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Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design 5th Edition
Joseph Valacich Digital Instant Download
Author(s): Joseph Valacich, Joey George, Jeff A. Hoffer
ISBN(s): 9780137067114, 0137067119
Edition: 5th
File Details: PDF, 12.63 MB
Year: 2011
Language: english

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Essentials of
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Valacich, Joseph S.
Essentials of systems analysis and design / Joseph S. Valacich,
Joey F. George, Jeffrey A. Hoffer.—5th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-706711-4
ISBN-10: 0-13-706711-9
1. System design. 2. System analysis. I. George, Joey F. II.
Hoffer, Jeffrey A. III. Title.
QA76.9.S88V345 2011
003—dc22
2011008298
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 10: 0-13-706711-9
ISBN 13: 978-0-13-706711-4

Essentials of
Systems Analysis
and Design
FIFTH EDITION
Joseph S. Valacich
University of Arizona
Joey F. George
Iowa State University
Jeffrey A. Hoffer
University of Dayton
Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River
Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto
Delhi Mexico City Sa
~o Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo

To Jackie, Jordan, and James,
for your sacrifices, encouragement,
and support.
—Joe
To Karen, Evan, and Caitlin.
—Joey
To Patty, for her sacrifices,
encouragement, and support.
To my students, for being receptive
and critical, and for challenging me
to be a better teacher.
—Jeff

Brief Contents
PART I FOUNDATIONS FOR SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT 2
1 The Systems Development Environment 2
2 The Sources of Software 26
3 Managing the Information Systems Project 42
PART II SYSTEMS PLANNING AND SELECTION 82
4 Systems Planning and Selection 82
PART III SYSTEMS ANALYSIS 122
5 Determining System Requirements 122
6 Structuring System Requirements:
Process Modeling 152
7 Structuring System Requirements:
Conceptual Data Modeling 188
PART IV SYSTEMS DESIGN 232
8 Designing the Human Interface 232
9 Designing Databases 272
PART V SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION 318
10 Systems Implementation and Operation 318
Appendix A Object-Oriented Analysis and Design 361
Appendix B Agile Methodologies 381
References 395
Glossary of Acronyms 401
Glossary of Terms 403
Index 409
vii

Contents
Preface xix
PART I FOUNDATIONS FOR SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT 2
Chapter 1 The Systems Development Environment 2
What Is Information Systems Analysis and Design? 4
Systems Analysis and Design: Core Concepts 4
Systems 6
Definition of a System and Its Parts 6
Important System Concepts 7
A Modern Approach to Systems Analysis and Design 10
Your Role in Systems Development 11
Developing Information Systems and the Systems
Development Life Cycle 12
Phase 1: Systems Planning and Selection 14
Phase 2: Systems Analysis 14
Phase 3: Systems Design 15
Phase 4: Systems Implementation and Operation 15
Alternative Approaches to Development 18
Prototyping 18
Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools 18
Joint Application Design 19
Rapid Application Development 19
Participatory Design 21
Agile Methodologies 21
Key Points Review 21
Key Terms Checkpoint 22
Review Questions 23
Problems and Exercises 23
Discussion Questions 24
Case Problems 24
Chapter 2 The Sources of Software 26
Introduction 27
Systems Acquisition 27
Outsourcing 28
Sources of Software 29
Choosing Off-the-Shelf Software 33
ix

x Contents
Reuse 36
Review Questions 40
Field Exercises 40
Case: Petrie’s Electronics 40
Chapter 3 Managing the Information Systems Project 42
Pine Valley Furniture Company Background 44
Managing the Information Systems Project 45
Initiating the Project 49
Planning the Project 53
Executing the Project 60
Closing Down the Project 63
Representing and Scheduling Project Plans 64
Representing Project Plans 66
Calculating Expected Time Durations Using PERT 67
Constructing a Gantt Chart and Network Diagram
at Pine Valley Furniture 68
Using Project Management Software 71
Establishing a Project Starting Date 72
Entering Tasks and Assigning Task Relationships 72
Selecting a Scheduling Method to Review Project
Reports 73
Review Questions 76
Case Problems 79
PART II SYSTEMS PLANNING AND SELECTION 82
Chapter 4 Systems Planning and Selection 82
Identifying and Selecting Projects 84
The Process of Identifying and Selecting Information
Systems Development Projects 84
Deliverables and Outcomes 87

Initiating and Planning Systems Development Projects 88
The Process of Initiating and Planning Systems
Development Projects 88
Assessing Project Feasibility 90
Assessing Economic Feasibility 92
Assessing Other Feasibility Concerns 98
Building the Baseline Project Plan 99
Reviewing the Baseline Project Plan 105
Pine Valley Furniture WebStore: Systems Planning
and Selection 108
Internet Basics 108
Pine Valley Furniture WebStore 110
Review Questions 116
Case Problems 117
PART III SYSTEMS ANALYSIS 122
Chapter 5 Determining System Requirements 122
Performing Requirements Determination 124
The Process of Determining Requirements 124
Requirements Structuring 126
Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements 126
Interviewing and Listening 126
Directly Observing Users 131
Analyzing Procedures and Other Documents 132
Modern Methods for Determining System
Requirements 135
Joint Application Design 136
Using Prototyping during Requirements Determination 139
Radical Methods for Determining System Requirements 140
Identifying Processes to Reengineer 141
Disruptive Technologies 142
Pine Valley Furniture WebStore: Determining System
Requirements 143
System Layout and Navigation Characteristics 143
Contents xi

WebStore and Site Management System Capabilities 144
Customer and Inventory Information 145
System Prototype Evolution 145
Case Problems 149
Chapter 6 Structuring System Requirements: Process Modeling 152
Process Modeling 154
Modeling a System’s Process 154
Data-Flow Diagramming Mechanics 155
Definitions and Symbols 156
Developing DFDs: An Example 158
Data-Flow Diagramming Rules 161
Decomposition of DFDs 162
Balancing DFDs 164
Using Data-Flow Diagramming in the Analysis Process 166
Guidelines for Drawing DFDs 166
Using DFDs as Analysis Tools 168
Using DFDs in Business Process Reengineering 169
Logic Modeling 171
Modeling Logic with Decision Tables 172
Pine Valley Furniture WebStore: Process Modeling 175
Process Modeling for Pine Valley Furniture’s WebStore 175
Case Problems 184
Chapter 7 Structuring System Requirements:
The Process of Conceptual Data Modeling 191
xii Contents

Gathering Information for Conceptual Data
Modeling 195
Introduction to Entity-Relationship Modeling 197
Entities 197
Attributes 199
Candidate Keys and Identifiers 199
Multivalued Attributes 200
Relationships 201
Conceptual Data Modeling and the E-R Model 201
Degree of a Relationship 202
Cardinalities in Relationships 203
An Example of Conceptual Data Modeling
at Hoosier Burger 206
PVF WebStore: Conceptual Data Modeling 209
Conceptual Data Modeling for Pine Valley Furniture’s
WebStore 209
Selecting the Best Alternative Design Strategy 213
The Process of Selecting the Best Alternative Design
Strategy 213
Generating Alternative Design Strategies 214
Developing Design Strategies for Hoosier Burger’s
New Inventory Control System 216
Selecting the Most Likely Alternative 218
Case Problems 225
PART IV SYSTEMS DESIGN 232
Chapter 8 Designing the Human Interface 232
Designing Forms and Reports 234
The Process of Designing Forms and Reports 234
Formatting Forms and Reports 238
Designing Interfaces and Dialogues 246
The Process of Designing Interfaces and Dialogues 246
Designing Interfaces 247
Designing Dialogues 258
Contents xiii

Pine Valley Furniture WebStore: Designing
the Human Interface 262
General Guidelines for Designing Web Interfaces 262
General Guidelines for Web Layouts 262
Designing the Human Interface at Pine Valley Furniture 263
Menu-Driven Navigation with Cookie Crumbs 264
Lightweight Graphics 265
Forms and Data Integrity 265
Template-Based HTML 265
Case Problems 269
Chapter 9 Designing Databases 272
Database Design 274
The Process of Database Design 274
Relational Database Model 279
Well-Structured Relations 280
Normalization 281
Rules of Normalization 281
Functional Dependence and Primary Keys 282
Second Normal Form 282
Third Normal Form 283
Transforming E-R Diagrams into Relations 284
Represent Entities 285
Represent Relationships 286
Summary of Transforming E-R Diagrams to Relations 288
Merging Relations 289
An Example of Merging Relations 289
View Integration Problems 290
Logical Database Design for Hoosier Burger 291
Physical File and Database Design 293
Designing Fields 294
Choosing Data Types 294
Controlling Data Integrity 296
Designing Physical Tables 297
Arranging Table Rows 299
Designing Controls for Files 303
xiv Contents

Physical Database Design for Hoosier Burger 304
Pine Valley Furniture WebStore: Designing Databases 306
Designing Databases for Pine Valley Furniture’s
WebStore 307
Case Problems 314
PART V SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION 318
Chapter 10 Systems Implementation and Operation 318
Systems Implementation and Operation 320
The Processes of Coding, Testing, and Installation 321
Deliverables and Outcomes from Coding, Testing,
and Installation 321
The Processes of Documenting the System, Training Users,
and Supporting Users 322
Deliverables and Outcomes from Documenting the System,
Training Users, and Supporting Users 323
The Process of Maintaining Information Systems 323
Deliverables and Outcomes from Maintaining Information
Systems 324
Software Application Testing 325
Seven Different Types of Tests 325
The Testing Process 327
Acceptance Testing by Users 329
Installation 330
Planning Installation 330
Documenting the System 333
User Documentation 334
Preparing User Documentation 335
Training and Supporting Users 336
Training Information System Users 336
Supporting Information System Users 338
Support Issues for the Analyst to Consider 340
Why Implementation Sometimes Fails 341
Project Closedown 342
Conducting Systems Maintenance 343
Types of Maintenance 343
The Cost of Maintenance 344
Contents xv

xvi Contents
Measuring Maintenance Effectiveness 345
Controlling Maintenance Requests 346
Configuration Management 347
Role of Automated Development Tools in Maintenance 348
Web Site Maintenance 348
Maintaining an Information System
at Pine Valley Furniture 349
Pine Valley Furniture WebStore: Systems Implementation
and Operation 350
Systems Implementation and Operation
for Pine Valley Furniture’s WebStore 351
Case Problems 357
Appendix A Object-Oriented Analysis and Design 361
The Object-Oriented Modeling Approach 361
Use-Case Modeling 362
Object Modeling: Class Diagrams 365
Representing Associations 366
Representing Generalization 368
Representing Aggregation 370
Dynamic Modeling: State Diagrams 371
Dynamic Modeling: Sequence Diagrams 372
Designing a Use Case with a Sequence Diagram 374
Moving to Design 375
Appendix B Agile Methodologies 381
The Trend to Agile Methodologies 381
Agile Methodologies 382
eXtreme Programming 384
The Heart of the Systems Development Process 385
Requirements Determination 386
Design Specifications 389
Implementation 391

What We’ve Learned about Agile Methodologies 391
References 395
Glossary of Acronyms 401
Glossary of Terms 403
Index 409
Contents xvii

Preface
Our Approach
In today’s information- and technology-driven business world, students need to
be aware of three key factors. First, it is more crucial than ever to know how to
organize and access information strategically. Second, success often depends
on the ability to work as part of a team. Third, the Internet will play an impor-
tant part in their work lives. Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design, Fifth
Edition, addresses these key factors.
More than 50 years’ combined teaching experience in systems analysis and
design have gone into creating Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design,
Fifth Edition, a text that emphasizes hands-on, experimental learning. We pro-
vide a clear presentation of the concepts, skills, and techniques students need
to become effective systems analysts who work with others to create informa-
tion systems for businesses. We use the systems development life cycle model
as an organizing tool throughout the book to provide a strong conceptual and
systematic framework.
Internet coverage is provided in each chapter via an integrated, extended
illustrative case (Pine Valley Furniture WebStore) and an end-of-chapter case
(Petrie’s Electronics).
Many systems analysis and design courses involve lab work and outside read-
ing. Lecture time can be limited. Based on market research and our own teach-
ing experience, we understand the need for a book that combines depth of
coverage with brevity. So we have created a ten-chapter book that covers key
systems analysis and design content without overwhelming students with
unnecessary detail.
New to the Fifth Edition
The following features are new to the Fifth Edition:
쐍 Emphasis on current changes in systems analysis and design. The
move to structured analysis and design in the late 1970s was
considered to be a revolution in systems development. We are
undergoing another revolution now, as we move away from complex,
plan-driven development to new approaches called “Agile
Methodologies.” Although the best-known Agile Methodology is
eXtreme Programming, many other approaches are also available. The
Agile revolution in systems development is acknowledged and briefly
explained in Chapter 1 and then explored in much greater depth in
Appendix B.
쐍 Increased focus on make versus buy and systems integration. More
and more systems development involves the use of packages in
combination with legacy applications and new modules. Coverage of
the make-versus-buy decision and of the multiple sources of software
and software components is highlighted in Chapter 2 to show how
companies deal with these issues.
쐍 New end-of-chapter running case. Petrie’s Electronics, a fictional
electronics retailer, is a student project case that allows students to
study and develop a Web-based customer loyalty program to enhance
a customer relationship management system.
xix

쐍 Updated illustrations of technology. Screen captures have been
updated throughout the text to show examples using the latest
versions of programming and Internet development environments, and
user interface designs.
쐍 New entity-relationship notation. We now use a new notation for
entity-relationship diagramming in Chapter 7 and elsewhere. This
notation is consistent with that used in Modern Database
Management, Tenth Edition, by Hoffer, Ramesh, and Topi (2011).
쐍 Updated content. Throughout the book, the content in each chapter
has been updated where appropriate.
쐍 End-of-chapter updates. We have provided extensive updates to
existing problems along with several new problems in every chapter.
Themes
Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design, Fifth Edition, is characterized by
the following themes:
쐍 Systems development is firmly rooted in an organizational context.
The successful systems analyst requires a broad understanding of
organizations, organizational culture, and operations.
쐍 Systems development is a practical field. Coverage of current
practices as well as accepted concepts and principles is essential for
today’s systems analyst.
쐍 Systems development is a profession. The text presents standards of
practice, and fosters a sense of continuing personal development,
ethics, and a respect for and collaboration with the work of others.
쐍 Systems development has significantly changed with the explosive
growth in databases, data-driven architecture for systems, and the
Internet. Systems development and database management can be
taught in a highly coordinated fashion. The Internet has rapidly
become a common development platform for database-driven
electronic commerce systems.
쐍 Success in systems analysis and design requires not only skills in
methodologies and techniques, but also in the management of time,
resources, and risks. Learning systems analysis and design requires a
thorough understanding of the process as well as the techniques and
deliverables of the profession.
Given these themes, the text emphasizes these approaches:
쐍 A business rather than a technology perspective
쐍 The role, responsibilities, and mind-set of the systems analyst as well
as the systems project manager, rather than those of the programmer
or business manager
쐍 The methods and principles of systems development rather than the
specific tools or tool-related skills of the field
Audience
The book assumes that students have taken an introductory course on com-
puter systems and have experience writing programs in at least one program-
ming language. We review basic system principles for those students who have
xx Preface

not been exposed to the material on which systems development methods are
based. We also assume that students have a solid background in computing lit-
eracy and a general understanding of the core elements of a business, including
basic terms associated with the production, marketing, finance, and accounting
functions.
Organization
The outline of the book follows the systems development life cycle:
쐍 Part I, “Foundations for Systems Development,” gives an overview of
systems development and previews the remainder of the book.
쐍 Part II, “Systems Planning and Selection,” covers how to assess
project feasibility and build the baseline project plan.
쐍 Part III, “Systems Analysis,” covers determining system requirements,
process modeling, and conceptual data modeling.
쐍 Part IV, “Systems Design,” covers how to design the human interface
and databases.
쐍 Part V, “Systems Implementation and Operation,” covers system
implementation, operation, closedown, and system maintenance.
쐍 Appendix A, “Object-Oriented Analysis and Design,” and Appendix B,
“Agile Methodologies,” can be skipped or treated as advanced topics
at the end of the course.
Distinctive Features
Here are some of the distinctive features of Essentials of Systems Analysis and
Design, Fifth Edition:
1. The grounding of systems development in the typical architecture for
systems in modern organizations, including database management and
Web-based systems.
2. A clear linkage of all dimensions of systems description and modeling—
process, decision, and data modeling—into a comprehensive and
compatible set of systems analysis and design approaches. Such broad
coverage is necessary for students to understand the advanced
capabilities of many systems development methodologies and tools that
automatically generate a large percentage of code from design
specifications.
3. Extensive coverage of oral and written communication skills (including
systems documentation), project management, team management, and a
variety of systems development and acquisition strategies (e.g., life cycle,
prototyping, rapid application development, object orientation, joint
application development, participatory design, and business process
reengineering).
4. Coverage of rules and principles of systems design, including decoupling,
cohesion, modularity, and audits and controls.
5. A discussion of systems development and implementation within the
context of management of change, conversion strategies, and
organizational factors in systems acceptance.
6. Careful attention to human factors in systems design that emphasize
usability in both character-based and graphical user interface situations.
Preface xxi

Pedagogical Features
The pedagogical features of Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design, Fifth
Edition, reinforce and apply the key content of the book.
SDLC Framework
Although several conceptual processes can be used for guiding a systems de-
velopment effort, the systems development life cycle (SDLC) is arguably the
most widely applied method for designing contemporary information systems.
We highlight four key SDLC steps (Figure P-1):
쐍 Planning and selection
쐍 Analysis
쐍 Design
쐍 Implementation and operation
xxii Preface
Phase 1:
Systems Planning
and Selection
Phase 2:
Systems Analysis
Phase 3:
Systems Design
Phase 4: Systems
Implementation and
Operation SDLC
FIGURE P-1
The systems development life
cycle (SDLC): management is
necessary throughout.
We use the SDLC to frame the part and chapter organization of our book. Most
chapters open with an SDLC figure with various parts highlighted to show stu-
dents how these chapters, and each step of the SDLC, systematically builds on
the previous one.
Internet Coverage and Features
Pine Valley Furniture WebStore A furniture company founded in 1980
has decided to explore electronic commerce as an avenue to increase its market
share. Should this company sell its products online? How would a team of
analysts work together to develop, propose, and implement a plan? Beginning
in Chapter 4, we explore the step-by-step process.
Petrie’s Electronics This end-of-chapter fictional case illustrates how a
national electronics retailer develops a Web-based customer loyalty program to
build and strengthen customer relationships. The case first appears at the end
of Chapter 2 and concludes at the end of Chapter 10.

Preface xxiii
Three Illustrative Fictional Cases
Pine Valley Furniture (PVF) This case is introduced in Chapter 3 and
revisited throughout the book. As key systems development life cycle concepts
are presented, they are applied and illustrated. For example, in Chapter 3, we
explore how PVF implements the purchasing fulfillment system, and in Chapter
4, we explore how PVF implements a customer tracking system. A margin icon
identifies the location of the case segments. A case problem related to PVF is
included in the end-of-chapter material.
Hoosier Burger (HB) This second illustrative case is introduced in
Chapter 6 and revisited throughout the book. Hoosier Burger is a fictional fast-
food restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana. We use this case to illustrate how
analysts would develop and implement an automated food-ordering system. A
margin icon identifies the location of these case segments. A case problem
related to HB is included in the end-of-chapter material.
Petrie’s Electronics This fictional electronics retailer is used as an
extended case at the end of each chapter, beginning with Chapter 2. Designed
to bring the chapter concepts to life, this case illustrates how a company
initiates, plans, models, designs, and implements a Web-based customer loyalty
program. Discussion questions are included to promote critical thinking and
class participation. Suggested solutions to the discussion questions are
provided in the Instructor’s Manual.
End-of-Chapter Material
We have developed an extensive selection of end-of-chapter material designed
to accommodate various learning and teaching styles.
Key Points Review This section repeats the learning objectives that appear at
the opening of the chapter and summarizes the key points related to the objectives.
Key Terms Checkpoint In this self-test feature, students match each key
term in the chapter with its definition.
Review Questions These questions test students’ understanding of key
concepts.
Problems and Exercises These exercises test students’ analytical skills
and require them to apply key concepts.
Discussion Questions These questions promote class participation and
discussion.
Case Problems These problems require students to apply the concepts of
the chapter to fictional cases from various industries. The two illustrative cases
from the chapters are revisited—Pine Valley Furniture and Hoosier Burger.
Other cases are from various fields such as medicine, agriculture, and
technology. Solutions are provided in the Instructor’s Manual.
Margin Term Definitions
Each key term and its definition appear in the margin. A glossary of terms ap-
pears at the back of the book.
References
Located at the end of the text, references are organized by chapter and list more
than 200 books and journals that can provide students and faculty with addi-
tional coverage of topics.

The Supplement Package: www.pearsonhighered.com/valacich
A comprehensive and flexible technology support package is available to
enhance the teaching and learning experience. Instructor supplements are
available at www.pearsonhighered.com/valacich:
쐍 An Instructor’s Resource Manual provides chapter-by-chapter
instructor objectives, teaching suggestions, and answers to all text
review questions, problems, and exercises.
쐍 The Test Item File and TestGen include a comprehensive set of more
than 1,500 test questions in multiple-choice, true-false, and short-
answer format; questions are ranked according to level of difficulty and
referenced with page numbers and topic headings from the text. The
Test Item File is available in Microsoft Word and as the computerized
Prentice Hall TestGen software. The software is PC/Mac-compatible
and preloaded with all of the Test Item File questions. You can
manually or randomly view test questions and drag-and-drop to create
a test. You can add or modify test-bank questions as needed.
쐍 PowerPoint Presentation Slides feature lecture notes that highlight
key text terms and concepts. Professors can customize the
presentation by adding their own slides or by editing the existing ones.
쐍 The Image Library is a collection of the text art organized by chapter.
This collection includes all of the figures, tables, and screenshots (as
permission allows) from the book. These images can be used to
enhance class lectures and PowerPoint slides.
Materials for Your Online Course
Our TestGens are converted for use in BlackBoard and WebCT. These conver-
sions can be found on the Instructor’s Resource Center. Conversions to D2L or
Angel can be requested through your local Pearson Sales Representative.
CourseSmart
CourseSmart eTextbooks were developed for students looking to save on re-
quired or recommended textbooks. Students simply select their eText by title or
author and purchase immediate access to the content for the duration of the
course using any major credit card. With a CourseSmart eText, students can
search for specific keywords or page numbers, take notes online, print out read-
ing assignments that incorporate lecture notes, and bookmark important pas-
sages for later review. For more information or to purchase a CourseSmart
eTextbook, visit www.coursesmart.com.
Acknowledgments
The authors have been blessed by considerable assistance from many people on
all aspects of preparation of this text and its supplements. We are, of course, re-
sponsible for what eventually appears between the covers, but the insights, cor-
rections, contributions, and proddings of others have greatly improved our
manuscript. The people we recognize here all have a strong commitment to stu-
dents, to the IS field, and to excellence. Their contributions have stimulated us,
and frequently rejuvenated us during periods of waning energy for this project.
We would like to recognize the efforts of the many faculty and practicing sys-
tems analysts who have been reviewers of the five editions of this text and its
xxiv Preface

associated text, Modern Systems Analysis and Design. We have tried to deal
with each reviewer comment, and although we did not always agree with spe-
cific points (within the approach we wanted to take with this book), all review-
ers made us stop and think carefully about what and how we were writing. The
reviewers were:
Richard Allen, Richland Community College
Charles Arbutina, Buffalo State College
Paula Bell, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
Sultan Bhimjee, San Francisco State University
Bill Boroski, Trident Technical College
Nora Braun, Augsburg College
Rowland Brengle, Anne Arundel Community College
Richard Burkhard, San Jose State University
Doloras Carlisle, Western Oklahoma State College
Pam Chapman, Waubonsee Community College
Edward Chen, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Suzanne Clayton, Drake University
Garry Dawdy, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Thomas Dillon, James Madison University
Brad Dyer, Hazard Community and Technical
College
Veronica Echols-Noble, DeVry University–Chicago
Richard Egan, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Gerald Evans, University of Montana
Lawrence Feidelman, Florida Atlantic University
David Firth, University of Montana
John Fowler, Walla Walla Community College
Larry Fudella, Erie Community College
Carol Grimm, Palm Beach Community College
Carol Healy, Drake University
Lenore Horowitz, Schenectady County
Community College
Daniel Ivancevich, University of North
Carolina–Wilmington
Jon Jasperson, University of Oklahoma
Len Jessup, Washington State University
Rich Kepenach, St. Petersburg College
Lin Lin, Lehigh University
James Scott Magruder, University of Southern
Mississippi
Diane Mayne-Stafford, Grossmont College
David McNair, Maryville University
Loraine Miller, Cayuga Community College
Klara Nelson, University of Tampa
Max North, Southern Polytechnic State University
Doncho Petkov, Eastern Connecticut State
University
Lou Pierro, Indiana University
Selwyn Piramuthu, University of Florida
Mitzi Pitts, University of Memphis
Richard Platt, University of West Florida
James Pomykalski, Susquehanna University
Robin Poston, University of Memphis
Rao Prabhakar, Amarillo College
Mary Prescott, University of Tampa
Joseph Rottman, University of Missouri, St. Louis
Robert Saldarini, Bergen Community College
Howard Schuh, Rockland Community College
Elaine Seeman, Pitt Community College
Teresa Shaft, The University of Oklahoma
Thomas Shaw, Louisiana State University
Gary Templeton, Mississippi State University
Dominic Thomas, University of Georgia
Don Turnbul, The University of Texas at Austin
Kathleen Voge, University of Alaska–Anchorage
Erica Wagner, Portland State University
Sharon Walters, Southern Illinois University
Haibo Wang, Texas A&M International University
Mark Ward, Southern Illinois University,
Edwardsville
Merrill Warkentin, Northeastern University
June Wei, University of West Florida
Mudasser Wyne, University of Michigan–Flint
Saeed Yazdain, Lane College
Liang Yu, San Francisco State University
Steven Zeltmann, University of Central Arkansas
Justin Zhang, Eastern New Mexico University
We extend a special note of thanks to Jeremy Alexander, who was instru-
mental in conceptualizing and writing the Pine Valley Furniture WebStore
feature that appears in Chapters 3 through 10. The addition of this feature has
helped make those chapters more applied and innovative. We also want to
thank Ryan Wright, University of San Francisco, for the help he provided with
the Visual Basic and .NET related materials, as well as Dave Wilson, Washing-
ton State University, and David Gomillion, Florida State University, for assisting
with updates to the end-of-chapter problems, exercises, and cases.
In addition, we want to thank Nicholas Romano for his work on the Instruc-
tor’s Resource Manual for this edition. We also thank John Russo, for his work
on the PowerPoint presentations and Test Bank of Essentials of Systems
Analysis and Design.
Preface xxv

We also wish to thank Atish Sinha of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
for writing the initial draft of Appendix A on object-oriented analysis and
design. Dr. Sinha, who has been teaching this topic for several years to both un-
dergraduates and MBA students, executed a challenging assignment with
creativity and cooperation. We are also indebted to our undergraduate and MBA
students at the University of Dayton, Florida State University, and Washington
State University who have given us many helpful comments as they worked
with drafts of this text.
Thanks also go to V. Ramesh (Indiana University) and Heikki Topi (Bentley
College) for their assistance in coordinating this text with its companion
book—Modern Database Management, also by Pearson Prentice Hall.
Finally, we have been fortunate to work with a large number of creative and
insightful people at Pearson Prentice Hall, who have added much to the devel-
opment, format, and production of this text. We have been thoroughly
impressed with their commitment to this text and to the IS education market.
These people include Bob Horan, Executive Editor; Anne Fahlgren, Executive
Marketing Manager; Kelly Loftus, Senior Editorial Project Manager; Judy Leale,
Senior Managing Editor; Kelly Warsak, Production Project Manager; Janet
Slowik, Senior Art Director; and Denise Vaughn, Media Editor.
The writing of this text has involved thousands of hours of time from the au-
thors and from all of the people listed. Although our names will be visibly asso-
ciated with this book, we know that much of the credit goes to the individuals
and organizations listed here for any success this book might achieve.
xxvi Preface

About the Authors
Joseph S. Valacich is an Eller Professor of Management Information Systems in
the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. He has had visiting
faculty appointments at Buskerud College (Norway), City University of Hong
Kong, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Riga Technical University (Latvia),
and Helsinki School of Economics and Business. He received a Ph.D. degree from
the University of Arizona (MIS), and M.B.A. and B.S. (computer science) degrees
from the University of Montana. His teaching interests include systems analysis
and design, collaborative computing, project management, and management of
information systems. Professor Valacich cochaired the national task forces to de-
sign IS 2008: The Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree
Programs in Information Systems. He also served on the Executive Committee,
funded by the National Science Foundation, to define the IS Program Accredita-
tion Standards and on the Board of Directors for CSAB (formally, the Comput-
ing Sciences Accreditation Board), representing the Association for Information
Systems (AIS). He was the general conference co-chair for the 2003 International
Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), and the co-chair for the Americas’
Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) in 2012.
Prior to his academic career, Dr. Valacich worked in the information systems
field as a programmer, systems analyst, and technical product manager. He has
conducted numerous corporate training and executive development programs
for organizations, including AT&T, Boeing, Dow Chemical, EDS, Exxon, FedEx,
General Motors, Microsoft, and Xerox.
Dr. Valacich serves on the editorial board of MIS Quarterly and was formerly
an associate editor for Information Systems Research. His research has ap-
peared in publications such as MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research,
Management Science, and Academy of Management Journal. He is a coauthor
of the best-selling Modern Systems Analysis and Design (Sixth Edition), as
well as Object-Oriented Systems Analysis and Design, Information Systems
Today (Fifth Edition), and Information Systems Project Team Management;
all are published by Pearson Prentice Hall.
Joey F. George is professor and Dean’s Chair in the Iowa State University
College of Business. Dr. George earned his bachelor’s degree at Stanford Uni-
versity in 1979 and his Ph.D. in management at the University of California at
Irvine in 1986. He was previously the Edward G. Schlieder Chair of Information
Systems in the E. J. Ourso College of Business Administration at Louisiana State
University. He also served at Florida State University as Chair of the Depart-
ment of Information and Management Sciences from 1995 to 1998.
Dr. George has published dozens of articles in such journals as Information
Systems Research, Communications of the ACM, MIS Quarterly, Journal of
MIS, and Communication Research. His research interests focus on the use of
information systems in the workplace, including computer-based monitoring,
computer-mediated deceptive communication, and group support systems.
Dr. George is coauthor of the textbooks Modern Systems Analysis and De-
sign, Sixth Edition, published in 2010, and Object-Oriented Systems Analysis
and Design, Second Edition, published in 2007, both from Pearson Prentice
Hall. He has served as an associate editor and senior editor for both MIS Quar-
terly and Information Systems Research. He served three years as the editor-
in-chief of the Communications of the AIS. Dr. George was the conference
cochair for the 2001 ICIS, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the doctoral
xxvii

consortium cochair for the 2003 ICIS, held in Seattle, Washington. He is a Fel-
low of the Association for Information Systems (AIS) and served as President
of AIS in 2010–11.
Jeffrey A. Hoffer is the Sherman–Standard Register Professor of Data Man-
agement for the Department of MIS, Operations Management, and Decision
Sciences in the School of Business Administration at the University of Dayton.
He also taught at Indiana University and Case Western Reserve University.
Dr. Hoffer earned his B.A. from Miami University in 1969 and his Ph.D. from
Cornell University in 1975.
Dr. Hoffer has coauthored all editions of three college textbooks: Modern Sys-
tems Analysis and Design, with George and Valacich; Managing Information
Technology: What Managers Need to Know, with Brown, DeHayes, Martin, and
Perkins; and Modern Database Management, with Ramesh and Topi, all pub-
lished by Pearson Prentice Hall. His research articles have appeared in numer-
ous journals, including the MIS Quarterly–Executive, Journal of Database
Management, Small Group Research, Communications of the ACM, and Sloan
Management Review. He has received research grants from Teradata (Division
of NCR), IBM Corporation, and the U.S. Department of the Navy.
Dr. Hoffer is cofounder of the International Conference on Information Sys-
tems and Association for Information Systems and has served as a guest lec-
turer at the Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, and the Helsinki School of
Economics and Business in Mikkeli, Finland.
Joseph S. Valacich, Tucson, Arizona
Joey F. George, Ames, Iowa
Jeffrey A. Hoffer, Dayton, Ohio
xxviii About the Authors

2
The Systems Development
Environment
쐍 Define information systems analysis and
design.
쐍 Discuss the modern approach to systems
analysis and design that combines both
process and data views of systems.
쐍 Describe the role of the systems analyst in
information systems development.
쐍 Describe the information systems development
life cycle (SDLC).
쐍 List alternatives to the systems development
life cycle, including a description of the role of
computer-aided software engineering (CASE)
tools in systems development.
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
one
Chapter
Objectives
Javier
Larrea/AGE
Fotostock

FIGURE 1-1
The four steps of the systems
development life cycle (SDLC):
(1) planning and selection,
(2) analysis, (3) design, and
(4) implementation and
operation.
Chapter Preview . . .
The key to success in business is the ability to
gather, organize, and interpret information. Sys-
tems analysis and design is a proven methodol-
ogy that helps both large and small businesses
reap the rewards of utilizing information to its
full capacity. As a systems analyst, the person in
the organization most involved with systems
analysis and design, you will enjoy a rich career
path that will enhance both your computer and
interpersonal skills.
The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is
central to the development of an efficient infor-
mation system. We will highlight four key SDLC
steps: (1) planning and selection, (2) analysis,
(3) design, and (4) implementation and opera-
tion. Be aware that these steps may vary in each
organization, depending on its goals. The SDLC
is illustrated in Figure 1-1. Each chapter of this
book includes an updated version of the SDLC,
highlighting which steps have been covered and
which steps remain.
This text requires that you have a general un-
derstanding of computer-based information sys-
tems as provided in an introductory information
systems course. This chapter previews systems
analysis and lays the groundwork for the rest of
the book.
3
Phase 1:
Systems Planning
and Selection
Phase 2:
Systems Analysis
Phase 3:
Systems Design
Phase 4: Systems
Implementation and
Operation SDLC

Application software
Software designed to process
data and support users in an
organization. Examples include
spreadsheets, word processors,
and database management
systems.
Information systems
analysis and design
The process of developing and
maintaining an information
system.
4 Part I Foundations for Systems Development
What Is Information Systems Analysis and Design?
Information systems analysis and design is a method used by companies
ranging from IBM to PepsiCo to Sony to create and maintain information sys-
tems that perform basic business functions such as keeping track of customer
names and addresses, processing orders, and paying employees. The main goal
of systems analysis and design is to improve organizational systems, typically
through applying software that can help employees accomplish key business
tasks more easily and efficiently. As a systems analyst, you will be at the center
of developing this software. The analysis and design of information systems are
based on:
쐍 Your understanding of the organization’s objectives, structure, and
processes
쐍 Your knowledge of how to exploit information technology for
advantage
To be successful in this endeavor, you should follow a structured approach. The
SDLC, shown in Figure 1-1, is a four-phased approach to identifying, analyzing,
designing, and implementing an information system. Throughout this book, we
use the SDLC to organize our discussion of the systems development process.
Before we talk about the SDLC, we first describe what is meant by systems
analysis and design.
Systems Analysis and Design: Core Concepts
The major goal of systems analysis and design is to improve organizational
systems. Often this process involves developing or acquiring application
software and training employees to use it. Application software, also called
a system, is designed to support a specific organizational function or process,
such as inventory management, payroll, or market analysis. The goal of appli-
cation software is to turn data into information. For example, software devel-
oped for the inventory department at a bookstore may keep track of the
number of books in stock of the latest best seller. Software for the payroll de-
partment may keep track of the changing pay rates of employees. A variety of
off-the-shelf application software can be purchased, including WordPerfect,
Excel, and PowerPoint. However, off-the-shelf software may not fit the needs
of a particular organization, and so the organization must develop its own
product.
In addition to application software, the information system includes:
쐍 The hardware and systems software on which the application software
runs. Note that the systems software helps the computer function,
whereas the application software helps the user perform tasks such as
writing a paper, preparing a spreadsheet, and linking to the Internet.
쐍 Documentation and training materials, which are materials created by
the systems analyst to help employees use the software they’ve helped
create.
쐍 The specific job roles associated with the overall system, such as the
people who run the computers and keep the software operating.
쐍 Controls, which are parts of the software written to help prevent fraud
and theft.
쐍 The people who use the software in order to do their jobs.
The components of a computer-based information system application are
summarized in Figure 1-2. We address all the dimensions of the overall system,

Computer-Based
Information System
Application
Hardware
Controls
System Software
Specific Job Roles
Users of the System
Documentation
and Training Manuals
FIGURE 1-2
Components of a computer-based
information system application.
Methodologies
Tools
Techniques
Software
Engineering
Process
FIGURE 1-3
The software engineering process
uses proven methodologies,
techniques, and tools.
with particular emphasis on application software development—your primary
responsibility as a systems analyst.
Our goal is to help you understand and follow the software engineering process
that leads to the creation of information systems. As shown in Figure 1-3, proven
methodologies, techniques, and tools are central to software engineering
processes (and to this book).
Methodologies are a sequence of step-by-step approaches that help develop
your final product: the information system. Most methodologies incorporate
several development techniques, such as direct observations and interviews
with users of the current system.
Techniques are processes that you, as an analyst, will follow to help ensure
that your work is well thought-out, complete, and comprehensible to others on
your project team. Techniques provide support for a wide range of tasks, in-
cluding conducting thorough interviews with current and future users of the in-
formation system to determine what your system should do, planning and
managing the activities in a systems development project, diagramming how the
system will function, and designing the reports, such as invoices, your system
will generate for its users to perform their jobs.
Tools are computer programs, such as computer-aided software engineering
(CASE) tools, that make it easy to use specific techniques. These three elements—
methodologies, techniques, and tools—work together to form an organizational
approach to systems analysis and design.

System
A group of interrelated
procedures used for a business
function, with an identifiable
boundary, working together
for some purpose.
Output
Output
Output
Interrelationship
Components
ENVIRONMENT
Boundary
Input
Interfaces
FIGURE 1-4
Seven characteristics
of a system.
In the rest of this chapter, you will learn about approaches to systems
development—the data- and process-oriented approaches. You will also
identify the various people who develop systems and the different types of sys-
tems they develop. The chapter ends with a discussion of some of the method-
ologies, techniques, and tools created to support the systems development
process. Before we talk more about computer-based information systems, let’s
briefly discuss what we mean by the word system.
Systems
The key term used most frequently in this book is system. Understanding sys-
tems and how they work is critical to understanding systems analysis and design.
Definition of a System and Its Parts
A system is an interrelated set of business procedures (or components) used
within one business unit, working together for some purpose. For example, a
system in the payroll department keeps track of checks, whereas an inventory
system keeps track of supplies. The two systems are separate. A system has
nine characteristics, seven of which are shown in Figure 1-4. A detailed expla-
nation of each characteristic follows, but from the figure you can see that a sys-
tem exists within a larger world, an environment. A boundary separates the
system from its environment. The system takes input from outside, processes
it, and sends the resulting output back to its environment. The arrows in the
figure show this interaction between the system and the world outside of it.
1. Components
2. Interrelated components

Constraint
A limit to what a system can
accomplish.
Interface
Point of contact where a system
meets its environment or where
subsystems meet each other.
Environment
Everything external to a system
that interacts with the system.
Purpose
The overall goal or function
of a system.
Boundary
The line that marks the inside
and outside of a system and that
sets off the system from its
environment.
Interrelated
Dependence of one part of the
system on one or more other
system parts.
Component
An irreducible part or
aggregation of parts that makes
up a system; also called
a subsystem.
3. Boundary
4. Purpose
5. Environment
6. Interfaces
7. Constraints
8. Input
9. Output
A system is made up of components. A component is either an irreducible
part or an aggregate of parts, also called a subsystem. The simple concept of
a component is very powerful. For example, just as with an automobile or a
stereo system, with proper design, we can repair or upgrade the system by
changing individual components without having to make changes throughout
the entire system. The components are interrelated; that is, the function of
one is somehow tied to the functions of the others. For example, the work of
one component, such as producing a daily report of customer orders re-
ceived, may not progress successfully until the work of another component
is finished, such as sorting customer orders by date of receipt. A system has
a boundary, within which all of its components are contained and which es-
tablishes the limits of a system, separating it from other systems. Compo-
nents within the boundary can be changed, whereas systems outside the
boundary cannot be changed. All of the components work together to
achieve some overall purpose for the larger system: the system’s reason for
existing.
A system exists within an environment—everything outside the system’s
boundary that influences the system. For example, the environment of a state
university includes prospective students, foundations and funding agencies,
and the news media. Usually the system interacts with its environment. A university
interacts with prospective students by having open houses and recruiting from
local high schools. An information system interacts with its environment by
receiving data (raw facts) and information (data processed in a useful format).
Figure 1-5 shows how a university can be seen as a system. The points at which
the system meets its environment are called interfaces; an interface also
occurs between subsystems.
In its functioning, a system must face constraints—the limits (in terms of
capacity, speed, or capabilities) to what it can do and how it can achieve its
purpose within its environment. Some of these constraints are imposed in-
side the system (e.g., a limited number of staff available), and others are im-
posed by the environment (e.g., due dates or regulations). A system takes
input from its environment in order to function. People, for example, take in
food, oxygen, and water from the environment as input. You are constrained
from breathing fresh air if you’re in an elevator with someone who is smok-
ing. Finally, a system returns output to its environment as a result of its func-
tioning and thus achieves its purpose. The system is constrained if electrical
power is cut.
Important System Concepts
Systems analysts need to know several other important systems concepts:
쐍 Decomposition
쐍 Modularity
쐍 Coupling
쐍 Cohesion

Decomposition
The process of breaking the
description of a system down
into small components; also
known as functional
decomposition.
ENVIRONMENT
Prospective
Students
News Media
Interface
University Boundary
WASHINGTON
TODD
STADIUM
MED
MAIN
VET
Funding Sources
WILSON
GRANT
ARTS
JEFFERSON
LINCOLN
COLLEGE LAW
SCIENCE
FIGURE 1-5
A university as a system.
Decomposition is the process of breaking down a system into its smaller
components. These components may themselves be systems (subsystems)
and can be broken down into their components as well. How does decom-
position aid understanding of a system? It results in smaller and less com-
plex pieces that are easier to understand than larger, complicated pieces.
Decomposing a system also allows us to focus on one particular part of a
system, making it easier to think of how to modify that one part independ-
ently of the entire system. Decomposition is a technique that allows the sys-
tems analyst to:
쐍 Break a system into small, manageable, and understandable
subsystems
쐍 Focus attention on one area (subsystem) at a time, without
interference from other areas
쐍 Concentrate on the part of the system pertinent to a particular group
of users, without confusing users with unnecessary details
쐍 Build different parts of the system at independent times and have the
help of different analysts

Coupling
The extent to which subsystems
depend on each other.
Modularity
Dividing a system up into chunks
or modules of a relatively
uniform size.
Figure 1-6 shows the decomposition of a portable MP3 player. Decomposing the
system into subsystems reveals the system’s inner workings. You can decom-
pose an MP3 player into at least three separate physical subsystems. (Note that
decomposing the same MP3 player into logical subsystems would result in a
different set of subsystems.) One subsystem, the battery, supplies the power for
the entire system to operate. A second physical subsystem, the storage system,
is made up of a hard drive that stores thousands of MP3 recordings. The third
subsystem, the control subsystem, consists of a printed circuit board (PCB),
with various chips attached, that controls all of the recording, playback, and
access functions. Breaking the subsystems down into their components reveals
even more about the inner workings of the system and greatly enhances our
understanding of how the overall system works.
Modularity is a direct result of decomposition. It refers to dividing a system into
chunks or modules of a relatively uniform size. Modules can represent a system
simply, making it easier to understand and easier to redesign and rebuild. For ex-
ample, each of the separate subsystem modules for the MP3 player in Figure 1-6
shows how decomposition makes it easier to understand the overall system.
Coupling means that subsystems are dependent on each other. Subsystems
should be as independent as possible. If one subsystem fails and other subsys-
tems are highly dependent on it, the others will either fail themselves or have
problems functioning. Looking at Figure 1-6, we would say the components of
a portable MP3 player are tightly coupled. The best example is the control sys-
tem, made up of the printed circuit board and its chips. Every function the MP3
player can perform is enabled by the board and the chips. A failure in one part
of the circuit board would typically lead to replacing the entire board rather
than attempting to isolate the problem on the board and fix it. Even though re-
pairing a circuit board in an MP3 player is certainly possible, it is typically not
cost-effective; the cost of the labor expended to diagnose and fix the problem
may be worth more than the value of the circuit board itself. In a home stereo
system, the components are loosely coupled because the subsystems, such as
the speakers, the amplifier, the receiver, and the CD player, are all physically
separate and function independently. If the amplifier in a home stereo system
fails, only the amplifier needs to be repaired.
FIGURE 1-6
An MP3 player is a system
with power supply, storage
and control subsystems.
Sources: Shutterstock; ©Harald van
Arkel/Chipmunk International.
Battery:
Power system
Hard drive:
Storage system
Printed circuit board:
Control system

Cohesion is the extent to which a subsystem performs a single function. In
the MP3 player example, supplying power is a single function.
This brief discussion of systems should better prepare you to think about
computer-based information systems and how they are built. Many of the same
principles that apply to systems in general apply to information systems as well.
In the next section, we review how the information systems development
process and the tools that have supported it have changed over the decades.
A Modern Approach to Systems Analysis and Design
Today, systems development focuses on systems integration. Systems integra-
tion allows hardware and software from different vendors to work together in
an application. It also enables existing systems developed in procedural lan-
guages to work with new systems built with visual programming environments.
Developers use visual programming environments, such as Visual Basic, to de-
sign the user interfaces for systems that run on client/server platforms. In a
client/server environment, some of the software runs on the server, a powerful
computer designed to allow many people access to software and data stored on
it, and some of the software runs on client machines. Client machines are the
PCs you use at your desk at work. The database usually resides on the server.
These relationships are shown in Figure 1-7. The Internet is also organized in a
client/server format. With the browser software on your home PC, you can get
files and applications from many different computers throughout the world.
Your home PC is the client, and all of the Internet computers are servers.
Alternatively, organizations may purchase an enterprise-wide system from
companies such as SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing)
or Oracle. Enterprise-wide systems are large, complex systems that consist
of a series of independent system modules. Developers assemble systems by
choosing and implementing specific modules. Enterprise-wide systems usually
contain software to support many different tasks in an organization rather than
only one or two functions. For example, an enterprise-wide system may handle
all human resources management, payroll, benefits, and retirement functions
within a single, integrated system. It is, in fact, increasingly rare for organiza-
tions to develop systems in-house anymore. Chapter 2 will introduce you to the
Server
Clients
Database
FIGURE 1-7
The client/server model.
Cohesion
The extent to which a system or
subsystem performs a single
function.

Systems analyst
The organizational role most
responsible for the analysis and
design of information systems.
various sources of information systems technology. First, however, you must
gain some insight into what your role will be in the systems development
process.
Your Role in Systems Development
Although many people in organizations are involved in systems analysis and
design, the systems analyst has the primary responsibility. A career as a systems
analyst will allow you to have a significant impact on how your organization
operates. This fast-growing and rewarding position is found in both large and
small companies. IDC, a leading consulting group, predicts that growth in
information technology (IT) employment will exceed 3 percent per year through
at least 2013. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts additional increases in the
numbers of IT jobs from 2004 to 2014. During this period, the professional IT
workforce is projected to add more than 1 million new jobs in the United States.
Information technology workers remain in demand.
The primary role of a systems analyst is to study the problems and needs of
an organization in order to determine how people, methods, and information
technology can best be combined to bring about improvements in the organiza-
tion. A systems analyst helps system users and other business managers define
their requirements for new or enhanced information services.
Systems analysts are key to the systems development process. To succeed
as a systems analyst, you will need to develop four types of skills: analytical,
technical, managerial, and interpersonal. Analytical skills enable you to un-
derstand the organization and its functions, to identify opportunities and
problems, and to analyze and solve problems. One of the most important an-
alytical skills you can develop is systems thinking, or the ability to see or-
ganizations and information systems as systems. Systems thinking provides
a framework from which to see the important relationships among informa-
tion systems, the organizations they exist in, and the environment in which
the organizations themselves exist. Technical skills help you understand the
potential and the limitations of information technology. As an analyst, you
must be able to envision an information system that will help users solve
problems and that will guide the system’s design and development. You must
also be able to work with programming languages such as C and Java, var-
ious operating systems such as Windows and Linux, and computer hardware
platforms such as IBM and Mac. Management skills help you manage proj-
ects, resources, risk, and change. Interpersonal skills help you work with end
users as well as with other analysts and programmers. As a systems analyst,
you will play a major role as a liaison among users, programmers, and other
systems professionals. Effective written and oral communication, including
competence in leading meetings, interviewing end users, and listening, are
key skills that analysts must master. Effective analysts successfully combine
these four types of skills, as Figure 1-8 (a typical advertisement for a systems
analyst position) illustrates.
Let’s consider two examples of the types of organizational problems you
could face as a systems analyst. First, you work in the information systems de-
partment of a major magazine company. The company is having problems keep-
ing an updated and accurate list of subscribers, and some customers are getting
two magazines instead of one. The company will lose money and subscribers if
these problems continue. To create a more efficient tracking system, the users
of the current computer system as well as financial managers submit their prob-
lem to you and your colleagues in the information systems department. Second,
you work in the information systems department at a university, where you are
called upon to address an organizational problem such as the mailing of student
grades to the wrong addresses.

Systems development life
cycle (SDLC)
The series of steps used to mark
the phases of development for an
information system.
Systems development
methodology
A standard process followed in
an organization to conduct all
the steps necessary to analyze,
design, implement, and maintain
information systems.
1.
2.
3.
A bachelor’s degree in management information systems or computer science.
Simon Taylor, Inc., a candle manufacturer, has an immediate opening for a systems analyst in
its Vermont-based office.
The ideal candidate will have:
We offer a competitive salary, relocation assistance, and the challenges of working in a
state-of-the-art IT environment.
Two years’ experience with UNIX/LINUX.
Experience with C, Java, and/or other object-oriented programming languages, and with
application development environments such as Visual Studio or IBM's Rational Unified
Process.
4. LAN-related skills and experience.
5. Familiarity with distribution and manufacturing concepts (allocation, replenishment,
shop floor control, and production scheduling).
6. Working knowledge of project management and all phases of the systems development
life cycle.
7. Strong communication skills.
Simon Taylor, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer.
E-mail your resume to HR@simontaylor.com.
FIGURE 1-8
A job advertisement for a systems
analyst.
When developing information systems to deal with problems such as these, an
organization and its systems analysts have several options: They can go to an in-
formation technology services firm, such as Accenture or EDS, an HP Company,
to have the system developed for them; they can buy the system off the shelf; they
can implement an enterprise-wide system from a company such as SAP; they can
obtain open-source software; or they can use in-house staff to develop the sys-
tem. Alternatively, the organization can decide to outsource system development
and operation. All of these options are discussed in detail in Chapter 2.
Developing Information Systems and the Systems
Development Life Cycle
Organizations use a standard set of steps, called a systems development
methodology, to develop and support their information systems. Like many
processes, the development of information systems often follows a life cycle.
For example, a commercial product, such as a Nike sneaker or a Honda car,
follows a life cycle: It is created, tested, and introduced to the market. Its sales
increase, peak, and decline. Finally, the product is removed from the market and
is replaced by something else. The systems development life cycle (SDLC)
is a common methodology for systems development in many organizations. It
marks the phases or steps of information systems development: Someone has
an idea for an information system and what it should do. The organization that
will use the system decides to devote the necessary resources to acquiring it.
A careful study is done of how the organization currently handles the work the
system will support. Professionals develop a strategy for designing the new sys-
tem, which is then either built or purchased. Once complete, the system is in-
stalled in the organization, and after proper training, the users begin to
incorporate the new system into their daily work. Every organization uses a
slightly different life-cycle model to model these steps, with anywhere from
three to almost twenty identifiable phases. In this book, we highlight four SDLC

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Title: Robert Merry's museum, Volumes III-IV (1842)
Author: Various
Editor: Samuel G. Goodrich
Release date: February 26, 2024 [eBook #73026]
Language: English
Original publication: Boston: Bradbury Soden, 1842
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROBERT
MERRY'S MUSEUM, VOLUMES III-IV (1842) ***

ROBERT MERRY’S
M U S E U M :
VOLUMES III. IV.
B O S T O N :
PUBLISHED BY BRADBURY, SODEN CO.
10, SCHOOL STREET, AND 127, NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK.
1843.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by S. G.
Goodrich, in
the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.

ROBERT MERRY’S
M U S E U M .
edited by
S . G . G O O D R I C H ,
a u t h o r o f p e t e r p a r l e y ’ s t a l e s .
VOLUME III.
B O S T O N :
B R A D B U R Y, S O D E N , C O . ,
No. 10 School Street, and 127 Nassau Street, New York.
1842.

C O N T E N T S O F V O L U M E I I I .
JANUARY TO JUNE, 1842.
The New Year, 1
Wonders of Geology, 3
The Siberian Sable-Hunter, 7, 65, 122
Merry’s Adventures, 12, 36, 79, 150, 177
Repentance, 16
Indians of America,
17, 41, 74, 97, 131,
165
Story of Philip Brusque, 21, 60, 87
Solon, the Grecian Lawgiver, 25
How to settle a Dispute without Pistols, 26
The Painter and his Master, 27
The Turkey and Rattlesnake,—a Fable, 28
Flowers, 28
Christmas, 29
Puzzles,
31, 95, 126, 159,
190
Varieties, 31, 188
Hymn for the New Year,—Music, 32
Anecdote of a Traveller, 33
Dr. Cotton and the Sheep, 34
The Robin, 34
Echo,—A Dialogue, 35
The Lion and the Ass, 35
National Characteristics, 35
The Two Seekers, 38
Resistance to Pain, 40

The Voyages, Travels and Experiences of
Thomas Trotter,
45, 84, 102, 139,
182
Cheerful Cherry, 48
The War in Florida, 56
Composition, 58
Natural Curiosities of New Holland, 59
Beds, 61
The Great Bustard, 62
The Tartar, 63
Answers to Puzzles, 63
The Snow-Storm,—Music, 64
Bees, 69
The several varieties of Dogs, 72
Anecdote of the Indians, 73
The Wisdom of God, 77
The Canary Bird, 78
The Paper Nautilus, 79
The Zodiac, 83
The Tanrec, 89
Letter from a Correspondent, 89
Different kinds of Type, 91
The Three Sisters, 92
The Zephyr, 95
To Correspondents, 95, 127, 158, 189
March,—A Song, 96
Butterflies, 101
Herschel the Astronomer, 107
Truth and Falsehood,—An Allegory, 108
The Chimpansé, 110
The Sugar-Cane, 111
Dialogue on Politeness, 112
The Date Tree, 114
Dress, 115
Eagles, and other matters, 117

April, 120
The Prophet Jeremiah, 121
Letter from a Subscriber, 124
Toad-Stools and Mushrooms, 125
Return of Spring, 126
Smelling, 129
Isaac and Rebekah, 135
Mr. Catlin and his Horse Charley, 136
The Kitchen, 138
Knights Templars, 145
The Garden of Peace, 146
The Banana, 148
Comparative Size of Animals, 149
Misitra and the Ancient Sparta, 155
Absence of Mind, 155
The Star Fish, 156
Where is thy Home? 157
Sea-Weed, 157
Inquisitive Jack and his Aunt Piper, 158
“Far Away,”—the Bluebird’s Song, 160
The Sense of Hearing, 161
“Fresh Flowers,” 162
June, 164
House-Building, 173
Edwin the Rabbit-fancier, 175
Who planted the Oaks? 181
The Deluge, 186
Page for Little Readers, 187
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by S. G.
Goodrich, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of
Massachusetts.

M E R R Y ’ S M U S E U M .
V O L U M E I I I . — N o . 1 .
Tom Stedfast.

The New Year.
There are few days in all the year that are pleasanter than the
first of January—New Year’s Day. It is a day when we all salute each
other with a cheerful greeting;—when children say to their parents,
as they meet in the morning, “I wish you a happy new year!” and the
parents reply, “A happy new year, my dear children!”
The first of January is, then, a day of kind wishes; of happy
hopes; of bright anticipations: it is a day in which we feel at peace
with all the world, and, if we have done our duty well during the
departed year, we feel peaceful within.
Methinks I hear my young readers say, “Would that all our days
might be thus cheerful and agreeable!” Alas! this may not be. It is not
our lot to be thus cheerful and happy all the days of our lives. A part
of our time must be devoted to study, to labor, to duty. We cannot
always be enjoying holidays. And, indeed, it is not best we should.
As people do not wish always to be eating cake and sugar-plums, so
they do not always desire to be sporting and playing. As the cake
and sugar-plums would, by and by, become sickening to the palate,
so the play would at last grow tedious. As we should soon desire
some good solid meat, so we should also desire some useful and
instructive occupation.
But as it is now new year’s day, let us make the best of it. I wish
you a happy new year, my black-eyed or blue-eyed reader! Nay, I
wish you many a happy new year! and, what is more, I promise to do
all in my power to make you happy, not only for this ensuing year,
but for many seasons to come. And how do you think I propose to do
it? That is what I propose to tell you!
In the first place, I am going to tell you, month by month, a lot of
stories both useful and amusing. I wish to have a part of your time to
myself, and, like my young friend Tom Stedfast, whose portrait I give
you at the head of this article, I wish you not only to read my
Magazine, but, if you have any little friends who cannot afford to buy
it, I wish you to lend it to them, so that they may peruse it.

Tom is a rare fellow! No sooner does he get the Magazine than he
sits down by the fire, just as you see him in the picture, and reads it
from one end to the other. If there is anything he don’t understand,
he goes to his father and he explains it. If there are any pretty
verses, he learns them by heart; if there is any good advice, he lays
it up in his memory; if there is any useful information, he is sure to
remember it. Tom resembles a squirrel in the autumn, who is always
laying up nuts for the winter season; for the creature knows that he
will have need of them, then. So it is with Tom; when he meets with
any valuable knowledge—it is like nuts to him—and he lays it up, for
he is sure that he will have use for it at some future day. And there is
another point in which Tom resembles the squirrel; the latter is as
lively and cheerful in gathering his stores for future use, as he is in
the spring time, when he has only to frisk and frolic amid the
branches of the trees—and Tom is just as cheerful and pleasant
about his books and his studies, as he is when playing blind-man’s-
buff.
Now I should like to have my young readers as much like Tom
Stedfast as possible; as studious, as fond of knowledge, and yet as
lively and as good humored. And there is another thing in which I
should wish all my young friends to resemble Tom; he thinks
everything of me! No sooner does he see me stumping and stilting
along, than he runs up to me, calling out, “How do you do, Mr.
Merry? I’m glad to see you; I hope you are well! How’s your wooden
leg?”
Beside all this, Tom thinks my Museum is first-rate—and I assure
you it is a great comfort to my old heart, when I find anybody pleased
with my little Magazine. I do not pretend to write such big books as
some people; nor do I talk so learnedly as those who go to college
and learn the black arts. But what I do know, I love to communicate;
and I am never so happy as when I feel that I am gratifying and
improving young people. This may seem a simple business, to some
people, for an old man; but if it gives me pleasure, surely no one has
a right to grumble about it.
There is another thing in Tom Stedfast which I like. If he meets
with anything in my Magazine which he does not think right, he sits

down and writes me a letter about it. He does not exactly scold me,
but he gives me a piece of his mind, and that leads to explanations
and a good understanding. So we are the best friends in the world.
And now what I intend to do is, to make my little readers as much
like Tom Stedfast as possible. In this way I hope I may benefit them
not only for the passing year, but for years to come. I wish not only to
assist my friends in finding the right path, but I wish to accustom their
feet to it, so that they may adopt good habits and continue to pursue
it. With these intentions I enter upon the new year, and I hope that
the friendship already begun between me and my readers, will
increase as we proceed in our journey together.

Wonders of Geology.
There are few things more curious, strange, and wonderful than
the facts revealed by geology. This science is occupied with the
structure of the surface of the earth; it tells us of the rocks, gravel,
clay, and soil of which it is composed, and how they are arranged.
In investigating these materials, the geologists have discovered
the bones of strange animals, imbedded either in the rocks or the
soil, and the remains of vegetables such as do not now exist. These
are called fossil remains; the word fossil meaning dug up. This
subject has occupied the attention of many very learned men, and
they have at last come to the most astonishing results. A gigantic
skeleton has been found in the earth near Buenos Ayres, in South
America; it is nearly as large as the elephant, its body being nine feet
long and seven feet high. Its feet were enormous, being a yard in
length, and more than twelve inches wide. They were terminated by
gigantic claws; while its huge tail, which probably served as a means
of defence, was larger than that of any other beast, living or extinct.
This animal has been called the Megatherium: mega, great,
therion, wild beast. It was of the sloth species, and seems to have
had a very thick skin, like that of the armadillo, set on in plates
resembling a coat of armor. There are no such animals in existence
now; they belong to a former state of this earth,—to a time before the
creation of man.
Discoveries have been made of the remains of many other fossil
animals belonging to the ancient earth. One of them is called the
Ichthyosaurus, or fish lizard. It had the teeth of a crocodile, the head
of a lizard, and the fins or paddles of a whale. These fins, or paddles
were very curious, and consisted of above a hundred small bones,
closely united together. This animal used to live principally at the
bottoms of rivers, and devour amazing quantities of fish, and other

water animals, and sometimes its own species; for an ichthyosaurus
has been dug out of the cliffs at Lyme Regis, England, with part of a
small one in his stomach. This creature was sometimes thirty or forty
feet long.
The jaws of the Ichthyosaurus.
Another of these fossil animals is called the Plesiosaurus, a word
which means, like a lizard. It appears to have formed an intermediate
link between the crocodile and the ichthyosaurus. It is remarkable for
the great length of its neck, which must have been longer than that
of any living animal. In the engraving at the beginning of this number,
you will see one of these animals swimming in the water. The
following is a view of his skeleton; the creature was about fifteen feet
long.
Skeleton of the Plesiosaurus.
But we have not yet mentioned the greatest wonder of fossil
animals; this is the Iguanodon, whose bones have been found in
England. It was a sort of lizard, and its thigh bones were eight inches
in diameter. This creature must have been from seventy to a
hundred feet long, and one of its thighs must have been as large as
the body of an ox. I have given a portrait of this monster, drawn by
Mr. Billings, an excellent young artist, whom you will find at No. 10,
Court st., Boston. I cannot say that the picture is a very exact
likeness; for as the fellow has been dead some thousands of years,
we can only be expected to give a family resemblance. We have

good reason to believe, however, that it is a tolerably faithful
representation, for it is partly copied from a design by the celebrated
John Martin, in London, and to be found in a famous book on the
wonders of geology, by Mr. Mantel.
There was another curious animal, called the Pterodactyle, with
gigantic wings. The skull of this animal must have been very large in
proportion to the size of the skeleton, the jaws themselves being
almost as large as its body.
Skeleton of the Pterodactyle.
They were furnished with sharp, hooked teeth. The orbits of the
eyes were very large; hence it is probable that it was a nocturnal
animal, like the bat, which, at first sight, it very much resembles in
the wings, and other particulars.
The word pterodactyle signifies wing-fingered; and, if you
observe, you will find that it had a hand of three fingers at the bend
of each of its wings, by which, probably, it hung to the branches of
trees. Its food seems to have been large dragon-flies, beetles and
other insects, the remains of some of which have been found close
to the skeleton of the animal. The largest of the pterodactyles were
of the size of a raven. One of them is pictured in the cut with the
Iguanodon.
Another very curious animal which has been discovered is the
Dinotherium, being of the enormous length of eighteen feet. It was
an herbiferous animal, and inhabited fresh water lakes and rivers,
feeding on weeds, aquatic roots, and vegetables. Its lower jaws
measured four feet in length, and are terminated by two large tusks,

curving downwards, like those of the upper jaw of the walrus; by
which it appears to have hooked itself to the banks of rivers as it
slept in the water. It resembled the tapirs of South America. There
appear to have been several kinds of the dinotherium, some not
larger than a dog. One of these small ones is represented in the
picture with the Iguanodon.
The bones of the creatures we have been describing, were all
found in England, France, and Germany, except those of the
megatherium, which was found in South America. In the United
States, the bones of an animal twice as big as an elephant, called
the Mastodon, or Mammoth, have been dug up in various places,
and a nearly perfect skeleton is to be seen at Peale’s Museum, in
Philadelphia.
Now it must be remembered that the bones we have been
speaking of, are found deeply imbedded in the earth, and that no
animals of the kind now exist in any part of the world. Beside those
we have mentioned, there were many others, as tortoises,
elephants, tigers, bears, and rhinoceroses, but of different kinds from
those which now exist.
It appears that there were elephants of many sizes, and some of
them had woolly hair. The skeleton of one of the larger kinds, was
found in Siberia, some years since, partly imbedded in ice, as I have
told you in a former number.
The subject of which we are treating increases in interest as we
pursue it. Not only does it appear, that, long before man was
created, and before the present order of things existed on the earth,
strange animals, now unknown, inhabited it, but that they were
exceedingly numerous. In certain caves in England, immense
quantities of the bones of hyenas, bears, and foxes are found; and
the same is the fact in relation to certain caves in Germany.
Along the northern shores of Asia, the traces of elephants and
rhinoceroses are so abundant as to show that these regions, now so
cold and desolate, were once inhabited by thousands of quadrupeds
of the largest kinds. In certain parts of Europe, the hills and valleys
appear to be almost composed of the bones of extinct animals; and

in all parts of the world, ridges, hills and mountains, are made up of
the shells of marine animals, of which no living specimen now dwells
on the earth!
Nor is this the only marvel that is revealed by the discoveries of
modern geology. Whole tribes of birds and insects, whole races of
trees and plants, have existed, and nothing is left of their story save
the traces to be found in the soil, or the images depicted in the layers
of slate. They all existed before man was created, and thousands of
years have rolled over the secret, no one suspecting the wonderful
truth. Nor does the train of curiosities end here. It appears that the
climates of the earth must have been different in those ancient and
mysterious days from what they are at present: for in England, ferns,
now small plants, grew to the size of trees, and vegetables flourished
there of races similar to those which now grow only in the hot
regions of the tropics.
As before stated, the northern shores of Siberia, in Asia, at
present as cold and desolate as Lapland, and affording sustenance
only to the reindeer that feeds on lichens, was once inhabited by
thousands and tens of thousands of elephants, and other creatures,
which now only dwell in the regions of perpetual summer.
The inferences drawn from all these facts, which are now placed
beyond dispute, are not only interesting, but they come upon us like
a new revelation. They seem to assure us that this world in which we
dwell has existed for millions of years; that at a period, ages upon
ages since, there was a state of things totally distinct from the
present. Europe was then, probably, a collection of islands. Where
England now is, the iguanodon then dwelt, and was, probably, one of
the lords of the soil.
This creature was from seventy to a hundred feet long. He dwelt
along the rivers and lakes, and had for his companions other animals
of strange and uncouth forms. Along the borders of the rivers the
ferns grew to the height of trees, and the land was shaded with
trees, shrubs, and plants, resembling the gorgeous vegetation of
Central America and Central Africa.

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