Introduction to Computing Discipline

Chapter 8. Basics of Information System and Database

After a database has been designed properly using a conceptual data model In this chapter, some
concepts are explained as introduction to the IS domain.

 Definition of information system

 Analysis of IS,
 Actors,
 Database project,
 Entities,
 Conceptual data model,
 Logical data model,
 Relationships between both,
 The implementation issues.
 Queries in DBMS

This chapter assumes that you know how to perform basic operations in the Microsoft Windows
environment. Therefore, you should know what a folder is, how to maximize or minimize a folder, how
to create a folder, how to select a file, how you maximize and minimize windows, what clicking and
double-clicking indicate, how you create a folder, how you drag, how to use drag and drop, how you
save a file, and so on.

8.1 Concepts of information system

There’re several definitions for IS:
 Information system is set of people, information technology, and business process in order to
achieve a business objective.
 The Information system can also be defined as a collection of software, hardware, and
telecommunications network that people develop and use to gather, create, and distribute useful
data, mainly in organizational settings.
 In other words, an information system means a collection of interrelated components which work
together to gather, process, store, and break down the information to help decision making.


Management Information System (MIS) is a specialized information system which designs as per
the needs of an organization. Its major goals are to help business executives in decision making. In the
current scenario, MIS is using strategically in the companies, it is not only used in decision making but
also helps to find out the key insights from available data in MIS. The fruitful insights of MIS help
business executives to find a direction in which the business or organization needs to turn.

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Figure 17: Overview of IS

8.2 Dimensions of information system

There are various dimensions:
- Organizational
- Management
- Technological

8.3 Concepts of databases

There are five main things (objects) you will find in a database: tables, queries, forms, reports, and
macros. Each of these topics will be covered in greater detail throughout the subsequent chapters.
Dear students, take a minute to familiarize yourself with these terms:
 Tables store the data in the database and are analogous to the foundation of the database. It is
critically important that the tables be designed properly; they provide the foundation for
building the remainder of the database.
 Queries enable you to extract data from your database tables and allow us to answer questions
about the data. Queries (SQL) may combine data from multiple tables and manipulate data
output through the use of expressions, formulas, and functions.
 Forms are based on tables or queries, and they are used for entering data into the database in a
user-friendly manner. They are also used for displaying data to the end user and can be used to
create a menu system for the database.
 Reports use data from a table or query and format the output in a professional-looking manner.
Reports provide you with the ability to summarize, sort, group, and display the data in many
different ways suited to the needs of the end user. Often, the purpose of a report is to provide a
printed output of some data in your database.

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8.3 Database modelling

8.3.1 Stages of Database Modelling

1. Conceptual Data Model: The Conceptual Data Model identifies what the system contains.
Business stakeholders and data architects are usually the ones who build this model. In short,
the goal is to collect, define, and scoop out new business concepts and standards. The CDM is
based on several types of relationships with cardinalities:
o one-to-one
o one-to-many.
o many-to-many.
 Logical Data Model: Regardless of the DBMS, the logical data model defines how the system
should be implemented. Data Architects and Business Analysts are usually the ones who build
this model. The goal is to create a technical map of data structures and rules.

 Physical Data Model: This Data Model defines how the system will be implemented using a
certain DBMS system. DBAs and developers are usually the ones who construct this model.
The goal is to get the database up and running.

[Link]

Assignment
Study the following databases (presentation, how to get it, how to install it on windows and Linux?):
- Access
- Postgresql
- Mysql
- Mongodb

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Chapter 9: Introduction to web design
Web design refers to the design of websites that are displayed on the internet. It usually refers to the
user experience aspects of website development rather than software development. Therefore, even
someone without any technical knowledge can become a great web designer using platforms like
Mockplus, Figma or Sketch. Of course, it would be great if you know some coding language (HTML,
CSS, Javascript), but you can’t get yourself deep into front-end development, that’s not the core of web
design. The core of web design is visual and interaction. It aims to solve the communication problems
between users and web page information.

10.1. Basic concepts

 Responsive Web Design is about using HTML and CSS to automatically resize, hide, shrink, or
enlarge, a website, to make it look good on all devices (desktops, tablets, and phones):
 Domain name:
It is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control. Domain names
are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services
and more Each website has its own URL which is a unique global address called domain name. A
URL comprises of:
 The protocol used to access the website, which in this case is http, meaning port 80. It can
also be https; port 443.
 The subdomain which by default is www.
 The suffix name which can be .com, .info, .net, .biz, or country specific. For detailed
information, please refer the following Wikipedia link1
 The directories or in simple words, a folder in the server that holds this website.
 The webpage that we are looking at, in our example, it is “about_careers.html”.
 Content Experts
Content experts supply the content that is to be published on the website. They design the content as
per the requirement of the target audience and then, edit and polish the content before it gets published.
Content experts normally rely on the expertise of the site designer and the webmaster. Note that the
content can be text, data, images, audio or links.
 Website Designer
A web designer is a technical person who designs and maintains the Graphical User Interface (GUI) of
the website. For example, where the buttons should be placed, how the images are to be displayed, etc.

 Graphic Designers
Graphic designers develop image files that are to be included in the website. These professionals have
a keen understanding of developing suitable graphics for the web environment.
 Web Developers
Web developers create the program codes to manipulate the supplied content, based on the site design
established by the website designer. A web programmer should use a set of programing languages to

 1
[Link]

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compile specific functions that the webpages should do in the background. Here is a set of important
programing languages that a web programmer must be good at:

 HTML/XHTML − These are the markup languages which you will use to build your
website. A web programmer must have a good understanding of HTML and XML.
 PHP – It is a popular programming language to develop webpages.
 PERL Script − PERL is another language which is being used to develop interactive
 Web Applications.
 Java or VB Scripts − These scripts are required to perform user-level validations and to add
more interactivity to your Website. So, a web developer is required to have adequate
knowledge of any of these client-side scripts.
 AJAX Technology − AJAX is the latest technology on the Web. Google and Yahoo are
using this technology to give a better browsing experience to their website visitors.
 ASP or JSP – Web developers are required to be well-versed with ASP or JSP to develop
interactive websites.
 Macromedia Flash: You can use Macromedia Flash to build a Website. It can be a little
time-consuming to learn this technology, but once you learn how to use it, then you can
develop attractive websites using Flash.

An example of web site:

10.2 Why Do We Need Websites?

Websites primarily act as a bridge between one who wants to share information and those who want
to consume it. If you are running a business, then it is almost imperative for you to have a website to
broadcast your offerings and reach out to potential clients at a global stage. The following points
explain why it is important to have a website:

 A website is an online brochure where you can advertise your business offers.
 It gives you a platform to reach out to a far-and-wide global customer base.
 If you are a blogger, you have the possibility to influence your readers.

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 You can show all your ideas and publish them on a website
 If you have a business idea, then you don’t have to wait. You can straightaway open an online
shop and sell your products or services online. An added advantage is that the online shop will
be open 24/7 for your clients, throughout the year.
 You can communicate with your customers, giving them an opportunity to express themselves.
 You can provide valuable customer support by having a trouble-ticket system.
 If you have an official website with a domain, then you can have your personalized email. For
example, info@[Link] (it is much better than [Link]@[Link]).

10.3 How to Setup a Website?

A website is composed of several elements and while setting up a website, you would have to take care
of each of them.

 To set up a website and make it live, you should first purchase a hosting plan.
 Select a domain name for this website.
 Point the DNS records to the server or the hosting provider.
 Develop the content that you want to publish on the website.
 Check if you need to purchase a public certificate and install it.
 Publish the webpage on the Internet.
In the following sections of this chapter, we will discuss on the content of webpage in detail.

10.4. Content of webpage

The simple content of web document is structures as follows:

 The <!DOCTYPE html> declaration defines that this document is an HTML5 document
 The <html> element is the root element of an HTML page
 The <head> element contains meta information about the HTML page
 The <title> element specifies a title for the HTML page (which is shown in the browser's title
bar or in the page's tab)
 The <body> element defines the document's body, and is a container for all the visible contents,
such as headings, paragraphs, images, hyperlinks, tables, lists, etc.

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 The <h1> element defines a large heading
 The <p> element defines a paragraph

10.5 Lab session on web development and tools presentation

SOME REFERENCES
Documents:
 Irv Englander, the architecture of computer hardware, systems software & networking, an
information technology approach, bentley university, ISBN 978-1-118-32263-5, 2014.
 Linda Null and Julia Lobur, The Essentials of Computer Organization and Architecture, 5th
Edition, Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2018. ISBN 9781284123036.
Links/Websites:
Story of C. discipline, Basics of Algorithm, hardware and software, Program execution
 [Link]
 [Link]
 [Link]

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