SYS 364 Introduction to Output Design Housekeeping

SYS 364 Introduction to Output Design

Housekeeping ® Your groups should now be formed ® teams of 2 -5 people

Agenda ® Overview of Systems ® Basic Concepts ® Design Tasks ® Use of Codes ® General Guidelines Design ® Specific Tasks in Output Design ® Designing Printed Reports ® Screen Output ® Importance of Output Control ® Automated Output Design Tools

What SDLC activities are accomplished at each phase? ® Planning ® Analysis (logical model, i. e. what, not how) ® Investigate, Analyze, & Document ® Input, Process, Output requirements ® Design ® Implementation ® Operations and Support

What SDLC activities are accomplished at each phase? ® Planning ® Analysis (logical model, the “what”) ® Design (physical model, the “how”) ® Output Design ® Input Design ® File and Database Design ® Architecture Design ® Implementation ® Operations and Support

What vs How ® The logical model is completed during the Systems Analysis Phase ® What are the needs? ® DFD, DD, ERD, Process Descriptions ® The physical model is completed during the Systems Design Phase ® How are the needs delivered? ® Output, Input, file design, processing, and architecture

® What is missing? ® Output becomes Input to another process or system ® Feedback loop

Physical Modeling Phase ® Review the system requirements (analysis) ® Model the system ® output design ® ® input design ® ® actual process of entering, verifying and storing data file and database design ® ® exact format of reports physical layout of data files, DB normalization system architecture ® Procedures, Programs, & Platforms ® Present the system design

The final step in systems design ® System Design Specification Report ® Includes costs and benefits ® Presentation to Management …anyone want to guess about the Project in this course? ? ?

Classical Relationship between Analysis and Design ® Return to the Analysis Phase when: ® You discover additional facts are required ® Users have significant, new needs ® Legal/government issues change ® Encounter unforeseen design issues ® If you return to the Analysis phase frequently –the analysis was likely incomplete or inaccurate

System Design Activities ® One little problem: Users do not know what they need until you show them how they will get it. ® Output Requirements drive the design process because they describe what the system must produce to meet business needs ® Use prototype/storyboard

Continued… ® After working on Output Design ® Input ® Data Files and Databases ® Systems Processing ® Architecture comes ® Impossible to work in “serial” mode – changes on one component may effect others ® Often, you will work on multiple components at once ® CASE tools assist in building/revising logical and physical designs in an iterative process

General Guidelines for Systems Design ® Goal of Systems Design ® Build a system that is effective, reliable and maintainable ® ® Effective – satisfy defined requirements Reliable – handles errors Maintainable – well designed, flexible, considers future modifications Build a system that is foolproof, and only a fool will want to use it. ® Design Approach ® Consider Users, Data and Processing – in that order

Design Tradeoffs ® Design goals are often in conflict ® Ease of use vs programming ® Programming vs maintenance ® You can have it Cheap, You can have it Fast, You can have it Good. ® What do you want first? What do you want second? You can’t have third one.

Designing and Using Codes ®A code is a set of letters or numbers that represent an item of data ® Require less storage in DB or on screen ® Decrease data entry time ® What else? Increase accuracy, reduce ambiguity ® Users must be consulted when creating/using codes: letters are easy to remember, numbers are easy to input

Postal Code ® 6 characters with mask of A 9 A 9 A 9 1 st – province or major populated area ® 2 nd – 0 = rural, 1 -9 urban area ® 3 rd – postal station or city post office ® 4 th – area of city/town served by P. O. ® 5 th – postal delivery walk ® 6 th – specific group of houses The letters W and Z are not used as the first letters of postal codes; D, F, I, O, Q, and U are never used in Canadian postal codes. ® ®

Types of Coding ® Sequence codes ® Block sequence codes ® Classification codes ® Alphabetic codes ® Mnemonic codes ® Significant digit codes ® Derivation codes ® Cipher codes ® Action codes ® Self-checking codes ® Order No. , Counter ® Apt. and Street Nos. ® For summary analysis ® Abbr. , acronyms ® Can degrade (YYZ) ® 20000914 ® TBONTB ® Cost pricing ® D=Delete not Display ® Mod 10

Rules Concerning Codes ® Keep codes concise ® Allow for expansion ® Keep codes stable ® Make codes unique ® Use sortable codes (careful with variable lengths) ® Avoid confusing codes (letters or numbers) O I/L Z B/E K/H S G/C Z/T B Y Postal: 8 Z 5 H 2 G ® Make codes meaningful ® Used for a single purpose (dept. or job-level) ® Keep codes consistent with local culture

Output Media and Devices ® How many are there? ® Electronic vs. Paper

Why paper is still around: ® Familiar many people are scared of using computers (with good reason) ® Accessible not everyone has access to a computer or network connection when they need it ® Exchangeable if you can read, you can exchange it ® Portable no power or equipment required ® Legible higher resolution than screen output reading a screen is 25% slower than reading print

Report Types ® Detail, Control Break, Exception, Summary type reports. ® See AS/400 demo User. ID: DA 444 C 01 Password: SYS 364 ® ad hoc (Latin: to this) ® User created by reporting tools (e. g. Impromptu) user request to programmer who uses query tool ® Report distribution ® Computer & physical security

Exercise 1 ® Give examples of the following from a daily newspaper: ® Detail, Control Break, Exception, Summary type reports. ® Report distribution (not quite int/ext) ® Document a Newspaper’s report design (see handouts for details) ® Bring a newspaper to class next week. ® What would a newspaper be if it wasn’t ink on flattened trees?