Information Systems 12 E238 TEE Questions 2002

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PART A Multiple Choice Items (15 marks)

Attempt all questions in this part. Each question is worth 1 mark. Each question has only one correct response. For each question select the response that is correct. Signify your answer by circling the label (a, b, c or d) of the correct response. If you change your answer, completely erase your original answer. Questions where two or more responses are selected will score no marks.

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1. The study of a current business and its existing information systems, and the definition of user requirements for a new or improved information system, is part of which ‘life cycle’ phase?

(a) Design
(b) Implementation
(c) Analysis
(d) Development

2. The distinction between RAM and Cache RAM is typically that

(a) a small amount of RAM is set aside to store frequently used instructions.
(b) cache RAM is significantly faster than conventional RAM and is used to store recently used instructions.
(c) cache RAM is slower than RAM
(d) cache RAM is permanent memory.

3. If a signal has become weak as a result of travelling a distance, it is said to be

(a) noisy.
(b) attenuated.
(c) noisy and attenuated.
(d) encrypted.

4. Examine the following algorithm.

For athlete_number 1 to 8 Read athlete_name(athlete_number) End for

What type of data structure is athlete_name?

(a) string
(b) record
(c) numeric
(d) array

5. Which of the following statements describes the difference between an open and a closed information system?

(a) A closed system has boundaries that allow data to be passed in and out of the system, whilst an open system has all data contained within its boundaries.
(b) A closed system has public access, whilst an open system has private access.
(c) An open system has boundaries that allow data to be passed in and out of the system, whilst a closed system has all data contained within its boundaries.
(d) An open system has public access, whilst a closed system has private access.

6. The main difference between ISDN and a 56K modem is

(a) ISDN is slower than a modem.
(b) ISDN is less reliable than a modem.
(c) ISDN is cheaper.
(d) ISDN connection is fully digital.

7. Which of the following is not a database model?

(a) Relational
(b) Network
(c) Flat file
(d) Organisational

8. A small scale, incomplete, but working sample of a desired information system is

(a) a prototype.
(b) a data flow diagram.
(c) an entity relationship diagram.
(d) a unified modelling language diagram.

9. When performing a desk check on an algorithm, which of the following error types are being checked?

(a) logic errors
(b) syntax errors
(c) runtime errors
(d) none of the above

10. Which of the following models depicts what an information system must do, not how it will do it?

(a) Logical
(b) Physical
(c) Both logical and physical models
(d) Uniform

11. An attribute or group of attributes that assumes a unique value for each entity instance is considered a

(a) domain.
(b) tuple.
(c) key.
(d) relation.

12. In data flow diagrams the

(a) processes are represented by open-ended boxes.
(b) data flows are represented by arrows.
(c) data stores are represented by squares.
(d) external agents are represented by circles.

13. If a program in a computer is broken into separate parts that are all computed simultaneously, the processing that is occurring is likely to be

(a) parallel.
(b) sequential.
(c) batch.
(d) relational.

14. An entity is in third normal form if

(a) all the values of primary keys are independent of the non-primary keys.
(b) values of non-primary key attributes are not dependent on any other non-primary key attributes.
(c) values of non-primary key attributes are dependent on any other non-primary key attributes.
(d) you add additional non-key attributes that are dependent on other non-key attributes.

15. Which of the following statements about a compiler is true?

(a) Converts and executes code one line at a time.
(b) Converts code in a single process so long as there are no errors in the code.
(c) Converts and executes code a line at a time so long as there are no errors in the code.
(d) Converts code from low to high level languages.

END OF PART A

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PART B Short Answer (25 Marks)

Answer all questions. Write your responses in the spaces provided in this Question/Answer booklet.

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16. Describe how each of the following devices would be used in a network.

(a) Hubs (2 lines) (1 mark)

(b) Routers (2 lines) (1 mark)

(c) Bridges (2 lines) (1 mark)

17. Briefly describe the different methods of implementing a new system in an organisation. (2 lines each) (2 marks)

Phased:

Pilot:

Parallel:

Direct:

18. Describe what activities occur during the feasibility study of an information system. (7 lines) (3 marks)

19. Define each of the following as they apply to project management. (2 lines each) (4 marks)

Teams

Planning

Progress Reports

Time Management

20. In relation to system design and development, explain the meaning of the following terms: (2 lines each) (2 marks)

‘Top-down’ design

‘Bottom up’ development

21. What is normalisation and why is it used? (2 lines) (1 mark)

22. An operator can work on many machines, and each machine has many operators. Each machine belongs to only one department, but a department can have many machines. Draw an entity relationship diagram that represents this situation. It should show: (0.25 page) (3 marks)

• Cardinality (Nature of relationships)
• Several possible attributes
• Primary keys

23. A coin has been tossed 10 times and data stored in the array Heads_Tails. Results for Heads_Tails are listed in the table below.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
H	T	H	H	H	T	H	H	T	H

Write an algorithm that will read from the array Heads_Tails, and count separately the number of heads (H) and tails (T). (8 lines) (3 marks)

24. Study the Nassi-Shneiderman diagram below:

(a) How many times does it loop? (1 line) (1 mark)

(b) What are the final values of s and t? (2 lines) (1 mark)

25. Conducting interviews and distribution questionnaires are two methods of gathering information about an existing system. Describe two advantages and two disadvantages? (8 lines) (2 marks)

END OF PART B

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PART C Extended Answers (60 Marks)

There are four questions in Part C. Answer all of them. Write your answers in this Question/Answer Booklet using the spaces indicated. Label your answers clearly.

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26. (15 marks)

Movie Magic is a video rental chain. They have 50 stores scattered strategically around the metropolitan area. The company has adopted a policy of giving free rentals and videos to their high-volume customers in an attempt to gain a large market share.

The following is a summary of Movie Magic’s business activities. Customers apply for a video rental card. They fill out a form and provide a means of verifying their identity. They are then issued a video rental card. Customers rent video cassettes or video games by giving the assistant their video rental card and the selected items. The assistant totals the amount owing, which is paid by the customers. The customer is given a receipt with the date of return on it. A record is created for each item rented. Customers return video cassettes or video games. If the item is returned late a note and the amount of the late fee is made on their record. If a customer has a late fee they are required to pay the amount the next time they rent an item.

The company has several special policies designed to provide a competitive edge in the video rental market. Once a month the customer rental records are reviewed for customers that have rented more than the monthly bonus level (currently set at $100). Bonus customers are sent a letter thanking them for their business as well as issuing them several free rental coupons (depending on the amount of rental for the month). Once a year the customer records are examined for persons that have rented more than a yearly bonus level (currently set at $500). A letter, free rental coupons, and a certificate for a free video (if they have rented over two times the bonus level) are sent to the customer.

(a) Draw a Context Diagram below for the current Movie Magic system. (0.33 of a page available) (4 marks)

(b) Decompose your Context Diagram into a Logical Data Flow Diagram—level 0 that shows all processes, data flows and data stores in the Movie Magic system. State any assumptions you have made. (1 page available) (8 marks)

(c) Movie Magic has many other business activities which are outside the scope of the system described on the previous page. One of these would be the interaction between Movie Magic and their video suppliers. Describe how your Context Diagram would need to be changed if the interactions between the Movie Magic system and their suppliers were to be represented. (8 lines) (3 marks)

27. (15 marks)

EBooksRUS is a book retailer that intends distributing digital books for sale on the Internet. At present it has a single server network with 10 workstations. The digital books that are downloaded are normally 2 Megabytes or larger in size. EBooksRUS is located within the Central Business District and has ready access to a variety of telecommunications and ISP providers.

The firm is essentially focused on the marketing aspects of the Internet and as such has asked you to advise on the following aspects of the business.

(a) Describe three (3) methods/procedures for protecting the security of the transactions that the website will perform with users. (8 lines) (3 marks)

(b) Identify a suitable method of connectivity to the Internet for EBooksRUS and give reasons for your answer, i.e. What type of connection is best for this purpose? e.g. modem, satellite, ISDN. (8 lines) (3 marks)

(c) EBooksRUS is located on a single floor of a building. As a result of this new initiative the firm is replacing its old coaxial bus network. State with reason:

(i) What replacement topology would you recommend to minimise disruption to the network should a node fail?

(ii) What transmission media would be best suited to this environment and your topology? (9 lines) (4 marks)

(d) EBooksRUS has been given a quote for a server stating that it contains the following:

Pentium IV FC-238 1.8 GHz CPU, with 2 GB RAM Support up to 6 SCSI 100 GB HDD Cheetah CBT 150 GB DAT drive Intel Ether express 100 Mbit NIC

Explain the meaning and purpose of each of the terms listed above in bold print. (11 lines) (5 marks)

28. (15 marks)

Great Papa Pizza is a local pizza company that has decided to deploy a database system that will track and monitor customers’ preferred pizza options and also have a PizzaBuy points loyalty system. Customers acquire PizzaBuy points by the value of purchases they make from Great Papa Pizza. These points then accumulate until a customer can redeem them by purchasing goods up to the value of the points.

For each new customer, a record will be created in a table called Customer using the customer’s phone number as an unique identifier. The table will also store the customer’s first name, surname, address, suburb, postcode, date of birth and the name of his/her favourite pizza. There will be a separate table that deals with the customer’s pizza purchases for calculating their PizzaBuy points.

(a) Create a suitable data structure for the Customer Table. You should indicate appropriate variable types for each field in a sample tuple/record. (6 lines) (3 marks)

(b) Do you think the choice of PhoneNumber as a unique identifier is a good choice? Justify your answer. (3 lines) (2 marks)

Below is an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) taken from the initial design phase of the database.

(c) Describe what needs to be done to the ERD shown above, in order to implement a solution without a many to many relationship. (3 lines) (2 marks)

(d) Create an ERD that demonstrates this relationship in the modified format. Indicate possible primary keys for each entity. (0.33 page available) (4 marks)

(e) The database designer has advised that PizzaBuys can be a value that is stored in the customer table instead of a separate linked table. The calculated value would simply add any new points to existing points in the PizzaBuys field. A form to subtract points would then be used whenever someone redeems their PizzaBuy points. The designer’s main reason for doing this is that it decreases data redundancy and increases data integrity. Describe each of these terms and state whether you believe that this does in fact decrease data redundancy and increase data integrity. (7 lines) (3 marks)

(f) The designer has also produced a document called a data dictionary that has arrived along with the program documentation at the completion of the project. Describe the purpose of this document. (3 lines) (1 mark)

29. (15 marks)

(a) Consider the following program logic.

Count 0 Read Number (read in any positive integer) Do while number > 0 Count count + 1 Result number mod 2 Number number div 2 Answer(count) result End do Printout (Answer(count), count)

Note: Mod gives the integer remainder of the integer division. e.g. 18 mod 7 gives 4.
Div gives the integer result without the remainder. e.g. 18 div 7 gives 2.

(i) Use 8, 16, 23 for the value of number to desk check the algorithm. (3 marks)

Count	Number	Result	Answer(count)
| | | | | | | | |

(ii) The pseudocode for the module printout is shown below:

Printout (code(counter), counter) Max counter For num Max downto 1 Print code(num) End for End Printout

List the output for the numbers 8, 16 & 23. (3 lines) (3 marks)

(iii) What function does the program perform? (2 lines) (1 mark)

(b) Study the tax calculator represented by the Nassi-Shneiderman diagram below:

(i) In relation to any errors of logic, comment on its suitability as a tax calculator. (6 lines) (4 marks)

(ii) Rewrite and correct the logic of the Nassi Shneiderman diagram. (half page available) (4 marks)

END OF QUESTIONS

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