Book.: Systems Analysis Design Methods;

        Sixth Edition

Author.: Jeffery L. Whitten

         Lonnie D. Bentley

         Kevin C. Dittman

Reference No.: 78114

Quote:      

“Model-driven analysis is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes the drawing of pictorial system models to document and validate existing and/or proposed systems. Ultimately, the system model becomes the blueprint for designing and constructing an improved system.”

Chapter 5: Systems Analysis

Review:   

What makes it easy to analyze systems is to use easy-to-understand approaches to make the most of the proposing system that will be designed. Analyzing business information systems, in general is a complicated task, because every single detail of data input and data process, especially the result of information output for the benefit of an organization is is very significant. One missed or forgotten element in a system would lead to numerous problems that is difficult to be solved.

An approach that computer systems analysts often use is Model-Driven Analysis. Using graphics, such as flowcharts, hierarchy charts, organization charts and flowcharts is an example og modeling. These representations of either a reality or vision, “since a picture is worth a thousand words”, are called models.

Most analysts use Visio Professional to generate these helpful diagrams to view all specific details in analyzing and most definitely designing a proposition for the system. There are three examples of model-driven analysis: Structured Analysis, Information Engineering and Object-Oriented Analysis.

One approach that is commonly used by analysts is the structured, whose main focus is on the flow of data in business and software processes. Structured is also called process-centered, because techniques used in this approach is that they emphasize processes as building blocks in a system framework. Data Flow Diagrams are used to show all inputs, outputs and processes, etc. These DFDs basically just show where the data is and where it is going through processes.

Information Engineering and Data Modeling centers itself on data. It is widely practiced because it emphasizes the study and requirements analysis of data requirements before it undergoes a process. Entity Relationship Diagrams show the association of data to each other to gain knowledge from each piece of data, as a group.

Finally, Object-Oriented Paradigm focuses more on objects, which encapsulates data that describes a discrete person, object, place, event or thing with all of the methods that are allowed to use some data and properties. Object technology use languages to show their data or properties, for example: C#, Java, VisualBasic, etc. This approach uses Unified Modeling Language to provide graphical syntax for the whole series of objects.