Mike Romeu

Every system deployment method has its pros and cons. The direct cut over deployment method involves immediately deploying the new system once it operational and cutting off the old system. One of the benefits of this method is that it is the least expensive. The deployment is done within a short period of time. The disadvantage is that you risk losing information and this method does not give the company an opportunity to easily go back to the old system. This works best if there is no way that the new system and the old one can run in parallel. It is also best used if the failure of the new system will not have a catastrophic impact on the running of the business.

Parallel deployment on the other hand, is whereby the two systems (old and new) run together for some time. This deployment results in higher costs as both systems must be maintained at the same time. This might also require the users to use both systems often causing frustration and lower efficiency. The good thing about parallel deployment is that the it is less risky because you must be satisfied with the new system before you cut off the old one. The old system acts as a backup. This method is often used for critical systems.

Phased implementation involves deployment of the system in stages or components. The risk of errors or failures is limited to the implemented module of the system only. It works best if the whole system has not been fully developed and the modules that are ready are deployed for the customers to start using. It can be used when developing complex systems. The project usually takes a long time to be completed and might lead to increased costs.

Direct approach refers to changing over from the old system to a new one by turning off the old system when the new system is turned on. Direct installation may be simple and cheap, but it has the highest risk.

Parallel approach refers to running the old information system and the new one at the same time until management decides the old system can be turned off. Users can go back to using the old system if the new one has problems. But this method is safest but it is expensive to handle two systems, can affect overall performance, and requires controls to avoid duplication of effort.

Phased approach refers to changing from the old information system to the new one incrementally, starting with one or a few functional components and then gradually extending the installation to cover the whole new system. This approach usually used for big and complex system and has the advantage of minimizing the risks.

Nice explanation, Ugo! Organizations understand the need of improving their information system through the customer satisfaction. They always look for ways to retain the existing customers and attract new ones to make their business profitable. One way for organizations to be profitable is by being strategic about system deployment. There a re several to choose from with unique features. The organizations should select the installation that best fit their needs.

Great explanation, running the systems in parallel offers a dual advantage. It reduces cost and allows the firms to test the new system while operating on the old system. This gives them time to perfect on the new system without disrupting production or the operation of the business.

You make a great point on the importance of deployment in phases. With a direct installation, users are truly at the mercy of the new system. Any errors resulting from the new system will have a direct impact
on the users and in some cases how the organization performs its business, depending on the
critically of the system to the organization.

I appreciate your comment and your explanation of the considerations. For all of these approaches it is also important to consider the data conversion process as this is a big risk for organizations and can be expensive.

Thank you for your sharing, I like what you talk about the short-term and long-term goals. There are lot of things we need to consider about before we decide which approach we should use, we should consider about the time, costs, and difficult level.

Thank you for your sharing. One thing you mention about is the stakeholders: the end users, the operations staff, and the support staff. The experience and even the benefits the will get must be considered by the developers.

An enterprise has to think about a variety of factors when they decide to deploy a system. For example, if a company has enough resources available, they should probably run two systems simultaneously. Under this situation, they can probably have enough time to test whether a new system can fully replace the old one. However, if the resources are limited or it is an urgency of new system deployment, they should run the new system immediately. After that, trying to shut down the old system gradually. However, if something goes wrong in the new system, their system may experience a certain period of downtime because the old system has been shut down before.

This is a really good point, Iyana. For some complicated systems with some critical functions inside, an enterprise is not able to implement parallel installation. Since both time and cost will be extremely high even though for a mid-size corporation, and all of their other business will be affected greatly as well. However, if an enterprise implements direct installation, they would probably burden various risks in different aspects of the company’s daily business activities.

Good explanation, transferring the data from the old system to the new system could be a tough task for the most enterprises. During the transfer period, most of the services would be unavailable. Second, a company would not be able to know whether those data can work smoothly in its new system. Therefore, a company has to make the decision based on what type of business it is operating initially and pick an most appropriate method which takes care of both economics and efficiency.,

I agree with you. There are three approaches for deploying systems. Business needs to balance the risks and costs to select the approach which is suitable for them. Phased approach is the most expensive one, and direct cut is the cheapest one, but it is risky.

I agree with you, because it is important for organizations to select the best approach to replace the systems. Business always need new technologies to make them get used to the new market. Therefore, it is important to have the better approach to deploy systems.

Thank you for your sharing, Xinteng. when weighing the pros and cons between the different deployment approaches, consider what your business needs most and which option will give the most benefit back to the company with the smallest impact on your operations during the transition.

agree with you Binju. sometimes more cost can reduce the potential risks however it does not mean the more expensive the better. companies have to choose the deployment method to depend on the business needs, requirements, and resources.

As mentioned in the question, I feel that urgency, experience, complexity, and criticality of the system are all important factors to consider when deciding on how a system should be implemented into an organization. Depending on how the current state of the company is with their system, they have to decide whether or not parallel implementation or completely killing their current system and using their new one is the best option. Each enterprise has a different perspective and needs so they have to decide on what kind of implementation would be best for them.

Whether or not a direct cut should be done or not is a challenge. Direct cut also comes with its risks. Most businesses need different types of information systems to handle their processes and achieve their long and short-term goals. However system deployment is not always an easy task for organizations. In order to have a successful system deployment the organization needs to have a good organizational structure, a good management style.
System deployment involves installing a new system over the current one. It can be difficult because the organization has to give up on the the current system and to rely on a completely new system to operate business process and functions. There are three types of deployment that the organization can use to make this process less difficult, direct, parallel and phased deployment
Direct deployment is a method that quickly installs a new system, it is simple lowers cost but may come at higher risk.
Parallel deployment operates the old and new systems for a certain period of time. Higher cost, lower risk
Phased deployment installs a new system and makes it operational phases. More complex but less risky

I agree with your comment Binju and thanks for the explanation. It is crucial for organizations to choose the approach to replace their systems. However more expensive does not always mean the better. The choice has to be carefully made according to the business needs.

You make a really good point, Iyana. Parallel instalation is not always the way to go for some organizations depending on their systems. it could be complex costly and there would be many risks involved.

I couldn’t agree more with what you said. Nice explanation, Ugo! Organizations always look for ways to keep current customers and bring in new ones to make more profit. One way of doing that is system deployment which there a many types of. The decision should be made based on their needs and requirements.
.Thank you for your sharing,

I really like how you went into depth on each system and how implementing a deployment method may have certain risks and returns. Using risk as a priority factor is a smart move when deciding what choices a company should make.

I think looking at cost and time are good factors when assessing which type of deployment a company should pursue. However, it is also important to consider which option will be most beneficial holistically to a company’s health.

I think you do a good job explaining the cost/benefits of each type of deployment.

I think one of the biggest issues to deal with is getting employees to accept the new system. If you have a organizational culture that is not used to change, they are likely to resist. For instance if you incorporate a parallel deployment and you have this difficult type of environment then it is likely employees will only use the system when absolutely necessary. They will avoid it in other instances. Company culture should be considered as a big factor in the success of your implementation strategy.

I believe one of the most cost effective and application acceptance effective is the pilot implementation system. The pilot system is great for implementation acceptance because it requires an isolated location to fully accept the new system out of necessity. This necessity wall help when bugs need to be identified. Without a backup system to go to or the old way of doing things, everyone is actually motivated to make the system work. On the economic side if there is a bug or misstep in the application that is so badd that a drastically affects business, again they were only affecting an isolated environment. The isolated nature and documentation of the implementation can also act as a great use case and a start for best practices for the rest of the organization in the implementation of the system.

In terms of two systems be run in parallel, it has pros and cons. The pros are parallel running allows results to be compared to ensure that the new system is working without any errors. If errors are found, user can refer to the old system to resolve the problem and make modifications to the new system thus operation can continue under the old system while the problems are sorted out. This also allows training of staff and help them to gain confidence in the new system. The cons are the cost of implementation is very expensive because of the need to operate the two systems at the same time. It is a great expense in terms of electricity and operation costs. This would be prohibitive with a large and complex system. Parallel running implementation also requires a lot of time and needs frequent maintenance. This will slow production in a firm as workers need to do twice their normal workload for a period of time in order to achieve the same goal for both systems. This involves inputting or changing the same data for both systems to ensure the information are identical in both systems.
Last but not least, education and training for using the system can be carried out at various levels, by considering the size and complexity of the system. Staff and personal need to be informed about the overall information structure and how to operate the system. This will give some overall understanding of system in place and how information is handled throughout the organization.

I totally agree with you. Cost, urgency, complexity and experience are really importance factors when considering deployment of a system.

Nice explanation of each deployment methods of system, Organization should consider the values that each methods brings to us based on the variety of factors.

Great explanation Xinteng, I guess it all comes down to what kind of risk the organization is prepared to deal with and what the criticality of the systems. Parallel looks most viable of all the 3. Even though it is quite expensive to have two systems running at the same time, it presents a lower risk. It allows the organization to go back to the old system if something were to go wrong .

The general system deployment process consists of several interrelated activities, also system deployment is the critical aspect of SDLC. In the real-world system deployment depends on business requirements and the running system.

Higher level managers usually believe that the Direct cut deployment method has a high risk of business daily practices. Considering all the risks involved with the Direct cut method, parallel systems deployment method is more acceptable among IS managers.

Each of this methods can have a tangible or intangible cost associated with them such as end-user training, licenses, cloud environment fees and time. having a accurate cost feasibility is the recommended decision-making tool for these projects.

Down the road, this is an open-ended question for each organization and there is no standard preferred recommendation. Each business is different and needs to customize base on its requirements an resources.

Hello Pascal, nice explanation, I really agree with you on “There are many risks associated with direct cut over system deployment.”

Hi, Binju, good explanations on three kinds of systems and the pros and cons for each.

Hi Yingyan, nice explanations I do agree with you that the choice should be made accordingly.

I believe this decision on approach of when/how fully implement is based on the organizations opinion, and preference. If a company were to base their decision on urgency (which is a no. no) I would run the new and old system parallel to ensure that data integrity is still in place.

I agree with you. The company needs to determine the level of control that each team has in actual deployment. Running the system in parallel offers the advantage that if the new system encounters problems, the company can easily return to the original system.

I agree with you. When developers consider system deployment, they should consider the costs, time, and potential problems that they may encounter in the future. The direct method means that the old system is shut down when the new system starts

good point. The parallel deployment method is to run the old system and the new system at the same time. Its price is higher because the company needs to operate two systems at the same time. However, this method is less risky because the new system needs to be prepared before it can be cut off.

After an organization acquires or develops a new system, it is important for the organization to deploy the system. In order to ensure that the new system can adapt to the production environment, the organization has three ways to replace the system.The first is the direct cutting method. This means that after immigrating all data to the new system, people will shut down the old system. This is the cheapest way to deploy a system. Because the organization does not need to pay for the operation of the two systems. However, this is the most dangerous way, because when people shut down the old system, if the new system has problems, restarting it will take a long time. This will affect work efficiency.The second method is a parallel method. This means that the organization will run new and old systems simultaneously for a period of time. This approach will ensure that the new system works well before shutting down the old system. This will cost money, but it will reduce the impact of the poor performance of the new system. For small companies, balancing risk and cost is reasonable.The last method is a phased approach. This means that people deploy the system step by step to ensure the performance of the new system. This will require more time throughout the entire process. Although it has the lowest risk, the cost is too high in this process because the organization needs to pay for the operation of these two systems for a long time. This method is suitable for complex projects in large companies.

I think that running the 2 systems simultaneously would yield the best results. This allows everyone to get used to the new system while still having the old one to fall back on. Take Blackboard and Canvas, for example. Canvas is clearly the better of the two, but it takes time to get used to the new interface. By phasing out blackboard slowly, Temple made the transition into a new system easier. Using this method would ensure a smooth transition into something new, and I think people will respond well to it.

Phases are definitely critical for success. A organization needs to ease the process into a new system, and not go head on and risk a loss in efficiency.

Parallel seems to be a good method, as it allows to send out the system in phases and you can ease the transition process.

I would use Microsoft Azure cloud services. The company needs to provide web services to clients so that they can request package pickup and delivery. They could use Microsoft Azure’s platform as a service which provides a website hosting service. On the Spot Courier services can not only develop and customize their web applications but they also benefit from the open source applications available. Since drivers need to view the schedules, update the status of packages in real time using portable digital devices they can benefit from Microsoft Azures mobile services which provide push service. The mobile apps can be used to connect to the company’s data center allowing Bill to update, schedule delivers and do billing, at the same time updating the driver’s digital devices. The company could also consider using Amazon web services (AWS) cloud services. Amazon also offers web hosting services and AWS mobile services.

It is important to verify that the cloud service provider complies with data security industry standards. The service level agreement should state how the company data will be protected, what the authentication and authorization procedures will be, whether the provider will allow visits to validate the process and procedures and data wiping at the end of the contract. Even though data might be hosted by a cloud provider is it the responsibility of on the spot courier services to ensure that their data is protected. This includes encrypting the data in transit to the cloud service provider, and controls are in place to protect the data at the cloud provider’s site.

The Providers that I would use are:
1-Amazon Warehouse Services
2-Microsoft Azure cloud services

I would require to use of Microsoft Azure cloud services for web services such as package pickup and delivery request. They could use Microsoft Azure’s push notification system to update shipping status in real time which would also be connected to the main system back in the warehouse and Bill would update, schedule delivers and do billing. On the Spot Courier services would benefit significantly from the open source applications available. On the Spot Courier services could also use Amazon warehouse services (AWS) which offers a huge variety of services.
As an auditor I would assure the security of the applications in the cloud by meeting regulatory requirments as follow:

-Comply with Cybersecurity Framework base on NIST
-Comply with International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
-Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) aligns IT with strategic business goals (ISACA 2015)
-Comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

Hi. I think your analysis on why AWS would be a good option is very thorough. In other classes, we discuss AWS as a cloud providing service and conclude in the same way, feeling that it is a superior service that is versatile and scalable.

I would like to recommend the Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS provides on-demand cloud computing platforms to individuals, companies, and governments. The technology allows subscribers to have at their disposal a full-fledged virtual cluster of computers, available all the time, through the internet. The fees are based on a combination of usage, the hardware/OS/software/networking features chosen by the subscriber, required availability, redundancy, security, and service options, so it is suitable for the small business like Bill’s who does not have too much budget for the cloud services.

AWS comprised more than 90 services, but the services that required for Bill’s business are: storage, networking, computing, database, application services, so and so forth.

In terms of the applications in the cloud, there are cloud security guidance:
Step 1: Ensure effective governance, risk and compliance processes exist
Step 2: Audit operational and business processes
Step 3: Manage people, roles and identities
Step 4: Ensure proper protection of data
Step 5: Enforce privacy policies
Step 6: Assess the security provisions for cloud applications
Step 7: Ensure cloud networks and connections are secure
Step 8: Evaluate security controls on physical infrastructure and facilities
Step 9: Manage security terms in the cloud service agreement
Step 10: Understand the security requirements of the exit process

Great Points! Ensuring effective governance risk and compliance processes will help provide adequate security and privacy of cloud applications and operations.

Thanks for sharing many cloud sharing providers and good AWS introduction. I would go with AWS as well because its broad services providing, high availability and cost-effective.

The cloud I use is Windows Azure. It provides different Windows servers Users can install many Windows system on a PC. That can also provide extra storage for a PC by cloud service. The service is important because storage on cloud can be huge and cheap. In addition, if some application cannot be used in other system, Windows Azure can install windows system on the same PC to make the application usable. For example, some application can not be operated on Mac system, so Apple users can use Windows Azure to deal with this problem. Furthermore, security is important. Password should be set based on certain format. That is hard for hackers to guess. The password should not be same as the password on PC. That is good for information security.

I agree with you, because SLA is important if users use third party providers’ products. It makes sure the service quality of the products. People can also measure the service level based on the standard on SLA.

Thanks for sharing so many could service providers. Microsoft Azure is the application I used before. It provides good could service to users. Users can select different servers for their PCs. It is good for using different applications and extend storage.

I agree with you, because it is important to follow these frameworks to ensure cyber security NIST is the one I usually use It provides guidelines and requirements for different security controls. It is also important to understand the relationship between different sections of NIST. It will better understand the good performance of controls.

The strong cloud services provider are Amazon Warehouse Services(AWS), Oracle, Microsoft, Google, and IBM.
I would like to use Microsoft Windows Azure or Amazon Warehouse Services(AWS).
They can choose Microsoft Windows Azure’s website hosting service and Spot Courier services, it is easy for organization to design their web applications. Also, the Microsoft Windows Azure have a people friendly price for the organization and it has a good compatibility which means mac can also use it easily.
The organization can also try the AWS, AWS uses a pay-as-you-go payment plan which is flexible with high security. And also, AWS has high market share in the market which believed more reliable.
To ensure the security of the web application, we should consider about:
1. privacy policies;
2. security controls on physical controls;
3. networks security;
4. access controls and data protection.

Thank you for your sharing. I really like what you mentioned about the two-factor authentication, one-time passwords. These authentication methods are good to protect the data. However, how it can affect the cost and customer’s experiences.

Thank you for your sharing. After reading about your introduction about the Zymr, I believe Zymr is a good choice for the organization to use. It’s excellent cloud mobility function make much convenience for the organization users.

I would use Amazon Simple Storage Service. Amongst the AWS suite of cloud-based compute, network and storage solutions is their ‘Simple Storage System’ or ‘S3’. S3 is an object based storage solution and can be thought of as an easily accessed, easily managed and infinitely expandable data warehouse.
There are some ways to secure cloud applications:
Define the requirements align with your cloud application vendors.
Build a threat model for each cloud application you are considering.
Choose the level of risk tolerance your organization is comfortable with when using services that rely upon a multi-tenancy model.

Also, you need to define the requirements align with your cloud application vendors.

There are various cloud service providers. To name a few, there are: Amazon Web Service (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IDrive, Adobe, VMware, IBM Cloud and so on. To meet the business processes requirements, I would go with IDrive that is said to be affordable for small businesses like Bill’s. IDrive provides services like data backup, file-sharing, remote management, online syncing. These services are needed to operate Bill’s business. The employees can utilize IDrive’s services to store and update information on purchase orders, packages, delivery, payments and so on.

In order to to assure the security of the applications in the cloud, high level controls like encryption, strong authentication, incident response plan, risk management, proper governance should be in place and implemented adequately. Doing so can provide reasonable security to the information.

Well said, Yingyan! I agree that cloud servicses must be chosen in terms of needs. Not all available cloud service providers best fit the requirements of any particular business. I like that you chose Amazon Web Services (AWS) among the other providers. Per the size and operations of Bill’s business, it is safe to say that AWS is the appropriate selection given its cost-effective feature. .

Thank you for your comment. You provided great feedback regarding how the design of Zymr can meet their pick-up and delivery needs especially related to ensuring Internet design consistency, service management issues influencing customer loyalty, and security.

Thank you for your feedback. Your list of key things to consider for cloud provider selection is very help. Another key consideration that is often overlooked is maintenance and support of the solution(s).

I like your point about using Amazon Simple Storage Service especially from a cost perspective it’s affordable. Thanks for sharing

I haven’t thought of that before but I think Zymr is also the right choice for this organization.Also I like that you explained how Zymr can meet their business needs Thank you for sharing

I like how you detailed the ways the leading frameworks and guidelines to the company needs to meet to comply with regulations and industry mandates. Great post. Thanks for sharing

I like your post. I agree. You gave a pretty detailed list of cloud computer services providers. Thanks for sharing your post

there are many cloud service provider in the market, they offer different functions, accessibility, and pricing.
i would suggest both microsoft azure and amazon web service. Try both and then figure out which on works best for the organization. i would require features and services for system customization, integrated storage, virtual network. for the service security, i would suggest a third party cloud service security management service and help with the security management of the system, which can provide throughout and professional security cover

you provide many suggestions for security control from managerial level, it is true the organization should have well designed security management plan.

Hi Lyana, good point, the cloud service do be a solution for budget issues, and it does create more opportunities for small entrepreneurs, and individuals.

Hi Mahroo, agreed. The amazon have been the top in the industry for decade, they are really pioneers as IBM, which still provide IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS now.

Hi Yinyan smart and honest like you! There are 1970000 results showing up from google within .48 seconds. And I do believe that would be increasing.

The concept of cloud is raised by John McCarthy as a “public utility” it was used for military at the beginning. After the population of the internet, the cloud computing become possible. In 2006 Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt introduced the term “cloud computing” Since then, Google and IBM are keeping provide the cloud service until today. The Microsoft and google are famous for their office service, which indeed change our working behaviors and make the long distance working become possible. The key implement of cloud service are real time and multiple ends. I do believe both companies did a good job on this parts. To ensure the security of the applications on the cloud we need to prepare for the shared vulnerabilities, take care of the authentication, identifications and issues; keep the DDoS service in place; backup the important data offline to in case.

As a courier company, On The Spot may need different types of cloud service. Initially, calculating the fastest routine for a truck driver is always an important job. Under this circumstance, Amazon Web Service (AWS) can provide enough computing resources for On The Spot to achieve an economic and quick delivery service. On the other hand, creating an operating environment in the cloud may help the small business owners to run their business easily. Using Microsoft Azure to build a cloud platform for running some basic applications and software can save On The Spot a certain amount of money in purchasing their own devices. Sometimes, cloud platform can provide a better security to the user since they have enough resources to manage their service.

I agree with you. I think AWS is the most cost-effective and versatile tool for cloud based computing and would be the best option for the delivery service. It is also secure and has many capabilities that would be desirable and functional for the company.

I really like the list you complied of things cloud providers should have for customers’ convenience and usability. AWS is definitely a growing competitor in the industry. They have so many features that will help any kind of user develop the appropriate web resource they need.

there are so many cloud service providers in the market, such as Amazon Web Service (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Adobe. The different providers have different pricing and functions, I would recommend the company to try at least two vendors which are Amazon and Google because both of the company offers the best service in the industries for all size of business needs. the company should hire a consultant to evaluate the suitability and the security of the cloud vendor.

Depending on cost I would use AWS or Google cloud services for the security aspect of this question. As a large multi billion dollar cloud service provider either of these companies would have invested a great deal of money into security. More importantly I believe these 2 companies would be only some of the handful that are actually engaging and prepared to deal with the next generation of issues security issues with the cloud. I imagine it would be more expensive then going with a smaller security service or in house solutions. In the end I think paying the extra cost for the ease of use and secure nature of their systems it’s worth it.

Well tuf50240. Amazon web services does indeed have sophisticated applications with increased flexibility, scalability and reliability at lower prices. There have already build a great reputation in the market as a cloud service provider which that can be trusted. Good choice.

Microsoft Azure cloud services is a reliable cloud service provider. On the Spot Courier needs to provide web services to clients so that they can request package pickup and delivery. They could use Microsoft Azure’s platform as a service which provides a website hosting service. On the Spot Courier services can not only develop and customize their web applications but they also benefit from the open source applications available. Having the digital services supplied by azure would be a great tool for the organization to have to update package details as well.
I would make sure that the information of the security of the information by adhering and complying with the following regulatory standards; Cybersecurity Framework base on NIST, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) aligns IT with strategic business goals (ISACA 2015), and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

The cloud I use is baidu cloud. It provides different Windows servers and users can install many Windows systems on the PC. This can also provide the PC with additional storage space through cloud services. This service is important because cloud storage can be huge and cheap. In addition, if certain applications cannot be used on other systems, Baidu can install Windows on the same PC to make the application available. For example, some applications cannot run on Mac systems, so Apple users can use baidu cloud to solve this problem. In addition, safety is very important. The password should be based on a specific format setting. This is difficult for hackers to guess. The password should not be the same as the password on the PC. This is good for information security.

I like it, too. AWS provides on-demand cloud computing platforms for individuals, companies, and governments. This technology allows users to use a mature virtual computer cluster at any time through the Internet. These costs are based on the combinations used.

Thank you for sharing , I never use Zymr before. I think it will be good according to your introduction. And I will try to use it in the future.

I like your posing. you list a lot of choices and you also teach us how choose the suitable one, which is very clear and easy to follow.

If I were to use cloud services for a company I would probably go with Microsoft Azure. I previously worked with this program a few months ago. It is not the fastest or most efficient service, but it gets the job done. With the service I could use virtual machines to conduct my business and other Microsoft services so that my work would go smoothly. It would also be convenient with multiple other people because files would easily be shared. Using various security frameworks and measures will assure that the system is secure.

I think your description and suggestion of prediction software available for students/children who have learning disabilities is a great idea. These tools would enhance the experience for students and help them with the learning process. I think Temple may have the resources in place already but definitely should consider adding more facilities to help current and future students.

Thank you for sharing, Hanqing. You mention many useful programs such as speed synthesizers, the word prediction machine which can be used to help disabilities to have better study experience. I agree with you that Fox should have some devices that are designed to be disabilities- friendly. I also recommend that when learning about the design of the system, the course should also take accessibility into considerations.

A accessibility issue that could be faced with people who are diagnosed with muscular atrophy and distrophy is trying using a traditional keyboard. Muscular atrophy is when the muscles deteriorate and the patient effected cannot move or use their muscles to their full ability. A way user interfaces can accommodate people with this disability are voice recognition softwares that can automate manual functions of a computer/webpage. Though this type disability is not extremely prevalent, about 1 in 6000 individuals are severely effected.

I think you mention great points regarding some difficulties people would face if they were visually impaired. I feel like the alternative you mention are easy to implement and very practical and useful. I also like how you tied in your example to the case we have been working on in this class. Making sure On the Spot Courier has digital devices that have capabilities to accommodate for the visually impaired are important.

One disability/disorder that comes to mind where the user interface has made great advances is autism. An individual with autism is challenged with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and non verbal communication. People with autism are often very attentive and technology had made advancements to help with their needs Touch windows have been created to help an individual with autism to interact and navigate with a computer system. Track balls have been made to allow the individual to use a ball to move the mouse around with their fingertip or hand. Many eventually master the trackball and can move onto navigating through the use of a mouse. There is various software available to improve attention skills, problem solving skills, fine motor skills, and academic skills. Alternative keyboards are also available for individuals to easily identify button and press them as needed.

People with mobility impairment may have a challenge using the standard keyboard and mouse. Some of these people have little or no use or their hands or arms.

There are a few techniques that I found that can be used to accommodate people with mobility impairments. To make selections, individuals use switches activated by movement of the head, finger, foot, breath, etc. One of the ways is to use an infrared camera on the monitor and a processing unit that translates eye motion into on screen action. The user chooses a key by looking at it for a longer time. An impulse sensor that sticks to the skin can also be used to sense and transmit the electrical impulses from the brain and can turn certain movements into mouse clicks. Advances in technology systems also allow someone to operate the computer by just using their mouth, cheek, tongue or chin to move the on-screen cursor and can click on an item by blowing into or sucking out of the straw. Voice recognition systems also allow users to control computers just by speaking words and letters.

I think accommodations in the systems for this disability can be made if there is someone in an organization who needs them because they come at a higher price than the standard computer equipment or systems.

Thank you for sharing your answer. I like how you mentioned ways that can be implemented without incurring a lot of costs. Additional steps that can also be included are using a screen-enlargement utility: a system for zooming in on portions of the screen to make it easier for the visually impaired to view information on computer monitors. The system can also provide the ability to change the foreground and background colors to suit those that are color blind.

Thank you for your sharing. I really interest in what you mentioned about the color blindness because some of my friends have different levels of color blindness. As far as I know, a good example comes from computer games, more and more games now have color-blind mode options. The same more and more software is also starting to use this model.

Thanks for giving some insight on the accommodations for the visually impaired. The screen reader is also helpful as it cay display information in Braille, use voice output, or use other audio signals to indicate graphics on the screen. I appreciate how you talked by the customer loyalty program. Since their goal is that “no customer escapes”, they should as you said conduct a research and implement accommodations for their customers to gain a competitive advantage.

I also found information on visual impairment. You give great examples of systems we interact with daily that would present a challenge. You also bring up a great point that ALL consumers or users should be considered in system accommodation and development. Variations in users (i.e. disabilities like visual impairment) influence the usability of systems.

The University at Buffalo”s Assistive Technology Training Online Project is a great tool to help prototype and assess the usability of your system/software. Your comment also brings up a great point that during the process of designing forms and reports, it is important to consider ‘who will use the form or report’ with an open mind when conducting requirements determination, to consider those users with a wide range of disabilities.

Hi Hanqing,

Thank you for sharing such valuable information about the learning disabilities. However, the cost could be the biggest problem. When searching sources, I realized that learning disabilities have no cure, but early intervention can provide tools and strategies to lessen their effects. People with learning disabilities can be successful in school and work and in their personal lives.

People with visual and mobility impairment may have a challenge using the computer screen. People with visual impairment have a hard time reading what is on the screen, and people with mobility impairment who cannot move their hands. There are a few tools that can be used to accommodate people who suffer from visual impairment. For instance he can use Windows magnifier, change the text size and the colors etc. In addition people suffering from mobility impairment can just use voice control to easily interact with the system. By just speaking words and letters, people can use the on-screen cursor and control the computer. Those type of system would cost more than the regular computer systems, but I feel that it would appropriate to make these accomodations in a system in the instance that there is someone in an organization who needs them.

I love the color blindness simulator you have mentioned because my father is color-blind, I really hope he can feel the exactly red and green. He told me red and green are just gray. He also can not figure out pink and green if they are not separated.

Computer accessibility refers to the accessibility of a computer system to all people, regardless of disability type or severity of impairment. One example of disability causes a barrier to effective computer use is visual impairment, such as low-vision, blindness, and color blindness. Because in the most situation, computer interfaces with visual input and provide visual feedback to the users, the individual who has visual impairment could face a significant challenge when interacting with a computer. Using the larger font, high DPI displays, and high contrast themes and icons could be helpful for people who have low vision. Screen reader software can help people who has the visual disability to interact with a computer system, which provides feedback via text to speech or refreshable braille display.

I like your post, Yijiang.
People who have the disability could achieve a better life. For example, Stephen Hawking, a great English theoretical physicist. He interacted with his computer using Intel’s system. “Hawking’s computer system uses a rudimentary timed interface. A cursor automatically scans across an on-screen keyboard, and whenever the renowned physicist blinks, he triggers an infrared sensor on his cheek. This stops the moving cursor and selects whatever key or option the cursor was highlighting at the time.”
Reference: https://iq.intel.com/behind-scenes-intel-keeps-stephen-hawking-talking/

I think that is a great idea. This would be really helpful for students and allow them to have a great learning experience. I liked your points about the synthesizers, the word prediction machine. Thank you for your detailed explanation of the disabilities.

I made a points point about some of the difficulties visually impaired people would have. Your solutions seem pretty useful and easy to implement. I also like that you mentioned to implement it without incurring a huge cost. Thank you for your sharing this post.

It is important to improve accessibility for disabled. Computers should be used by anyone regardless he or she is disabled or not. For example, some people lost their arms, so they cannot type the words on the computers. Computers should have application to transfer what they are saying to words. These people can enter the words by saying something. Another example is that, some people have visual problems. They cannot see the screen, so the information cannot be readable. these computer can transfer the words to voice to make these people receive the public information. In addition, their voice can help them lock and unlock their computers. They do not need to use fingerprint or password for security.

I agree with you, because these tools can make people improve their working efficiency. It helps people overcome their issues to receive and send information.

I agree with you, because it is important to help everyone access the computer regardless the type of disabled. People can install different tools to make everything easier. For example, using their voice to enter information. That improves their working efficiency.

Usability is part of the broader term “user experience” and refers to the ease of access and/or use of a product or website. A design is not usable or unusable per se; its features, together with the context of the user (what the user wants to do with it and the user’s environment), determine its level of usability. The official ISO 9241-11 definition of usability is: “the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.”

However, all humans have limitations in their physical capabilities. The definitions of who is considered disabled would be “an individual with a disability is a person who: has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; has a record of such impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment.” An employer in the any country should expect to make reasonable accommodation to employ a disabled person, which includes “Making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities; job restructuring, modifying work schedules, reassignment to a vacant position; acquiring or modifying equipment or devices, adjusting or modifying examinations, training materials, or policies, and providing qualified readers or interpreters.”

Usability and human-computer interaction (HCI) are becoming core aspects of the system development
process to improve and enhance system facilities and to satisfy users’ needs and necessities. HCI will assist designers, analysts and users to identify the system needs from text style, fonts, layout, graphics and color, while usability will confirm if the system is efficient, effective, safe, utility, easy to learn, easy to remember, easy
to use and to evaluate, practical visible and provide job satisfaction to the users.

Thank you for sharing your own experience Mengqiao. In the terms of traffic light, in some countries of China, the traffic light in sidewalk is designed not only by the color (red/green) but also by the pattern. For example, if the pattern is static man in red it means stop, and if the pattern is walking man in green it means move. I think it is a really humanization design for color-blind people.

Well said, Human-computer interaction researchers at Microsoft envision a future where technology enhances the human experience for everyone, everywhere. Research results are routinely translated to technological innovations that impact Microsoft customers and products and benefit society at large through open science collaborations.

I like you post and more understanding about color blindness people’s situation.

Hi, Mengqiao, thank you for sharing the story.
I agree with you. People who have the colorblind problem can still work and live normally. I think the Chinese Government establishes that rule to avoid the potential traffic accident, but they did not realize people are colorblind have their own way to distinguish the colors. Your father is very lucky because he has drive license. Hope Chinese government can realize the problem and figure out some solutions for this problem,

These are all great points as you have noted. In the design and analysis phase, you need to consider all class of people that would use the software. A physically disabled person going into the store would have to get a specialized cab (like access-a-ride etc) that can accommodate wheelchairs etc, so taking into consideration that disabled people might be more inclined and comfortable to place orders online instead of having to go into the store, accommodations should be made in the system/software to allow for this.

Disability exist in all forms and can occur at any time. Thus, it will be prudent to build a system accessible to forms of disability.

Some computer interfaces require hearing most computer uses sound to warn the user of an error, this gives rise to a significant challenge in computer accessibility. Developing computer usable by people with hearing impairments – Auditory Processing Disorders, Conductive, Sensorineural, or Mixed is important.

A computer should be able alert a user with an icon or pictures to enhance accessibility. Example will be SoundSentry where visual alert can light the monitor with picture of instruction, blinking title, or direction.

HI Iyana,

You make an excellent point and I agree with your post. Visual impairment absolutely hinders a user’s ability to read or to interact with a system. Being visually impaired can also hind someone from your a cell phone. We quickly forget that people with impairments can’t always utilize the new thing or the normal thing (cell phone) at this point often. My uncle is legally blind, however he has very little vision in one eye. Nevertheless, he utilizes his cell pone every day( to much if you ask me. LOL!). He overcame his disability by using Google. Google does everything for him with a touch of a button. If it weren’t for Google talk I have no clue as to how he would communicate with me or even keep up with whats happening around him.

Various disabilities can affect user’s ability to interact with systems.Among many, visual disability is one of them. The ability to interact with web system also depends on the severity of visual disability. Color blindness, low vision and blindness are examples of visual disability. In order to make the interface accessible for users with visual disability, developers should ensure the contents can be customized in a way that meets the need of visually impaired users. Further, listening to the audio embedded presentation can help overcome the barrier for users with visual disabilities.

Great explanation, Yingyan! The need of computer accessibility is increasing more than ever. I like your example of starbucks. In my previous job, there was cafeteria which only hired people with visual disabilities. They were provided with devices that cash register that had a built in audio feature. The device helped them to deal with payments with voice guidance.

Hello Lyana,
You pointed to a key issue in system and software designs. The accessibilities for people with disabilities are extremely important. The people with disabilities may have special needs, but sometimes a good design can avoid the extra cost on those kind of systems. For example, more physical buttons and inputting reactions.

Color blind and general blind as well as deaf are common disabilities faced by many people. and make their life complex in terms of systems’ functionality and usability. Designers now invented different access to certain functions and increase the convenience for people with disability. For example, on pages contains paragraphs of texts, designers add extra accessible function to read the text.

Another special situation is that many users have difficulty with detailed mouse movements and may also have problems holding down multiple keyboard keys simultaneously. Most of these issues should be taken care of by improved browser design and should not concern content designers except for the advice not to design image maps that require extremely precise mouse positioning. Client-side image maps will work even for users who cannot use a mouse at all: the browser should be able to move through the links under keyboard control.

Thank you Zhixin, you listed good examples for dyslexia ad other vision impairments face several issues, no matter the blind, color blindness simulations, or motor impairments.

Thank you, yijiang. You mentioned a good point, windows operating system’s interaction methods. They have found this issue at least from I was a kid, I played with those functions. I didn’t know their real usages at that time. But I think they are necessary. And it is sweat to care their accessibilities.

People with disabilities meet barriers of all types. However, technology is helping to lower many of these barriers. By using computing technology for tasks such as reading and writing documents, communicating with others, and searching for information on the Internet, students and employees with disabilities are capable of handling a wider range of activities independently. Still, people with disabilities face a variety of barriers to computer use. These barriers can be grouped into three functional categories: barriers to providing computer input, interpreting output, and reading supporting documentation. Hardware and software tools (known as adaptive or assistive technologies) have been developed to provide functional alternatives to these standard operations. Specific products, and approaches to using them, are described below.
1. mobility impairments
2. blindness
3. low vision
4. hearing or speech impairments
5. specific learning disabilities

I did not know about the services that the University of Buffalo offers, but this is good information to know! I think that because they offer such services, individuals who are not sure if they have an impairment can self-diagnose once interacting with the program. If they find that they in fact have something, they can get the appropriate help.

An accessibility issue can occur with those who have dementia. It is when a person forgets their history and can affect short term as well as long term memory. This would hinder a person in remembering their login credentials. A recommendation to help with this issue is using a different factor of authorization. This could be something they are, and if two-factor is needed, something they have. Using a fingerprint scanner would take a person’s ability to remember out of the equation and would just require them to take part in a facial recognition scan for fingerprint scan. I believe this would be worthwhile for a system with abnormal levels of people that would benefit from using this system.

It is important to increase the accessibility of people with disabilities. Regardless of whether he or she is disabled, anyone should use a computer. For example, some people lose their legs, so they cannot type words on a computer. Computers should have applications to pass what they say. These people can input these words by saying something. Another example is that some people have vision problems. They cannot see the screen, so the information is unreadable. These computers can convert text into speech so that these people can obtain public information. In addition, their voice can help them lock and unlock their computer. They do not need fingerprints or passwords for security checks.

I agree with you. The human-computer interaction method of the Windows operating system can help people with disabilities to better operate their computers. Therefore, these accessibility features not only improve the working efficiency of the disabled, but also help them rebuild their confidence in life.

Good point. Vision-impaired navigation systems will have speech-based assistive or sensory technologies that make people aware of the path to the road and potential obstacles. Many of the bank’s ATM systems are also available today for people with disabilities.

Having specific interfaces for those with disabilities is super important. It may not be too profitable to do so, but it will definitely be appreciated by the niche audiences with certain disabilities. Dyslexia is a disability/disorder that interested me. An interface can have a mode that is specifically tailored to those with this problem. There are special fonts that can be used for this, such as dyslexie font. There are plenty of other disabilities that you can make accessible to a specific system.

Gesture language is a great idea. Having more than just a typing input for a website could really make it more accessible.

I did not know 20% of people have a disability, that’s interesting. It definitely makes sense to try and cater services for people with disabilities, so people of all types can access the content.

Designing a database is not a simple matter, it can not doing by only one person. The person knows about the requirements may not familiar with database designing. The design expert knows how to design a good database, but the result may not be matched with the requirements. Thus, as mentioned in the question, both who understand the application requirements, or a database design expert should work together and get brainstorm to come out a good format for the database.
There are several steps can increase the security level of data: 1. Isolate sensitive databases; 2. Eliminate vulnerabilities; 3. Enforce least privileges; 4. Enforce least privileges; 5. Respond to suspicious behavior; 6. design secure passwords; 7. Monitor and audit your database. For the encryption, in general, we can use both symmetric and asymmetric database encryption. Any data relate to PII, company’s core imformation need to be secured.

Database design is a complex, but necessary process. It involves creating a functional database system that is able to manage all of a company’s information in one place. When designing a database, there are a lot of factors to consider in order to ensure it can do what is required of it.
First of all, there is a role called database designer, who is responsible for defining the detailed database design, including tables, indexes, views, constraints, triggers, stored procedures, and other database-specific constructs needed to store, retrieve, and delete persistent objects. They are in charge of database design, who understand the application requirements, a database design expert. Then, there is another role called database developer, who will in addition evaluate and advise on all technology components, such as software, hardware, and networking capabilities, for database management systems and applications. As part of the role they will be responsible for implementing data dashboards to all levels of the organization. They may not understand the problem domain issues but does understand good database design.
For the data encryption, there are nine data encryption methods:
1) Transparent/ External database encryption
2) Column-level encryption
3) Field-level encryption
4) Filesystem-level encryption
5) Full disk encryption
6) Symmetric and asymmetric database encryption
7) Key management
8) Hashing
9) Application-level encryption

The design of a database is not an easy task. It involves the creation of a system that manages the entire company’s information. It cannot be left up to neither the business nor the technical people who knows database design. They should both work on it together to make sure that the solution is correct and efficient. It is an entire process that requires and understanding of the business needs and the gathering of requirements. After the analysis phase the requirements should be communicated to the team that will be in charge for the business needs. The database designer, will be responsible for taking care of the details for the database design. Then the database developer will take care of all the technology components (software, hardware, and applications). His understanding of database design will come in handy.
For the encryption, we can use different method.
Column level encryption
Field level encryption
Full disk encryption
Key management
Filesystem level encryption
Symmetric and asymmetric database encryption
Application-level encryption
However in our case for data that need high security level like PII, they should be encrypted usingboth symmetric and asymmetric database encryption.

Database design is a collaborative team effort. Even though the database designer knows how to design the models of the database using different diagrams they can not design or model what they do know. They need an understanding of the business function or the requirements the database must meet. The database design includes determination of the data to be stored in the database, the relationships between the different data elements and a logical structure drawn from of the relationships. All these can be achieved from an input from other team members.

Both data at rest and in transit should be secured. This can be done in different ways. Transparent/external database encryption helps to protect data at rest. Column-level encryption for is encryption of the individual columns in the database. Symmetric encryption involves the use of a private key being applied to data that is stored and called from a database. Asymmetric database encryption uses private and public key for encryption. Hashing is used to protect sensitive data such as passwords. Application-level encryption, encrypts data before it is written to the database.

Your comment was very insightful in explaining all the different roles that should be required in the designing a database. As you mentioned, it starts with gathering requirements which requires a collaborative effort. This can help prevent things like missing essential data in the database. I also agree that the solution should be evaluated on its affect on the business in entirety. It is important to test the solution based on current requirements and the future requirements or the organization to allow for scalability.

Good point, Xinteng.

I agree with you that the stakeholders and senior management should be involved in a project. It is very important for their involvement to provide a direction and facilitate the process of a project.

Hi, Lyana.

You provide clear points for how to evaluate the solution’s suitability. The consistency with the business requirement should be the most important consideration when evaluating the solution. System analysis is a good one to identify the improvements needed to better meet business needs.

Thank you for your sharing. I really like what you talk about the “stakeholders,” you are right, so I think the stakeholders’ goals and benefits is one of the requirements that the team members need to pay attention to. Thus, whatever we missing team members who knows the requirements or the design experts, the result will not match with the stakeholders’ requirements.

Thank you for your sharing. You gave some great ideas about the evaluation methods. I like you mentioned about the Ability to anticipate future requirements and Ongoing review, both two methods are caring about the future performance of the database to make sure it is strong enough and still meet with the requirements.

Good Point, The collaboration between database experts and key stakeholders makes the task of designing a database easier. This will enable them to achieve the business requirements and all technical requirements for developing a good database.

I agree with you, data design experts only deal with the technical problem in database designation. Senior managers may understand the requirements and .needs better than the experts, because they understand the direction of the business. The application should serve the business better by aligning with the direction.

I agree with you, because designing a database should be a teamwork. People should collect the requirements from stakeholders in an organization. Database design expert can design the database based on the requirements, so it is important to involve many roles in a team to develop a database.

Designing the database is the complex process, which not only build up the physical function but also need separate the different duty of data. Basically, I prefer that both of senior manager or stakeholders who understand the application requirements and design expert who understand good database design are important during creating database process.

In order to protect our database, also protect data integrity. We should separate the different roles’ duty, some staff can have authorities to access the data, someone can’t. also, we need define the different level of data. Such as the sensitive data we should create strong password policy and the data should be encrypted and monitored. Last, as an auditor should audit the database regular.

Thank you for sharing your opinion. everybody in the team has their own duty to make contribute.

Jing, thank you for sharing at length the importance of team effort in the design. I also found this article interesting that details some of the questions the team can evaluate the efficiency of the solution.
• Has the logical model been thoroughly examined to ensure that all of the required business functionality can be achieved based solely upon the model?
• Is the model in (at least) third normal form?
• Have all of the data elements (entities and attributes) required for this application been identified?
• Have the data elements which have been identified been documented accurately?
• Have all of the relationships been defined properly

The 7 Types of Database Design Reviews

I agree with you. To certify the solution is correct or not, there should be user acceptance testing and quality assurance in the end of software development life cycle.

I believe, both team members and database design expert should be in charge of designing the database. The database design work requires high level understanding of the data and as well as the understanding of the application requirements. If any of the two factors are missing, then a successful database design may not be accomplished. The database design should be treated as a collaborative work where team members and experts contribute their efforts and knowledge for secure and integrated database. Lastly, designing and implementing a database that is reasonably secure is significant to address the CIA triad of the available data. Securing database can be done by encrypting specific columns and tables which is termed as column-level encryption.

Well said, Yingyan. I like how you brought up saving cost and improving efficiency to accomplish successful database design. Both of these aspects cannot be fully utilized if team members and database design expert work separately.

While you will definitely need a database design expert to design the database, you also need the team members input to design the database, one of the steps in designing a database is information gathering, and you definitely need inputs from direct and indirect users of the database. So I would say these 2 sets of people are not mutually exclusive in the design of the database.

Hi Xinteng,

Good point on authorities assigned when combining with database and integrity. If there are no reasonable authorities assigned to the database, different departments or different roles maybe cross-cutting power, which would lead to employee fraud or information leakage.

And the first step is to get a high-level grasp of the topic and an understanding of the business or functional area. Generally this is referred to as the business domain.

I also think all team members should be in charge of designing the database. It is a complex processing.

Designing an efficient database is an outcome of collaboration between the business team and the technical team(software developers)within the organization. a properly designed database provides you with an access to an up-to-date, accurate information. Because a correct design is essential to achieving management goals in working with the database, investigating the time required to learn the principles of good designs make sense. In the end, higher level managers are much more likely to achieve the database more compliant with their need and can easily accommodate change.
The database holds the backbone of an organization, it’s transaction, customers, employee info, financial information for both customers and employees, and much more confidential data within the organization, Database security an integrity are essential aspects of an organization’s security levels. Database security is a key responsibility of the organization’s database admin and the technical team handling it.

Nice post, Yingyan. As you mentioned, to ensure whether the database solution is correct or not, we have to perform a series of feasibility tests initially to see if our database design can fulfill our business needs and requirements. Also, we have to test whether our database can work smoothly with our other information systems at a high efficiency. One more thing, laws and regulatory compliance is another important factor which we have to pay attention to because ignorance of it could cause potential reputation and economic loss to our company in the future.

Zhixin- Eliminate data redundancy is an interesting and important point to consider while maintaining the information in the database. This issue is very common in the database design, and it won’t cross admin’s mind often.

Who should be in charge of designing the database – team members, who understand the application requirements, or a database design expert, who may not understand the problem domain issues but does understand good database design?

I believe the database expert would be the best choose for designing the database, so they should be in charge. The database design expert must be skilled enough to understanding the end user’s requirements, as well as, the database’s integrity and security. Outside of the data requirements according to our text, systems analysts must also know physical data characteristic, frequency of use of the system interfaces, and the capabilities of database technologies.

I appreciate your explanation of the different types of encryption. The type of encryption needed will definitely vary. That is why it is important to have a firm understanding of not only what kind of data will be within the database but its relation to the organization. This requires input from both team members and the database designer to ensure the best form of encryption is used.

I agree. The design of a database can be pretty challenging. Which is why it is important for both data base design expert and staff to cooperate and do it together. The design and the requirements should match and easy to implement.

I agree. The design of a database should be done as a group. And you also made a good point regarding the encryption method that should be used. It will depend on the the security level of the data.

Hi Iyana
I agree with you point, especially the different ways that the team can evaluate how suitable a solution is. Liek you also mentioned we should also determine the level of access required before determining the encryption method.

Database design in an essential process and you would want people well versed in the company to create it. Team members with database experience would most likely be the best choice. Team members would actually be using the database, so they could verify how effective it really is. Database security is essential for the organization to run effectively. The ability to internally audit encryption methods would also be a good idea.

I agree with the point on a binary situation. Security is a very complicated issue, and it could take very many angles to be effective.

Asymmetric and symmetric encryption is something that could be very effective. I could definitely see a company using this for their database.

Nice analysis Xinten, a good introduction toward different roles. And I really agreed on your point that important to include different roles in a team.

To designing the database, I think team members who understand the application requirements and the database design expert who is professional in database structure designing should collaborate. Because during the database design process, understanding the business rules and application requirements is critical. If only team members responsible for designing the database, the database structure and entity might be inefficient. However, if only database design experts responsible for the database designing, the database might not functional because the experts lack understanding of the application requirements.
Organizations could use many controls to ensure the security of the database, such as cryptographic, least privileges, log management, and monitoring. All the data that is not public should be protected. Organizations need to classify the data into different levels based on the sensitivity level to implement controls.

Yingyan, good point, In order to protect the data efficiently, the organization should classify the data based on the sensitive level. Therefore, the organizations could implement control methods more cost-effective and efficient.

In addition, I think log management and least privileges are also good method to protect the database security,

Well said. Role-based access control is really important to an organization in regarding the protection of data.

Nice point. As part of the role they will be responsible for implementing data dashboards to all levels of the organization. They may not understand the problem domain issues but does understand good database design.

Nice point. I also think data integrity and accuracy is really important during the process of database design. In most companies, there are areas where important business decisions are routinely made based on data.

Hello Lyana, you made a good point that “the effective database modeling involves understanding both the business requirements and the database features” the solution evaluations you provide are very thoughtful as well.

Hello Sarush, good analysis. I agree with you on the point that a business should start on the point to fully the business requirements and then built the further frameworks above it.

You are right, except that the sensitive database like PII should be protected carefully.

I like how you mentioned that efficiency and understanding requirements are important factors when designing a database. This will, in fact, help with cost reduction. I also think you have a good idea mentioning encryption as a way to keep data secure.

I agree, database design is a group effort and the more people involved, the more inaccuracies will be managed. I think something you can include to the well-designed database list is user experience.

I would select a column based encryption method for the database. It can protect key information without effecting the entire record. It would also allow for non confidential information to be accessed with out the slowdown of dealing with encryption. Loss of data due to loss of key is mitigated since different keys are required for different columns.

Designing a database cannot only be done by one person. It takes a team of people who understand what the business requirements are and how to build a database. These skills may not come from one single person and a good database requires both to be effective in its purpose. Those who understand the application requirements and database design should work together for this result. The steps to increase the security level of data are to; Isolate sensitive databases, eliminate vulnerabilities, enforce least privileges, enforce least privileges, respond to suspicious behavior, design secure passwords, monitor and audit your database. Both symmetric and asymmetric database encryption can be used in order to protect any data relate to PII and private company information.

Making a database is a complex process that not only builds physical functions but also separates the different responsibilities of the data. Basically, I would like to know more about the senior managers or stakeholders of application requirements, and the design experts who understand good database design are very important in the process of creating a database.In order to protect our database, we must also protect the integrity of the data. We should separate the roles of different roles. Some employees can have access to data and some cannot. In addition, we need to define different levels of data. For sensitive data, we should create a strong password policy. Data should be encrypted and monitored. Finally, auditors should audit database rules;

I agree with you. People with business and technology can become bright spots between business and IT departments. But in general, business units and day-to-day employees should improve their needs and needs in order to achieve their business goals and efficiencies.

I agree with you. Encryption can be used for database design and implementation to protect the database from information security issues Encryption can be external encryption (referring to the encryption of the entire database, so that the database is not visible without the database credentials), data encryption (refers to the encryption of certain parts of the database, such as specific columns, tables ).

Good point. Stakeholders and senior managers understand the requirements because the applications are designed for their use in the business. The software development team has a good understanding of software design.

Great Point, cross-checking between models will help the systems designer or analyst to identify potential deficiencies and correct them as early as possible. Lack of cross-checking may lead to development problems in the business process.

Thanks for the explanation. Depending on an analyst’s needs, use case descriptions are usually written at two separate levels of detail: brief description and fully developed description. A brief description can be used for very simple use cases, especially when the system to be developed is small, with a well-understood application.
The fully developed description is the most formal method of documenting a use case, and it includes the following – use case name, scenario, brief description, triggering event, actors, related use case, stakeholders, precondition, post-condition, flow of activities and exception condition ( exception conditions are any condition that causes the system not to follow the expected flow of activities or that leads to abnormal termination of the use case).

Perfect!

Cross-checking between models will help the analyst to ensure that all requirements are accurate and/or in-line with the set objectives. Unidentified deficiencies or error might cost the business a lot – in terms of output, financial or material damage(s) and many more.

There are many well-formedness rules of each UML element in UML specification, but there are not any rules that check the consistency among UML diagrams.The cross checking between models ensure that the requirements are accurate and correct. we propose several checking rules to improve the consistency among UML diagrams, especially between UML static diagram and dynamic diagram. So we make explicit some requirements on consistency of UML diagrams that are buried in the original well-formedness rules of UML specification and derive some checking rules.

The objective of the SSD is to document the actual input data and the output data that flows between the user actor and the system.

Use case diagrams are used to specify:
(external) requirements, required usages of a system under design or analysis (subject) – to capture what the system is supposed to do; the functionality offered by a subject – what the system can do

In UML terms, subject is a classifier playing the “subject” role. They did not create a separate special class for subject, as it was done with actor and use case. UML 2.5 states that a subject of a UseCase could be a system or any other element that may have behavior, such as a Component or Class

When designing a system, requirements are gathered, and these requirements are represented using different models. To have integrated models means these models are used together to show the process, logic and timing, and data of the system components. The use of integrated models enhances the system making it more efficient, reduces gaps ensuring the delivery of a quality system that meets the user requirements.

The use case is used to show the system’s functionality. They are used to develop activity diagrams and system sequence diagrams.

An activity diagram is used to show shows the conditional logic and the flow of system activities.

The class diagrams show the relationships between the different entities in a system. The sequence diagram is used to come up with the different classes.

State machine diagrams show the class methods or behavior.
CRUD matrix shows the different authorizations in the system of creating, reading, updating and deleting, this is based on the use case diagram.

Basically, use case diagrams and activity diagrams are functional models showing the use of the system, the CRC cards and class diagrams on the other hand show the structure of the system, lastly the sequence diagrams, CRUD matrix and state machines are behavioral models.

Cross checking ensures efficiency by confirming that nothing has been omitted, and that the models are correct as expressed by the users when giving the requirements. Cross checking also ensures that the structure, behaviors, relationships remain the same throughout the different models.

I think you do a great job explaining the differences between each UML diagram and how each is connected to one another. Though I agree that creating a “new” diagram can help with the revising of the “old”, I think the “old” can decrease the amount of time it will take to develop the “new” because the actors, attributes, and actions will already be created.

Jing Jiang you make an important point that by not cross checking you could potentially decrease the efficiency of the subsequent development process. The goal of UML is to develop models that protected.from variations in the future. Increasing the efficiency during development can help separate those parts of the system that are likely to change from those that are not.

In a real business world, each business process is different and complicated. Therefore, a single diagram model is not enough to illustrate the complete business case, so we have to apply integrated models. By utilizing cross-checking between models, we can easily realize any missing factor which has been defined by the narrative within a single diagram. If so, we can just apply another type of diagram to fix this issue. Without performing a cross-checking between models, we are not able to figure out a potential error in the design and planning phase unless the real issue actually happens in our business activities. It could greatly affect our operating efficiency and cause a potential economic loss.

Thanks for the explanation. I learn the difference between UML diagrams more clearly. By cross-checking these different diagrams can ensure the consistency and better meet the design requirements.

Different models are used to represent the different requirement gathered in a system design. To have Integrated models means the use of models together to cover a process. Using integrated models ensures the system’s effectiveness to that meets requirements, because the models revise each other to deliver a quality system.
The use case diagram is used to show the user interaction and the system’s functionality. They are used to show the relationship between the user and the system.
An activity diagram shows the flow of activities in a system and all conditional logic between cases
The class diagrams comes from the use case and shows the structure of a system using classes, attributes, and the relationships between them in a system.
State machine diagram shows how different parts of the system behave as well as their class method.
CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update, or delete. It shows the different authorizations in the system and is developed from the use case diagram.
A system sequence diagram (SSD) is a diagram that show the effect of external actors for a specific situation of a use case. Allows for an extended view of the use case
The class diagrams show the structure of the system, while the activity diagrams and use case diagrams show the use of the system. The CRUD matrix, state machines and sequence diagrams are more of a behavioral models.
Cross checking between models ensures efficiency by confirming that all the requirements are correct and accurate. It also ensures that the structure, and relationships remain the same throughout the different models. If the models are not cross checked there could be inconsistencies.

UML, stands for Unified Modeling Language, is a modeling language consisting of an integrated set of diagrams that are used to assist system and application developers for designing, visualizing, and documenting the requirements of software, business process, and systems. UML consists of a set of diagrams and each diagram focus on different aspect of the system, and each of diagram represents different level of detail. For example, a class diagram describes types of objects in the system and various kinds of static relationships between them. An activity diagram is a flowchart that represents the flow from one activity to another activity. There is no single diagram that is capable of representing all aspects and detail of a system, therefore, cross-checking between models ensure that a system development process captures all necessary requirements of the system.

Thank you for your sharing. I like what you mentioned about the different functions for the different types of the diagram and you use example to explain the cross checking. Because a simple or we can say the one diagram can not express the whole processes, thus, the cross checking is a method to make sure the steps are match with other diagram.

Different diagrams have different functions to describe the business processes. If an organization only uses one kind of diagram, it will not fully display the whole process of business activities. For example, data flow diagram is used to describe how the data go though in the business process. ER diagram is used to understand the relationship between different entities. Integrated model means an organization uses enough method for its business process. Lack of integrated model may cause misunderstand and miscommunication, because people could not fully understand the business process, so they may have problems in cooperation. Cross checking is important because it helps people think about a question based on different perspectives. If people only use one model or diagram, the problem on the diagram may not be found.

I agree with you, because cross checking helps people find out problems by using different methods. If people use only one method, it is hard to find the problems.

Thank you for your explanation of integrated model and other diagrams. Your explanation is very clear.

Hi Hanqing,

I agree with you for cross-checking can help the designer to figure out the potential issues because they focus on every diagram they design, so they can find out the problem, logical error, or defect easily and quickly than other people who are not envolve in the designing.

Integrated models help corporations, executives, shareholders, employees and clients to understand the structure of the companies deeply and clearly. Each of the models presents one structure in different focuses. Each diagram suitable for the different group. Some of them are suitable for employees to learn, understand and training; some of them are suitable for executives to analyze, adjust and make decisions, and so on. Each diagram has effect with other diagrams, because they may have the same object, class, or attribute, and people put them in different flow charts to present the diagrams they want other people to understand. During the processing of making these diagrams, people can find the relationship between these objects and different diagrams, which double-check the correctness of these models. That is why cross-checking between models ensure the requirements are accurate and correct. If they do not, each diagram may exist defect or logical error.

Integrated model is a way to measure the flexibility and time frame of developing new products based on combination of all of the activities that go into such production rather than measuring each activity separately.A CRUD matrix is a table showing the Functions in an application containing SQL statement affecting parts of a database.It is very valuable to combine a CRUD Matrix with the analysis of possible User Scenarios for the Web Site. 
Cross training is very helpful for us to check (something, such as data or reports) from various angles or sources to determine validity or accuracy. If we don’t use this between models may cause the potential issues we can’t find.

Hello Yingyan, I agree with you that missing cross checking between the models may cause some mistakes inside models which result in business processing time wasting and increase the fund

Thank you Hanqing! I like your comment that CRUD means ‘Create, Read, Update or Delete’, and the CRUD Matrix identifies the Tables involved in any CRUD operation. 

That’s true, Yingyan. A single diagram can only process limited information, however, most business cases are complicated and involved in different type of entities and associations. Utilization of integrated models can easily overcome the difficulties that a single diagram encounters through building a connection among different kinds of the diagrams and extracting the necessary components based on narrative and business requirements.

How can cross checking between models ensure that the requirements are accurate and correct?

Cross checking ensure consistency and completeness between the diagrams, which will result in a quality product. Cross checking between models guarantees that the stated requirements are correct and the information is valid in different diagrams.

What are the dangers of not cross checking between the models?

If cross checking is not completed the project will be placed in jeopardy of having many errors thereby effecting the product’s outcome. Not cross checking would also drive the cost of the project up because time and effort would be consumed with correcting the system’s issues. Once the main elements of use case and categories of data have been identified it is useful to develop a matrix, cross-referencing these to each other and showing the specific interaction between that this matrix is often referred to as a crud matrix.

What does it mean to have integrated models?

An integrated model is the assessment of several models which combines their activity into a single agenda opposed to measuring each model separately. Thereby identifying inconsistencies, and controlling the accuracy of the information.

Hi iyana

Thank you for your comment. I think you gave a pretty detailed explanation of the relationship between each types of diagram. I now have a better understanding than before.

You made a very good Point. Cross-checking helps identify and fix inconsistencies. Not using cross checking could reduce the efficiency of the development process. Thank you for emphasizing the importance of using it

Thank you for your post. You made a really good point describing each diagram and their functions. it definitely helped helped me to have a better understanding. Because on diagram may not be enought to express the entire process, we therefore need cross checking to make sure all the diagrams match.

Hi Pascal

Cross-checking help the analyst to make sure all the requirements are aligned with the business objectives. Also like mentioned in a previous comment earlier, any unidentified error could be highly costly to the business.

Thank you for your explanations, Lyana. You made a good analysis on each diagrams and models and the relationship between them.

Hello Jing, good job.
Thank you for your explanations toward the case diagram, CRUD, class diagram, activity diagram and the importance of cross-checking between models.

Hello Hanqing,
You made a good analysis toward the question why cross model analysis is necessary. I agree with you on your idea that the complexity of the information and the large amount of data volume urgent it to happen.
Thank you for your sharing.

Cross-checking is definitely an essential part when developing any system. I definitely agree that it helps find errors when there are so many diagrams to follow.

I believe that have integrated models means combine the multiple models/diagrams together to interpret a system. Each model/diagram have different function. For example, use case diagram is a representation of a user’s interaction with the system that shows the relationship between the user and the different use cases in which the user is involved; a CRUD diagram shows what types of processing is performed on data by a system, indicating them in a matrix format for each function; a class diagram in the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a type of static structure diagram that describes the structure of a system by showing the system’s classes, their attributes, operations (or methods), and the relationships among objects; activity diagram is another important diagram in UML to describe the dynamic aspects of the system. Activity diagram is basically a flowchart to represent the flow from one activity to another activity. The activity can be described as an operation of the system. The control flow is drawn from one operation to another, so and so forth.
In order to cross checking between models to ensure that the requirements are accurate and correct, we can do the simulation. Simulation is used to explore or identify the concerned behaviors or performances of real systems.

There are various way to express a process, different type of models have different characters and capability. The detail they can represent can be limited, Using different model to describe the process and cross checking can make sure the details are represented as much as possible. Also, functionality of different models are different and limited, some part of process may be applied to certain types of model, but it doesn’t mean the whole process can be descried decently using one model. It is important to understand the application of different types of model and use them for the concise representation and meet requirements accurately.

The explanation of each model is well described, So it is clear, they have different functionality, and should be use as combination for better system process representation.

The example you provided is well described, and gave us a clear view of the benefits of using different model and cross checking.

An integrated model provides the connection between different diagrams which can help organizations clarify the stakeholders’ needs, development requirements and business rules. Different from a single diagram, an integrated model contains various diagrams which represent diverse information. The use case diagram shows the system boundary, the interaction between key actors and the system, and the main behavior would happen within the system. The Entity Relationship and class diagram notations explain the characteristics and structure of data independent of how the data may be stored in computer memory. CURD matrix analyzes the diagrams and makes sure all the diagrams are consistent. The cross-checking can help the designer to find the inconsistency between different diagrams. The inconsistency could cause system errors, fail the requirements, and incompetent.

Good Point Yingyan,
The single diagram can only contain limited information, but an integrated model can include different information. The integrated model can ensure the consistency among all the diagrams, which can improve the development quality and speed.

Nice point. Each model/diagram have different function, integrated models means combine the multiple models/diagrams together to interpret a system.

I agree with you, a CRUD diagram shows what types of processing is performed on data by a system, indicating them in a matrix format for each function.

To have an integrated models means to apply a combination of multiple modeling techniques to interpret a system. The models we have learned, each relates to one another. For instance, the elements of use case diagrams are used in developing matrix which are often referred to CRUD matrix. Similarly, the CRUD matrix is developed by listing down the classes from class diagram. When it comes to activity diagram, they can be used in describing the steps in a use case diagram. Overall, these models help in understanding how activities interact with each other to create a system.
Cross checking between models is quite significant as it ensure that the requirements are accurate and correct by finding any existing inconsistencies between the models. Not cross checking can lead to making mistake and not fulfilling the requirements.

I agree with your statement that integrated models can help when organizing a lot of information that are within the models. I think you also bring up a good point about how cross-checking and help catch a mistake of a model and save time and resources down the line.

The business needs to have multiple stakeholders is reflected in the use of different models. In both cases there are different perspectives that are considered to understand how to get from point A to point B. Use cases help visualize who uses the process. Some one from marketing or a BU manager may be the one to explain who would be a use case. The dataflow that a user user generates through interaction may be explained by IT. In order to understand the connection on a broader level you can look at an activity diagram. The different models should be looked at as the smaller parts of an integrated visualization of the process

Business processes can be complex and detailed to the point that a single diagram model will not suffice in illustrating the business case. That is why integrated models are needed. By cross-checking models, it is possible to find missing factors that where been defined by the narrative. Applying another type of diagram can fix this issue. Potential error in the design and planning phase may not be found without cross-checking between models and the real issue may be found during business activities. If this were to happen, it could affect operating efficiency and cause a loss.

Each map has a different function. For example, the use case diagram is a representation of the user interacting with the system. The system displays the relationship between the user and the different use cases involved by the user; a CRUD diagram shows the type of processing a system performs on the data and represents each function in a matrix format. A class diagram in the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a static structure diagram that describes the structure of the system by showing the system’s classes, their properties, operations (or methods), and the relationships between the objects; the activity diagram is Another important figure in UML is used to describe the dynamic aspects of the system. The activity diagram is basically a flowchart that represents the flow from one activity to another. This activity can be described as the operation of the system. Control flow is from one operation to another, and so on.
In order to cross-check between models to ensure that the requirements are accurate and correct, we can simulate. Simulations are used to explore or identify the relevant behavior or performance of a real system.

Thank you for sharing. using case diagrams show system behavior and key roles in interacting with the system In the integrated model.

good point. The sequence diagram can be used to present a sequence for a specific use case; CRUD is an abbreviation for “create, read, update, and delete”, and the CRUD matrix is a table for displaying the main authority, which relates to the operation of each entity in the system;

I believe despite the fact that we would all probably have different class diagrams they can more or less be correct. They don’t all have to look alike as long as the associations make sense. We must make sure the relationships, and the minimum and maximum constraints make sense in the context of the narrative description. I.e. One customer can place one or more order, so we know the multiplicity in this case should not be anything else than that. Even though the class diagrams might differ, they can all be correct as long as certain association, relationship and syntax hold true and make sense

Hi Iyana.

Great comment. I agree with you. To make sure the Class diagram is correct, we must make sure that the types of associations make sense, that the multiplicity for association relationship makes sense, and that the relationships are accurately portrayed. Good points

Everyone has a different version of understanding so that everyone probably has a different class diagram derived from the narrative descriptions. It is hard to say all of these can be correct, because during the process of creating a class diagram, the logic and the order can be different from everyone, there may exist some logical error or missing information in the class diagram.
When evaluating class diagrams, we can look what they have in the domain class, does the attribute names and associations have a relationship with this class; do the multiplicity between classes make sense. The wrong multiplicity may lead a misunderstanding which still makes sense, this may disturb the entire system.

Some objective factors provided in the narrative can be used to evaluate the diagram. Diagrams can be different based on different understanding of narrative. But objective factors such as classes, relationships and attributes should be identified in the same manner. The order of classes and diagram layout can be different based on personal preferences, the objective factors have to match up the information provided. And they should be identified in correct sense.

I agree that multiplicity is an important factor that has impact on the diagram. The diagram should make sense with the description of those factors. and yes all diagram can be correct as long as they make sense and fit with narrative.

Great point. The accuracy of all relationships will help to ensure that high cohesion is achieved.
Also, it is important for us to understand that class diagrams are fundamental to the object modeling process. Class diagrams are the blueprints of a system or subsystem. It can be used to model objects that make up the system. We can use it to display the relationship between the objects, and to describe what each object does or the services it can provide. The class diagram helps us to define relationships between classes & classifiers, illustrate the structure of a model by using attributes, operations, and signals, and to show entities as business object models.

Hi Iyana,
I think you bring up some great points of how we can assess and evaluate class diagrams objectively. Furthermore, as you mentioned, many class diagrams can be correct even if they look different as long as they use correct syntax and display the cases correctly.

When evaluating class diagrams, we look for the following objectives:
1. Less coupling. Coupling is a quantitative measure of how closely related classes are linked. Two classes are better to be loosely coupled, which means two classes without lots of tightly coupled associations and messages.
2. Cohesion is a quantitative measure of the focus or unity of purpose within a single class. Classes are better to be highly cohesive, which means all of responsibilities of the class are consistent and make sense.
3. Indirection is an intermediate class is placed between two classes to decouple them but still link them. The better class diagram should be the one where indirection reduces coupling or provides greater security.

Hi Iyana,
You provide great points. Multiplicity is the important one in the class diagram which I didn’t recognize when I was thinking about the question. It is necessary for understanding the relationship between two classes.

Different people may have different thoughts under the same scenario. However, it is difficult to determine which is right and which is wrong. To evaluate the correction of these diagrams, it is important to evaluate the relationship between different subsystems, because class diagram describes the structure of systems. It is important to show the logic of the system by creating relationship between subsystems. It helps reader to understand how the system works. In addition, it is important to understand the attributions of each subsystems. People should list the attribution of the subsystems on the diagram. That helps readers to understand the relationship and the subsystems.

Also, I think the most important things is to identify the relationships between different entities.

Both of data flow diagram and use case diagram are used to view the system from different angles. A data flow diagram is a graphic representation of the flow of information or data in a system or portion of system. It consists of data flows, processes, sources, destinations, and stores.

A DFD only shows the sources and destinations of data coming and going from the system and the transformation of data when it passes through some system process. A use case is used to capture the functional requirements of the system. A use case is a high- level piece of functionality that the system will provide to different actors interacting with the system.

It is possible that each class diagram can be correct. This is because although class diagrams may vary be design as a result of the diversity of thoughts and perspectives – it is possible that all class diagrams will capture the necessary data requirements. These requirements include:
1. Identify and Model Classes – An analysis of the interrelationships, information needs, and actors and prototypes is conducted on the basis of general domain knowledge, discussions with experts, and documents.
2. Identify and Model Associations – A model of the interconnections between the obtained classes and business rules in class diagrams as associations with meaningful names and multiplicities.
3. Define Attributes – The required information about a class has to be identified and modeled in the form of attributes
4. List Required Queries and Inputs – The individual queries and inputs of the IT system have to be identified.
5. Formulate queries and input – Consolidate and finalize class diagram

An initial diagram is a general overview of what the stakeholders think the business process looks like. This is the general diagram that you will be “fleshing out” throughout the diagramming process. Before crafting this diagram, sit down with stakeholders to come up with initial, high-level steps in the business process.

Hi Sarush,

Great idea referencing the class diagram back to the business requirements. It is easy to forget the business requirements of any IT system diagram while trying to meet the necessary data and technical requirements. Great connection!

When we are evaluating a class diagram, there are usually some basic elements that we have to check. Initially, domain classes (things) are important components in a class diagram, and each of them has to work with a user to be effective. Second, users (people) are another important part of a class diagram, and only people who are in charge of a particular process should appear in this diagram. Finally, association (places) is a critical factor to connect two different classes, and the relationship between them should be identified clearly, such as one to one, one to many, and many to many. Testing these factors should be the priority while we are evaluating any class diagram.

The whole idea behind having class diagrams is to have a model that captures the system purpose and to produce a quality system that meet the customer requirements and provides value for the business
Factors to be considered when evaluation the models are:
• The objects should be grouped into classes that share the same features or characteristics, relationships and have the same operations and or behavior.
• Each data store matches a corresponding data class.
• The data flows from and into the data stores must match the data classes and corresponding decisions where need be.
• A study of the decisions to determine the corresponding attributes for the class that links to that decision.

Different class diagrams same narrative description is possible, meaning they can all be correct. Though the classes diagram may be different, the must be some similarities or they must meet the same goal. Evaluation can be done ensuring the classes, relationship, association, attributes, multiplicity, etc. are all clearly defined to meet the data requirement of the narrative. The goal of evaluation is to ensure
Less coupling-class linkage;
Cohesion – unity between classes
Reduced Indirection – creating an intermediate class to decouple the classes yet retaining linkage

Everyone has a different understanding of the same thing, it is also same for drawing diagrams. Because human has different views, orders, and thoughts to the processes, so the results been presented are different.
Thus, it is possible that each class diagram can be correct.
Thus, we should make sure the information we need before drawing the diagrams.
We need to know about the model type we need to use, the model Associations, the relationships between each entities, the attributes, and queries.

Thank you for your sharing. You have a good example. When define the relationships with each entities, people also have different ideas, so it will have many kinds of results, we could not say whether it is true or not.

Good Job. On diagram evaluation, one must examine each domain class and determine if it can align with the business requirements. It is also necessary that each domain should have unique identifier and attributes that can be used to create specific instances. We should also understand that data requirements come from what the business wants the system to do.

When evaluating class diagrams, we should ensure that the diagram captures the necessary data requirements – like the type of relationship – an association between the instances of one or more entities types that is of interest to the organization. We should identify the number of entity types that participate in that relationship – the common relationship in entity relationship are unary, binary, ternary. Attributes – they are the characteristics of an entity that is of interest to the organization. (attributes provide required information about a class). Associations – the interconnection between obtained classes and business rules in a class diagram. Dependency – a semantic connection between dependent and independent model elements; aggregation – this can occur when a class is a collection or a container of other classes. It is also necessary to identify the individual queries & inputs required in the IT system.

The class diagram describes the overall system structure. The system structures are built from classes and relationships, The classes include information, products, documents, or organizations.

Designing and evaluating the class diagram narratives ties strongly with the business analysis (BA) and system analysis (SA) of the project. However, the key components of the chart will be identical and they will be capturing the major entities, attributes, and relationships.

Because class diagrams are used for a variety of purposes – from understanding requirements to describing detailed design – Designers will need to apply a different style in each circumstance.

You bring a great point that the understanding should go back to the business requirements. However as you mention, the business requirements have the potential to be misunderstood. This reiterates the importance of not only have clearly defined business requirements but also working with all stakeholders during the collection of these to help ensure a holistic understanding.

We probably has a different class diagram derived from the same narrative descriptions base on different people’s understand is different. It can’t be all of the transaction are correct because there would be something mistake of logic or others. but we can pay more attention on the core activities.

I agree that it is possible to have multiple correct answers to a class diagram if all of the information mentioned in a narrative is considered and used correctly. Furthermore, evaluating attributes, logic, and relationships is a good idea for consistency.

Based on the different understanding, each of us might create different diagrams. I think the diagrams do not have to look same but the structures and requirements need to be in a similar form. To evaluate the class diagrams, we can evaluate the following elements:
–relationship sets
–data consistency
–primary keys and foreign keys setting

I believe it is not entirely necessary for everyone’s diagram to look the same despite the same narrative description. However, the key thing to remember is the relationship that describes the structure of the diagram should not be different. A clearly defined relationship between different elements in the diagram is required to understand the purpose and cohesion.

Yes, everyone’s diagram will differ because of the difference in interpretation of the reading, as well as some provided details could have been overlooked. However, there should be certain key factors that will not differ too much. The data model reflects the business rule which drives the nature of the organization and the rule outlines the data’s features. I think that as long as everyone understands the rule clearly the data characteristics on the diagrams should have some similarity.

Thank you for your sharing Sarush, you mentioned a good idea about the business requirement and data requirement, which should be considered on the evaluations toward the diagram designs.

It is true that different people can have various views toward same things, which raised different class diagram derived from the same narrative descriptions. I do believe there are no correct or wrong from the perspective, however, at the same time the logical error and factors missing must be brought into considerations, which must be considered subjectively. In business world, the business objective, benefit cost balance, return of revenue should also be considered during the evaluations. We should keep our designs as flexible as possible, but from the other sides we need to keep it under certain standard to make it concise, logical and efficient.

Diagrams will almost never be perfectly alike. People have different ways of viewing and interpreting, and it is our own unique experiences and quirks that affect these things. It is possible for all of these diagrams, but they all cannot be too different. There should be a set amount of requirements in order for the diagram to be effective. I liken this to a baseball swing. All have different flavors to them, but when look at the swing at impact with the baseball you will notice that all swings are very similar. This needs to hold true for the diagram.

Owning the same information is definitely important for all the diagrams to be correct. I think that it can look a bit different as long as the same points are being communicated.

As the saying goes, there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes. Even if we draw a class diagram from the same narrative descriptions, those class diagrams could not be all correct. When we evaluating class diagrams, we can look for the cohesion and coupling. For the coupling, we can see how closely related classes are linked from a quantitative measure; if two classes are tightly coupled, there are lots of associations and messages with another class. It is best to have classes that are loosely coupled. For the cohesion, we can focus or unity of the purpose within a single class from a quantitative measure. One class has high cohesiveness if all of its responsibilities are consistent and make sense for purpose of the class; one class has low cohesiveness if its responsibilities are broad or makeshift. It is best to have classes that are highly cohesive.

Nice point. In my opinion, we could also evaluating class diagrams by look at the cohesion and coupling in the diagrams. It is best to have classes that are loosely coupled and highly cohesion.

There can be many different ways of thinking in this situation as well as different beliefs in what is right and wrong. It is important to evaluate the relationship between different subsystems to evaluate if the diagram is correct because class diagram describes the structure of systems. Showing the logic of the system by creating relationship between subsystems is a top priority because the goal is to help the reader understand how the system works. I believe it is done right if you are successful in delivering the system as clearly and concisely as possible.

Do to the variations in use cases and the opinions on how to classify entity’s, attributes and relationships it should be expected to have variations in diagrams. I think in order to realize if the diagram is fundamentally right or wrong comes and the question of does it objectively meet its goal of showing how a process can be completed with the rules of a diagram.

When evaluating class diagrams, we reduced coupling. Coupling is a quantitative measure of the close relationship between related classes. The two classes are preferably loosely coupled, which means that the two classes do not have a large number of tightly coupled associations and messages. Cohesion is a quantitative measure of the focus or unity of a single category of goals. The class is more suitable for having a high degree of cohesion, which means that all responsibilities of the class are consistent and meaningful. Indirectly, you place an intermediate class between two classes to decouple them, but still link them. Better class diagrams should be class diagrams that indirectly reduce coupling or provide greater security.

Good post.Even though all participants read the same narrative description, each participant tends to have a different understanding of business units, services, roles, responsibilities, and functions.

I feel that moving straight to design once hearing the general requirements and viewing the data is not the most efficient way to handle this scenario. Doing this would be moving to finding/building a solution even before the problem has been fully established. This could waste time because if components from the data were missed during the design phase, time would be spend re-designing. Instead of this, if the data had been fully analyzed before any design had begun, more components would have been identified and considered so re-design would not be necessary.
Some risks of bypassing formal analyses include loss of productivity and potentially missing requirements.

For an organization, it is important to analyze the needs of data before designing a physical database. The data should be in the right format. When the data is transformed to the new database, it is important to match the format, semantic, and. arithmetic. The data integrity should be ensured when the organization change a new database system.

The risks of moving data directly to a new database are that if the format is not match between both old and new database, the data integrity will be impacted. The organization will lose the data, such as customer and order information. In addition, the relationship of data will be affected. It causes low efficiency of working.

However, there is a scenario that people do not care about the format of data which is big data. Big data is mix different formats of complicated data, such as video and voice. This is the data people cannot use traditional software to analyze.

Data modeling not only creates the structure for how data will locate but also defines labels and relationships between tables and forms, which determines how your data can be used and accessed. Bypasses the formal data analysis and moves directly to the design can lead some risks, such as losing data integrity and leading errors in data and applications. These risks will impact on cost and work efficiency during the database development.
There are some benefits that finish the data modeling before designing the physical database:
— Fewer errors
—Clearer scope
—Improve development quality
—Better help to mitigate risks
—Reduce the costs

Analyzing the data needs before designing the physical database is important. A formal data analysis will deepen the understanding of business objectives and direction. Based on the understanding, the database can be designed to better fit business needs. The way will also increase the effectiveness of the designing. The insight gained through the data analysis may help in decision-making processes during the designing phase, such as data type choosing, normalization and denormalization process.

If bypassing the formal analysis may result in a wrong design direction, ineffective design processes, higher chance of errors and inconsistencies (potential higher costs).

I believe formal data analysis is always needed. Just like pieces of a puzzle the system development needs to put all the little pieces together to have a functional system that meets the needs of the organization. There is a need to collect the system requirements, what problem is the system addressing, what are the critical tasks that the system must do. It would not make sense to do the design without an understanding of the business processes. You need to understand the data dependencies and relationships between data, the process flows, how data is stored, and the rules for data processing. The design is just a model what was identified at the data analysis stage.

Not following a formal data analysis poses a risk of the programmer making a poor design of the system resulting in an inefficient system that does not function correctly, resulting in user frustration and more resources might have to be deployed to try and fix the system.

Data is always flexible. Regardless the detailed analysis of data before the database design will result in ineffective work.

Data is the main actor, while database is assistance for it. If designers start modeling physical database and then arrange the data based on physical structure, the original identity and feature of data may be adjusted. Also, if the data can not be assigned to designed database properly, another database may need to fulfill the requirement, which is extra work that can be avoid if formal analysis of data is conduct before the design.

The design of the database supposed to rely on the data it will store and make adjustments of the structure based on type of data, so that the accuracy and effectiveness of data can be guaranteed.

I think to analyze the data needs is necessary to be put in the first step than designing the physical database. Once you think about the macro frame of the data modeling, you may think about the risks, the logic of tasks, the control activities and so on. If you begin the data modeling by the physical database directly, you may also find out these risks, the logic of tasks, but you cannot find them all at the beginning of the time. You need to fix the modeling again and again once you find out the deficiency, which wastes your time to finish the modeling. When you want to edit or add something new in one step, the other steps may need to be fixed at the same time. Overall, the data needs like a blueprint for the data modeling.

It is important for an organization to analyze the key data before designing a physical database. In order to get the result we want, we need to match the format, semantic, and. arithmetic with the database when transferred data.
If we do not analyze data before designing a new database, it will affect the data integrity which will make the low efficiency of working. If we analyze data before designing a new database, it will help organization to reduce errors, reduce costs, increase integrity.
The only situation we do not need to analyze the data before designing the database is the database contains many kinds of data, which we can not use our traditional method to analyze it.

This is a great breakdown of why data needs to be analyzed. You are very correct that you need to understand what data is gathered on customers and how it is used in order to build a customer database, and analyzing this data provides the foundation required to develop the business processes. so going directly to the design phase without first understanding how this data works is like putting the cart before the horse.

The importance of data analysis and befits of analyzing data before physical design are well explained.
The idea of integration is fairly important for information system management , in terms of financial cost and time allocation. It is a great way to avoid redundancy and extra cost.

Business objectives are definitely the first to consider, the value perspective of data is essential factor of achieving those objectives. The design failure will resulting useless data analysis and inefficient business process. It is true that designers use their experience in database design that ignore the diversity interaction of data and important business process.

I agree with you; formal data analysis ensures a well-designed data model and provides value to the organization. The value is minimized redundancy, maximized data integrity, increased stability, better data sharing, increased consistency, more timely access to data, and better usability. A data model, in and of itself is inadequate you need to do data analysis to gather requirements for the designs.

For most scenarios, performing a formal data analysis is necessary before designing and constructing a physical database. The most important thing is that by conducting a formal data analysis, an organization would be able to define the importance of these data and determine an appropriate level of security measures to protect them based on their importance. In other words, we will not spend too much money and resources to protect some particular databases that do not store any important data and information. Therefore, if we would like to understand the importance of data, conducting a formal data analysis is quite critical.

Some risks to a project that bypasses a formal data analysis could include a waste of both time and money on design and planning phase of data modeling. Also, it may affect the efficiency and effectiveness of the company’s daily operation without an appropriate data analysis process.

Thank you for explaining at length the need for data analysis. As you rightly said data analysis helps collect the requirements. Before you can even think about designing the system you need to know the purpose the system will serve. You also need to identify the entities that will interact with this system. You mentioned data repositories, there is a need to know the data stores. Identify sources of the data and will and where it will be stored. During the data analysis stage, you can determine under which conditions should the different sets of data be processed. As the data is analyzed it is also checked for duplicates and errors resulting in an efficient system that brings value to the business.

Ugo,

I like how listed and explained the importance of data analysis in the designing of a project. I think this is well-defined and a great contribution to the posed question. Thank you.

To me the data design approach is not the most effective way to handle data. Instead doing so would be like trying to find a solution without first knowing that the problem is which would completely waste time. The project needs to be fully analyzed before the design starts which will lower the chances of risks. In the instance of any risk appearing during the project despite the throughout analysis, they can still be easily mitigated. In other words if the data is not analysed before moving to the design phase the integrity of the data could be affected reducing efficiency. If the data is analysed before the designing of a new database, it will mitigate risks, reduce errors and costs.
We would not need to use the formal method only in the case the database contains multiple types of data that cannot be handled using the traditional method.

I have learned in previous MIS classes that it is not advantageous to begin with designing the solution. There needs to be brainstorming and planning when carrying out a project. One needs to understand the problem at hand and create a plan in order to carry out the solution. I really think that it should be used all the time, unless there is some kind of model that has already established this step. When one goes straight into design, it is hard to know the boundaries of what you are doing (scope creep). It is very helpful to have a guideline for the project.

I agree on the idea of to design physical data base according to its data needs. We need to set the goals and directions correctly to make sure our walk into the right directions. I think analyzing the data needs first is a better strategy. I think all database designs must follow this rule to make the project more efficient and function well. For projects bypasses this formal analysis, they may ignore the critical functions needs, but adding unnecessary functions or having un-human-friendly interfaces and complicate the working processes.

Derrick
I agree with your point too. Formal data analysis brings value to the organisation. It minimizes risks of errors and increase the data integrity, as well as a better data management in general. Data analysis is required in the data handling process

Faruqi,

Thanks for the explanation – Even if the developers are able to build the physical design of the database through experience, the workings of how data interacts with other processes can only be done through a thorough analysis of what data is available and needed to add value to a specific process. Working on assumptions will have its negative consequences.

Rework is definitely something to consider. People will start to get ahead of themselves and miss some things when everything is not planned out. It is best to actually understand what you are getting into.

Hi Faruqi
I read your entire comment and it seems right well thought of. Like Ugo highlighted the working of how data interacts with other processes can only be done throught a throughout analysis, no matter the amount of experience ones may have in the field. Assuming how the data works will surely increase the risks of errors. Thanks for sharing

I like your points on why analyzing data is important and how it benefits the physical design. I have the same opinion as you that analyzing will deepen the understanding of the business which will be an important consideration in effectively designing a database.

Hello Yingyan,
Good summary, you made good explanations toward the definitions about logical database model and physical database design. I can’t agree more on your idea and the support points toward the necessary of analyzing data first in all cases.
Thank you

Main phases of database design are data requirements collection and analysis, functional analyst, logical design (data model mapping), application program design, physical design, and operation implementation. Moving along with this path can clearly be noticed that the database design is connected with application design.
Data modeling is an iterative effort, not a workflow. Those integrations can be sprints or have longer intervals. Sometimes the iteration exists just between efforts to complete the data models, prior to generating a database. But it’s highly iterative just like software development.
Data modeling prior to the database design can have several benefits listed as follows.
– Higher database quality
– Reduce project cost
– Quicker time to design the database
– Clear scope
– Faster performance
– Better documentation
– Fewer application errors
– Fewer data errors
– Managed risks
– A good start for data mining

I think pointing out the cost was very smart. The ultimate goal of the database/software design is to design an efficient piece of a programme with least errors and cost-efficient.

I agree that it is hard to define a cost-benefit without performing this process first. It is nearly impossible to do a thorough evaluation of how things will pan out from a cost or benefit perspective if you are not confident you know what you’re working with. As you mentioned, this often leads to ignorance or overestimation which are even more costly to organizations.

You did a great job pinpointing examples of the different forms of consideration that must be taken into account during the analysis phase. Things like structural information about data are just as essential. Data analysis helps to map the conceptual data requirements for a particular system.

It is important for individual or organization to analyzed data then creating the physical database. as the question said ” they tend to start designing immediately based on their assumptions about the objects that must be tracked in persistent storage.” every creating physical database base on their assumption. if the assumption was wrong? therefor, before creating this, we should analyze data first.

Data modeling to the best of my knowledge is generally the generation of a conceptual model that describes how different types of data presented will interact within a larger model/architecture. In this sense, data modeling is very important as it provides a coherent framework for designing a system as opposed to some ad hoc construction of various parts with no regards to overall functionality/integrability within a larger system.

Data modeling creates the structure your data will live in. It defines how things are labeled and organized, which determines how your data can and will be used and ultimately what story that information will tell.

Data modeling is an essential step in the process of creating any complex software. It helps developers understand the domain and organize their work accordingly.

– Poor performance
– Longer Duration
– Lower Efficiency
– Higher Costs

This is a good point! Thank you for sharing your opinion. Appreciate!

In my mind, data must always be analyzed first, prior to building a physical database. In much of our discussion in this course we focus on processes and the flow of those processes, etc. I feel that there is a strong chance of error in the database if data is not properly analyzed on the front end. Hypothetically, if you could build a database first – the question I would ask is: Why would you want to? What I mean by this is – why take the chance that something as important as a database could be flawed based on incorrect analyses. If data is analyzed first, it stands to reason that the chances would be lessened for errors later in the IS/IT process.

Iyana,

Increased cost and data anomolies are both excellent examples of possible causes to build out a project prior to proper data analyses. Just another two excellent reasons why for most organizations, it really makes no sense to opt for a build of project as a first step. If data is inconsistent in any way as compared to expectations in that example, increased cost is almost a certainty. Great points.

I like you post Yingyan. In addition, begin the data modeling before design physical database can be helpful for designing the security infrastructure for the organization because the date modeling process will provide the details and security needs for sensitive data.

Excellent points Derrick. Poor performance and low efficiency are two points that are very interesting to consider. I think both are reminders of the fundamental importance of making proper analyses a first step rather than a step to be conducted after a project is being moved through the building stage.

I truly can not think of any scenario where formal data analysis is not needed. However, I am certain that there are cases out there where data analysis was not completed because someone believed that it was not needed. Needless to say, I’m sure the implementation process must have been awful. Data analysis assist in allowing a team to make an informed decision about the project in its entirety. It moves the project forward and improve efficiency, and ensures that the team will achieve the organization’s goals.

Assuming is no problem with starting a data modeling by thining about the physical database and structuring their data by building tables and fields and assigning data types and keys. As we know assumption is not based on factual knowledge or observable evidence; since assuming is a chance, there is high possibility for failure. If there is an assumption with data modeling, think about these questions:
What are you working to achieve?
Is there a problem that needs resolution or is the modeling for enhancement only?
Who are the participant/beneficiaries (entity) and how do the data affect the participants/beneficiaries and vice versa?
These questions can be easily answer with the data been analyzed.
Data modeling without an analysis is a recipe for failure or lost. It is a risky.
For efficiency and effectiveness reason, there should not be any scenario where formal data analysis is not required. You just cannot cross a bridge before you reach it.

I believe that analyzing the data should be the first priority. Structuring the database based on their customer needs after analyzing will certainly create more meaningful and useful platform for the prospective users. On the other hand, if developers simply structure their database based on their personal assumption, the final product might not be beneficial for the user. In such case, the product will not be able to create high impact for the customer, and would only be serving the developers. However, in some exceptional scenarios such formal analysis might not needed. For instance, if developers were creating a database solely for their private use, they would not require any formal analysis.

The purpose of building a physical design of the database is to optimize performance while ensuring data integrity by avoiding unnecessary data redundancies. During physical design, people transform the entities into tables, the instances into rows, and the attributes into columns. In my opinion, the way that the developers start designing immediately based on their assumption about the objects that must be tracked in persistent storage is not appropriate and efficient. The risks that a project bypasses the formal analysis maybe a data leaks, deployment failures, the abuse of database features, hopscotch, broken databases, so and so forth.

Well said. during physical design, people transform the entities into tables, the instances into rows, and the attributes into columns.

I think that formal data analysis should be a standardized practice in an organization. A functional system requires the collection of system requirements and implementation of these requirements to serve business functions and needs. An organization needs to know what the critical processes are and what the system is intended to do. Without understanding the business process, the project would be doomed just as writing a paper is when a thesis is not premeditated and defined. Not following a formal data analysis could result in programmers making coding mistakes and poorly designing the system. These mistakes could result in a vulnerable an ineffective system.

There is a saying that doing the same thing twice and expecting a different result is the mark of madness. I think the business equivalent is assuming that 1 solution can solve every problem that comes after it Is analytical madness. Anytime you are going to the trouble of or crusting a change to AIS system for the purposes of a business process then you’re saying that what you have cannot be easily changed over. Going forward until building a 5th them runs the risk of encountering some more issues to the ones you already have.

For an organization, When the data is converted to a new database, it is important to match the format, semantics and. arithmetic. When an organization changes a new database system, it should ensure data integrity. The risk of moving the data directly to the new database is that if the format does not match between the old database and the new database, data integrity will be affected. The organization will lose data, such as customer and order information. In addition, the relationship between data will also be affected. It will lead to inefficient work. However, there is a situation where people do not care about the format of the data. This is big data. Big data mixes complex data in different formats, such as video and voice. This is data that people cannot analyze using traditional software.

Formal modeling techniques are important for an organization to use and recognize because using them would ease communication within a firm. If a firm is using informal methods, there is an increased chance of miscommunication between team members. Having a formal technique is like having a designated language to complete the tasks.

If I was working with an organization that did not use formal modeling techniques, I would use downtime and lack of productivity to justify why a formal technique needs to be implemented. Breaking these down further into costs would also help with justification.

If an organization uses standard modeling techniques it will help with understanding and communication to/with others. Some challenges would be teaching and implementing the system as well as making sure that there is uniformity within the organization.

Formal data modeling techniques are important because they make ease communication and the work of business analysts and auditors. Using an informal method increases the risks of miscommunication due to a misunderstanding of the data.
If I was working with an organization that did not use the formal modeling technique, I would present a cost analysis to compare the risks of not using the formal modeling technique and the monetary losses that could result from it, to the benefits of the formal modeling techniques.
If an organization uses the standard modeling technique it will help with data analysis and communication with others. Some challenges to overcome would be the lack of uniformity of the data. Which could lead to misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the data.

Pascal you bring up an important point with the mention of stakeholders. Formal model techniques help ensure understanding of the models among stakeholders and less time can be spent clarifying the models presented. What do you personally believe to be some of the potential cost associated with using informal model techniques?

I think you bring up some important points on the benefits of implementing a uniform, formal modeling tool within an organization. It would definitely save time and increase level of understanding. Furthermore, as you mentioned, using formal methods would help with moving along the business process.

I think what you mention in your post is very true–the more effective a model, the more effective solution can be delivered. I also feel that training new members with the new formal modeling techniques is a great idea. If new employees are taught these practices right off the bat, they will be able to implement them into their work more effectively than teaching them later.

Hi Pascal
You make a good point regarding the informal model saving time and easing understanding, especially that about stakeholders. And as Iyana Lester pointed out, how do you think a firm using the informal data modeling technique would lose money compared to using the formal data modeling technique?

Iyana and Mahugnon,

I think when the the benefits (ease of communication, data analysis, saving time, etc ) of a formal model are taken away, that would affect productivity, One thing is communication, informal model could delayed communication or cause misinterpretation which could affect a process immensely.
When productivity is affected, the cause of low production or inefficient production has to be addressed.

That come with cost.

So it is either a gain is not realized or resources are spent unnecessarily.

Data Models are used as a communication tool and just like everyday communication the only way people can communicate with each other is use a language they can all understand. Formal models ensure consistency of the structure of the business processes. They help improve understanding of the business process.

An organization that uses a formal standard for process modelling makes the work of the auditor more efficient and effective as the auditor can understand the organization processes and easily identify errors and make recommendations. People understand data differently. If there is no formal model it is difficult to expect people in the organization to conform and follow the laid-out process as everyone has their own interpretation.

Well said Iyana, standard models provide clear, regularly used conventions, such as elements, naming, methodology in the organization so that there is additional consistency for stakeholders. They do ensure consistent processes, eliminate guesswork with business rules making it easier to check compliance to regulations. You mentioned an important point about training new users, as you rightfully said, standard process models can help clarify who does what, how processes are performed, and by what standard they are judged.

The concept of a data dictionary is a great one. It would provide the business a clear language to communicate the needs for the process or the underlying data, thus saving everyone the trouble of miscommunication and miscategorization. It would act as a foundational tool to avoid unnecessary pitfalls as the process planning begins.

Formal modeling diagram syntax is important for organization because it can help stakeholder better understand and analyze data. also it is easier for them to communicate. in IT environment. Formal modeling diagram is like a language to talk with each other.

If I work for a company who did not use formal modeling diagram syntax or did not pay attention on it. I will do a analysis report to compare them. try to list the benefit when we use this diagram and the risk when we use rough drawing techniques. The important one I will figure out we must spent more cost on rough drawing techniques. Maybe this way can persuade stakeholder try to use modeling technique.

As the IT auditor, if the company already used the modeling technique, I think it is a good news for us because in other ways, it can improve work efficiency. The challenge maybe IT auditor should be training the modeling technique in advance.

Iyana, I agree with you that “The more effectively we can model, the better the system we can design and build.” the efficiency modeling technique can help company save time and cost.

I like your opinion on the benefit of using modeling technique. like you mentioned “it helps with the business process. It helps with expression, analysis, design, structuring, relationship, and communication. Formal modeling are important because they save time, they have unique symbols or features that represent the physical and logical information system. They help with the understandability of the functional requirement of the system.”

Hello Mengqiao, Thank your for sharing your opinion on the benefit or challenge when the company used modeling technique. I also agree with you that using modeling technique can help IT auditors save time and better communicate with each other. It also improve the work efficiency.

Hi Folake
I read your article “Getting started with data modeling. It is quite interesting. Also you made an interesting point about the data modeling acting like a data dictionary. The idea of data map to show how to move data between systems is also a great concept. Well thought

I definitely agree with you in regards to managing complexity. As auditors documentation of these sort of consequences of chances becomes a vital part of our job. The inability to do so effectively, due to inefficient drawings, presents a challenge in our audit. DFDs should be complete and consistent across all levels. If we misinterpret a system or process it becomes impossible to be able to support business process re-engineering for an organization or make viable recommendations.

Hi Pascal,
Thank you for sharing your opinion on the view of shareholders. I agree with you that formal modeling diagram helps shareholders to understand the situation in the organization. Nowadays, organizations need more professional analysis in IT environment, it helps employees easy to communicate and analyze tasks.

Hi Iyana,
Thank you for sharing your understanding between formal modeling techniques and rough drawing techniques. The analysis of the benefits of formal modeling diagram is also very clear.

Formal modeling diagram function for explaining the processes and systems structure. On my opinions, it can be regarded as a kind of symbolic language for transmitting information. Can you imagine a person can only speak English can make complex conversation with a person can only speak Chinese or Germany? Even for English speakers, the Australian English and British English can still have difference, which can lead to misunderstand. Without a uniform language, the misunderstanding is hard to be avoided. For an IT organization, the misunderstanding of communication can leader to serious problem. So, to make sure everyone in the same page and understand contents in the same ways. One formal modeling techniques should be conducted, the relative training should be provided.

It seems like it is easy for people to draw the diagram without the syntax and structure, which can help them save much time, but it contains many risks.
First, for the person who knows it and has knowledge about it, he can read the rough diagram and understand it. However, for the for those who do not familiar with the diagram, it hard for them to understand it clearly.
Second, the unclear diagram will affect organization’s communication and efficiency.
If I will work with an IT organization that has not adopted a formal standard for process modeling, I will tell them the risks they will face to and the benefit they will get if they change the diagram to the formal one.
The benefit the organization will get if it use the formal diagram,: 1) save money and time to train the employees; 2) during the work, a clear diagram will make the project/work efficiently.

Thank you for your sharing. It is true that the rough diagram contains potential cost. It shows in two ways:
1. cost for the employees training classes;
2. time costs for person to understand the diagram and communicate with others.

Thank you for your sharing. I really like what you mentioned about the modeling validity. Like what your said, a good diagram needs a clear structure to show the relationship with each actor, use, use case and so on.

I believe formal techniques are important for organization to enhance communication. Data modeling helps in comprehending the complex data by organizing and managing in a simpler way. If I am working with an IT organization that has not adopted a formal standard for process modeling, I would emphasize the importance of structured business process that is achieved through formal techniques.

As an IT auditor, I think the main benefits to organizations that use standard techniques to model their processes and systems is that they will be able to conduct effective trainings, increase accuracy as standard techniques will likely prevent errors. The biggest challenge for organizations that do not use standard techniques is that there will be a lack of uniformity in representation of data.

Hello Pascal,
Good job, you state the importance of formal modeling function in details and provide necessary reactions when people face that situation. Very practical and thinkable. Thank you.

I agree with you, Pascal.
Data modeling present a relational schema used in software engineering which helps define the problem quicker, reduce cost, and gain insight into the level of development effort and project risk. If without it, may result in hither costs and risks.

Good resources provided, Folake.
According to the articles you provided, I found some content that may useful here, the three reasons to data model:
1. Data models are easier to change than databases.
2. Data models are easier to review than database designs.
3. Data models will help you succeed on more projects.