| Week | Information Assignments due in one week unless otherwise stated |
|---|---|
| Week #1 Assignments Week ending January 25th |
Read chapter #1 and #2 in the text. The text is available at the text book site. Explore some of the information and resources at the text book site. Text book site You should also acquire case tool software to experiment with. There is a list of case tools at the text book site and there is a trial version of Visible Analyst that is used in the book available at Visible Start to acquire some sample software for use later in this course. These are some that I have found, you can look for your own. Information on software demos for this course First e-commerce assignment: Link issue |
| Week #2 Assignments Week ending February 1st |
Read chapter #3 in the text. Do research and write a paper on the future of e-commerce (I am looking for a paper about 3 pages). Please site your sources! |
| Week #3 Assignments Week ending February 8th |
Read chapter #4 in the text. Look for some resources on data flow diagrams on the web to supplement your reading. This week we will focus on decision tables so I would like you to read the handout on decision tables that is posted at the site and the handout on decision table examples. There are also some links on the site and some information and resources at the text book site. Decision table assignment |
| Week #4 Assignments Week ending February 15th |
Read chapter #5 in the text even though we will still focus on the information
in chapter #4. Data Flow Diagram assignment |
| Week #5 Assignments Week ending February 22nd |
Read chapter #6 in the text. Homework is on chapter #5 - pick one of the Apply Your
Knowledge problems on page 5.35 and 5.36 in the text as your assignment. Be sure to check for notes under notes and handouts that would be helpful in understanding the analysis phrase. Project: (this should be done over a couple of weeks) Go back and read the New Cenury Health Clinic information at the end of each chapter. Then develop a PowerPoint presentation that will explain the analysis of the Clinic and your recommended results from the analysis. Analysis/Powerpoint assignment. |
| Week #6 Assignments Week ending March 1st |
Read chapter #7 in the text. Read the design notes under notes and handouts. Catch up week! |
| Week #7 Assignments Week ending March 8th |
Read chapter #8 in the text. Read the design notes overview: Design notes Be sure to check out the text book site for other information on design and relational databases. Read the notes on data dictionaries. We will be doing some design work after chapter #9 and it is important to understand what can go into the data dictionary. Notes on data dictionaries Look back to chapter #4 and the detailed information on data dictionaries there. We need to focus on normalization. We will use Access or Oracle as the database to look at and there are a lot of Access and Oracle notes at this site. Be sure to read the information on relational databases and third normal forms and look at the PowerPoint slides on the topic. If you want additional information on Access you can also look under CIS61, if you want additional information on Oracle you can look at the notes under CIS50. Assignment: Use the files/tables you need to solve the problem you used when you designed the data flow diagram and set up a relational database design to hold the information. Note: You are not implementing it, you are just designing the files. Be sure to designate keys. After you have designed the files, you also need to pick one of the files to document in a Data Dictionary following the models in the text. |
| Week #8 Assignments Week ending March 15th |
Read chapter #9 in the text. There is a presentation on DFD and a presentation on Systems Flowcharts that should be viewed. There are also presentations on relational databases. Assignment: Dairy System We will be working on this via email rather than in class as the assignment says. First I want you to lay out the files needed for this database in a relational database using the rules of third normal form. Send me what you think in sketch form - in other words listing the fields and the keys. Then try to think out the processing that would be done for this dairy and do a Data Flow Diagram. Again sketch it and let me view the results and discuss with you. Next week is vacation!!!! |
| Spring Break Week ending March 22nd |
Time for us all to get caught up! |
| Week #9 Assignments Week ending March 29th |
Read chapter #10. Read the notes under Business systems - notes for discussion. Your next project will be to test two of the business packages that I asked you to send away for and evaluate according to these notes. You should be sure that you have received these packages. Be sure you have looked at the powerpoint presentation on systems flowcharts relating to business. Read some information about systems flowcharts from the web. This week you should continue working on the dairy system. After you have put together the analysis side DFD, I want you to do a systems flowchart for the dairy. |
| Week #10 Assignments Week ending April 5th |
Read chapter #11. Assignment: In case it was not clear last week, I want you to do a system flowchart for the dairy. Evaluate two of the software packages. You want to understand what functions they can accomplish (payroll, order entry, accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory etc.). You want to look at them related to the business notes I had you read and your own experience and evaluate whether they would work for a small company trying to set up a portion of their business with this software. Look at ease of use, whether the package works, whether it is flexible, whether in fact you could recommend it to a client. |
| Week #11 Assignments Week ending April 12th |
Read Chapter #12. Please continue working on the Dairy System - I eventually want a well thought out design of this system and that will probably involve a lot of give and take over the web. I will try to respond quickly when you label Dairy on the URL!!!! |
| Week #12 Assignments Week ending April 19th |
Read the Systems Analysis Tool Kit section of the text book. Check out the following site for drawing software: SmartDraw There are also tutorials at this site - for example, the tutorial for DFDs is: DFD Tutorial And examples: DFD Examples Looking at Entity Relation Diagrams: Entity Relation Diagrams Looking at Systems Flowcharts (variety of styles): Variety of Systems Flowcharts styles Interesting information on flow Read my notes on CPM and Pert charts as well as the notes in the book. CPM/Pert notes and then do the following assignment: Pert/CPM assignment I need to hear from you on the Dairy - the design needs to include diagramming, a layout of files (relational) and all that good stuff so lets start working on the plan. |
| Week #13 Assignments Week ending April 26th |
Keep working on the things from last week! Please note that I had a very serious problems with my email today (4/24). I think I finally got everything, but if you sent me something today and I do not get it back to you sometime next week, please send me an email asking if I got it. |
| Week #14 Assignments Week ending May 3rd |
Putting the dairy project together, I would like the following:
|
| Week #15 Assignments Week ending May 10th |
You must pass in the final by 4:00 on May 14th - if you do not have the final to
me by then, you must come and take the final. The final should be sent to the
traditional address and also to pgrocer@bristol.mass.edu. The final is given on
the honor system which means you can discuss it only with me. All students must
take the final whether or not they plan to complete the course. The status sheet must be passed in - it is a requirement of the course and also your insurance - if there are questions between what I have and what you say I should have, I will contact you. Final Exam Status Sheet - Required |