review/CSF%20ERP%20(old).pdf

Choosing A Good Deployment Environment

Note: Assignment 11 of System Analysis and Design

By the definition of Satzinger, Jackson, and Burd in their book entitled “Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World”, application deployment environment is the configuration of the computer hardware, system software, and networks, in which the new application software will operate. Thus, to ensure that the application software for the system will run efficiently, choosing the right deployment environment is really important. The deployment environment must be defined in a way that it has to match the specific requirements of the application. 

In defining the deployment environment, some factors are considered by a system analyst:

·   Compatibility with system requirements

The system analyst must be able to know and determine what would be the best requirement such as the user locations, speed of access and update, security, and transaction volume would best fit the defined requirements of the system. Each task of the system must be functional in a way that it would result to the desirable output. 

·   Compatibility among hardware and system software

This refers to the effective combination of hardware and software choices for the application system. Considering that the development of hardware and software are made only by two or three companies, then there would be efficiency issue when you try to use a combination of hardware or software from different developers. But there are also instances that other combinations result to a better performance than the package set by a company. Thus, the system analyst should be able to determine the arrangement between the hardware and software that are compatible to each other.

·  Required interfaces to external systems

There are systems that require interactions to external systems. It is when the external system needs an input data from the current system or either the current system needs to process the data from the external system. And so to enable the efficient communication between the two systems, there should be a good interface that is compatible between the two systems.

·   Conformity with the IT strategic plan and architecture plan

If the system software does not conform to the strategic and architecture plan of the company, then there would be a failure on the project because the goal of the system is not met.

·   Cost and schedule

The cost of the deployment environment should also be kept in mind. The cost of the deployment environment, if possible, should be low so that the company will have to spend only a low amount. The schedule is also considered. It means that the time to gather and assemble the deployment environment should be conforming to the schedule plan of the system.

     To sum it up, the analyst must be able to define an application deployment environment that would enable the application software to meet the requirements of the system, fits the IT strategic plan and architectural plan of the organization, and should be acquired and configured within the accepted limits of budget and schedule.

Source:
http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=onoxYRropMoC&pg=PA292&lpg=PA292&dq=application+deployment+environment+system+analysis+and+design&source=bl&ots=Xiow0iRfeW&sig=FK9_tHj82Teff1iGBVWuXZr5L7U&hl=tl&sa=X&ei=8jk9T6mbOefmmAWkpr2tBw&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=true

Evaluating High-Quality DFD

Note: Assignment 10 of System Analysis and Design

In systems analysis and design, there are a lot of tools used to understand fully the structure and the different processes of the system being studied. One of the tools used to recognize the structure of the system is by the use of visual diagrams. Visual diagrams help people to know the general overview of the system, which eventually would lead to the understanding of the whole system when presented with more types of the visual diagrams. There are many types of diagrams to model the systems. They may be diagrams that show the structure of the system or diagrams that depicts what happens in the system. There are also diagrams that depict the flow of data. One of them is the data flow diagram or DFD.

Data Flow Diagram

Data Flow Diagram or DFD is a structural diagram that illustrates the flow of data from external entities into the system, shows how the data moved from one process to another, as well as its logical storage (Ambler, 2009). Data Flow Diagram shows how the data is processed by a system in terms of inputs and outputs (SmartDraw). In short, DFD’s illustrates how the data flows and how it is handled by the system.

Data Flow Diagram Symbols

In Gane and Sarson notation of a Data Flow Diagram (Ambler, 2009), there are four symbols used to illustrate the flow of data.

· Squares for External Entities

Squares represent the external entities of the system. These external entities may be the source or the destination of the data. For example, in an enrolment system of a university, a student gives his or her basic information to the University for Them to have a record on him. Therefore, the student is a source of information and thus is drawn inside a square or a box.

External entities are named appropriately. Squares of the same name can be duplicated one or more times to avoid line crossing on the diagram. With this, the diagram would be much cleaner or organized well. In identifying an external entity, one must determine first the system boundary. The system boundary is the limitation of what the system is able to process. The external entities should be outside of the system being studied. External entities are usually beyond the area of influence of the system developer. Meaning, there are instances that some external entities could be omitted unintentionally. Thus, identifying external entities should be done carefully.

· Rounded Corner Rectangles for Processes

The rounded rectangles represent the processes of the system. Inside the rounded rectangle, there is a two-partitioned space or sometimes there are three. The top partition shows a number that depicts its process number or its order on the system. In the middle is the name of the process that is to be used. And on the bottom partition, it is written there the actor or the person involved on that particular process. It is him or her that receives the data and processes it. The processes we are talking about are the processes that take data as an input and do something to it; example is outputting it or storing it to a database.

Processes show that there is a change or transformation of data happening. So when there is a transformation, then it is obvious that there is an input data and an output data. Naming of the process should also be done rightfully. In naming the process, it should consist of a verb and an object of the verb. There is no subject on the name of the process and the word “process” should not be present on the process name. Each process should also represent only one function or action. So if there is an “and” on the name, then there are already two or more processes or functions. That process should be separated then.

On a system, there could be leveling of processes. With leveled processes, there are some processes that are sub-processes of a process. So to identify them easily and clearly, numbering the process is allowed. For the sub-process, one could identify them by using a decimal notation. For example, a main process has 3 sub-processes. So the main process, assuming it is the first process, would be 1 and the sub-processes would be 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3.

The arrangement of processes in a data flow diagram is generally from top to bottom and left to right. This is done to have a uniformity of the diagrams. It would also help to read and understand efficiently the flow of the data.

· Open-ended Rectangles for Data Stores

These open-ended rectangles are the data stores or storages. When we mean data stores, it could be physical or logical. Logical data stores are the databases or the XML files of the system while the physical data stores are the filing cabinets or the stacks of papers. Data stores are important because it has the summary of all the information gathered and to be used by the system.

· Arrows for Data Flows

Arrows represent the direction of the data flow. It shows where the data comes from and where the data goes into. It connects the three other shapes mentioned earlier. The data that we refer in the system may be the electronic data or the physical items such as the documents and papers.

When there are two or more processes that output data that flows to the same destination, then the arrows could be joined. This also means that when same data goes to two or more separate destinations, then the arrow could be forked or divided into multiple arrows going to multiple paths.

One thing to mind about the arrow or the data flow is that it should represent data only and not the control. To show the control of data, one can do that by using another type of diagrams. For in data flow diagram, it only shows how the data flows in the system.

In naming the arrows or data flow, it should be done by labeling it with the specific data that is passed either as an input or as an output. The name should not contain the word “data” for it is obvious already that the arrow represents a data.

Figure 1. Symbols on a Data Flow Diagram or DFD

Constructing Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

To construct a quality data flow diagram, a procedure should be followed so that we could be ascertained that the diagram we are making is correct and understandable even by a person that does not know a data flow diagram.

1. Identify and list external entities.

The first thing to do, and one of the most crucial parts in constructing a data flow diagram, is to identify all of the external entities. As what have mentioned previously about external entities, these are the objects that are beyond the system boundary. They are usually the source of data that goes into the system.

2. Identify and list input and output data.

The next step is to list down all the input data from the external entities to the system and all the output data from the system to the external entities.

3. Create the context diagram.

After identifying the external entities and the different input and output data, a context diagram could now be drawn. A context diagram is a diagram that shows the flow of data between the system and the external entities. The system is on the center and surrounding it are the external entities. The system is represented as one process that receives data from the external entities and outputs data to the external entities.

4.       Identify business functions.

Now that we have the context diagram, we could now delve deeper on the specifics functions and actions on the system. So we have to list down all the processes of the system.

5. Identify data connections between business functions.

As we are in knowledge that processes are done sequentially, we now have to identify the correct sequence of the processes. We also have to determine the data that flows between them.

6. Confirm data distribution and reception.

Next is to confirm that the data from the external entities goes into the system and is received by the correct process that needs the data.

7. Trace and record the data flows of the system.

Tracing and recording the data is done to ensure that the data flow is correct and there is no data that strayed to different process.

8. Connect diagram segments.

If there would be segmented diagrams, then we should find the connection between those diagrams. If possible, there should be no segmented processes on the system. All processes should be connected to each other.

9. Verify data flow source and destination.

We should now verify that in every process, the data that goes in must go out, even if there is no transformation of data that happened. In this step, we should check if there is an existing diagramming mistake such as a black hole, grey hole, or a miracle.

Black holes are processes that have input flows but do not produce output flows. Grey holes, on the other hand, are processes that produce output that could not possibly be produced given a certain input. And lastly, a miracle pertains to process that does not have any input but was able to produce an output flow.

10. Simplify and redraw the diagram.

After checking that there are no errors on the diagram, we could now simplify the diagram and redraw it to finalize.

11. Repeat step 1 if needed.

If still not sure on the finished diagram, we could go back to step 1 and verify for any changes that occurred in the new diagram that did not appear on the previous diagram.

Characteristics of a High Quality DFD

A high quality Data Flow Diagram should be:

· Accurate

A DFD’s accuracy is measured in terms of the number of the diagramming mistakes present such as the black holes, grey holes, and miracles. A high-quality DFD should not have any of these mistakes. To avoid the mistakes, one should follow carefully the guidelines on how to construct a data flow diagram.

· Readable

A Data Flow Diagram is readable when it is not too complex. Too much complexity could result to hard time in tracing the flow of data. Following the rule of arranging the processes from top to bottom and left to right would really help to decrease the complexity of the diagram. Numbering of the processes would also increase the readability of the DFD. Proper naming of the components of the system should also be done rightly.

Sources:

http://www.agilemodeling.com/artifacts/dataFlowDiagram.htm

http://www.smartdraw.com/resources/tutorials/data-flow-diagrams/

http://spot.colorado.edu/~kozar/DFDtechnique.html

http://faculty.babson.edu/dewire/Readings/dfdmistk.htm

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/69651149/Chapter-6

USEP Pre-Enrollment Data Flow Diagram

Note: Assignment 9 of System Analysis and Design

Context Data Flow Diagram

Logical Data Flow Diagram

Physical Data Flow Diagram

USEP Pre-Enrollment Activity Diagram and Fully Developed Use Case Description

Note: Assignment 8 of System Analysis and Design

USEP Pre-Enrollment Use Case

Note: Assignment 7 of System Analysis and Design

Use Case:	Secure USEPAT Application Form
Actors:	Student, UGTO
Scenario:	The student goes to UGTO office to inquire for the requirements for the examination. The UGTO faculty would then give the list of requirements, application form, and a pay slip. The student would then fill up the form and pay slip.
Use Case:	Pay USEPAT Examination Fee
Actors:	Student
Scenario:	The student presents the pay slip and pay the examination fee to the cashier.
Use Case:	Issue USEPAT Examination Fee Receipt
Actors:	Cashier
Scenario:	The cashier would issue the examination fee receipt to the student paying.
Use Case:	Submit USEPAT Requirements
Actors:	Student
Scenario:	The student submits all the requirements for the USEPAT examination including the examination fee receipt.
Use Case:	Confirm USEPAT Schedule
Actors:	Student, UGTO
Scenario:	The UGTO faculty would schedule the student’s examination date and then issue the student his or her examination permit.
Use Case:	Take USEPAT Examination
Actors:	Student
Scenario:	The student would present the examination permit for his or her to take the exam. An UGTO official will facilitate the exam and would also issue the permit to get the result of the exam.
Use Case:	Verify USEPAT Result
Actors:	Student, UGTO
Scenario:	The student presents the permit to get result to the UGTO faculty. The UGTO faculty would then verify the permit and gives the result to the student.
Use Case:	Undergo Interview
Actors:	Student
Scenario:	The student would then go to his or her chosen college to undergo an interview under a faculty staff.
Use Case:	Verify Admission
Actors:	Student, College Faculty
Scenario:	The student would go back to the college faculty to receive his or her admission slip if successfully admitted or not.
Use Case:	Secure EBP Application Form
Actors:	Student, Institute of Language Faculty
Scenario:	The student who got a rating of 7 or below in English in the entrance examination would request an application form for the English Bridge Program to the Institute of Language faculty. The faculty would then issue the student the application form and a pay slip.
Use Case:	Pay EBP Fee
Actors:	Student
Scenario:	The student presents the pay slip and pay the EBP fee to the cashier.
Use Case:	Issue EBP Fee Receipt
Actors:	Cashier
Scenario:	The cashier would issue the examination fee receipt to the student paying.
Use Case:	Undergo EBP
Actors:	Student
Scenario:	The student goes to a class for 10 days to improve his or her skills in English.
Use Case:	Undergo Medical Examination
Actors:	Student
Scenario:	The student would undergo a medical examination in the University Clinic to be examined by the University Doctor.
Use Case:	Issue Medical Examination Result
Actors:	Medical Examiner
Scenario:	The medical examiner would then give the student his or her medical examination result.
Use Case:	Secure Medical Examination Result
Actors:	Student
Scenario:	The student gets the examination result and keep it for the enrollment.