Download CIS 105 Survey of Computer Information Systems

CIS 105
Survey of Computer Information Systems
Essential Concepts and Terminology
Study Unit 13
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Information.
Words, numbers, sounds, and
graphics—meaningful and useful
to people.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Information System.
A computer system that stores data and
supplies information, usually within a
business context. Information systems
often rely on databases.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Data.
Things known or assumed. In the
context of computing, data refers to the
symbols that a computer uses to
represent facts and ideas.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Database.
Any collection of information.
Technically, a collection of computer
data in related records, with each
record treated as a single unit.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Database Programs.
Application software used to create,
store, and manage information,
organized so information can be
updated, retrieved, sorted, grouped,
filtered, summarized, and displayed
rapidly.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Data Warehouse.
A large database capable of storing all
the information possessed by a large
organization.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Bit.
The smallest unit of information
handled by a computer. A bit can hold
one of two values, either a 0 or a 1.
Eight bits comprise a byte which can
represent a letter or number.
i.e., 00101011
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Character.
One of a standard set of symbols, such
as letters, numbers, and punctuation
marks, represented by computers using
bits.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Field.
In a database, an area designated to
store a certain type of data, the
smallest meaningful unit of information
contained in a data file. In MS Access,
records consist of fields.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Field Name.
A descriptor for the data found in a
field.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Data Type.
Classifications of data, including text,
number, currency, dates, logical
operators, and files.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Default Value.
Pre-assigned content for a record field,
such as a date or number.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Record.
In a database, all the related fields
about a single transaction, person,
event, collection, or other grouping of
data.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Key Field (Primary Key).
A field in a data file containing
information capable of uniquely
identifying a record in relation to all
other records in the same data file.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Data File.
In a database, a collection of related
records. In MS Access, a table is a data
file. A database can consist of one or
more data files.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Data Integrity.
The validity and accuracy of information
in a database.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Data Validation.
Procedures built into databases to
define and check acceptable input for
fields, and to accept or reject the data.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Data Redundancy.
Repetition of data within a database, an
inefficiency increasing the possibility of
errors in databases.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
File Management Software.
Computer programs to organize, find,
and print records without a relational
database capability to link data files.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Relational Database.
A database with the capability to relate
information in different data files using
a common record (primary) key.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Data Dictionary.
A tool used in database management
systems to track the tables, fields, field
names, field lengths, default settings,
validation rules, and relationships.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Normalization.
The process of analyzing data to create
the most efficient database structure,
one free of redundancy and supportive
of data integrity.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Object-Oriented Database.
A database structure that organizes,
manipulates, and retrieves classes of
objects, such as sound, video, text, and
graphic files.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Data Mining.
Analyzing data to discover patterns and
relationships that are important to
decision making. The process of
extracting information from a
database.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Database Server.
A database program on a local area
network, utilized with client programs
(such as MS Access) by multiple users.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Structured Query Language.
Language enabling simple or complex
requests for data in a form
understandable by servers.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Web-Database Integration.
A variety of techniques used to make
database information available on the
Internet.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Computerized Information
Systems.
A collection of computer personnel,
components, and procedures used and
designed to provide services, collect,
process, and store data, and
disseminates information.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Point-of-Sale (POS) System.
A computerized system that records items
purchased at a cash register (often using
an optical scanner) and calculates the
amount due. POS terminals can be
integrated with credit card authorization
systems, as well as databases tracking
inventory, sales trends, and customer
purchasing patterns.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
End of Study Unit 13.
Return to First Slide
Move to Study Unit 14
CIS 105 Home Page
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 13
Created by James Q. Jacobs