1999 Management Information Systems
 
Instructor Projects
Course Objectives Course Schedule
Class Announcements Academic Support
Course Policies MIS Links
Course Philosophy

Instructor:

Professor Michael P. Johnson

Office 2107C Hamburg Hall
Phone 268-4270
E-mail johnson2@andrew.cmu.edu
Office Hours Wednesdays 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM and by appointment

(Please use e-mail to set up appointments with Professor Johnson.)

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Course Objectives:

  1. Understand the purpose and scope of information systems
    1. Business information systems
    2. The organizational role and business uses of IS
    3. IS components: hardware, software, networks and the Internet
    4. Management information systems, decision support systems and expert systems
    5. Key public-sector IS policy issues
    6. Careers in IS and IS-related fields
  2. Be able to design information systems at the conceptual level using three related models:
    1. Entity-relationship model
    2. The relational database model
    3. Data flow process model
  3. Self-learn and effectively use a suite of software packages
    1. Access2000: build, document, and use small relational databases and applications
    2. FrontPage98: build a Web site with some database capabilities
    3. Project98: manage group projects using calendars, task lists and Gantt charts
  4. Learn methods to determine and address users' information requirements
    1. Be familiar with the systems analysis and design life cycle
    2. Construct a process model including a list of operating assumptions and data flow diagrams
    3. Design effective information system outputs including queries, tabular reports, and aggregate data sets
  5. Use a team approach to build a real database application.
    1. Structure project work through assignment of roles (e.g., project manager, systems analyst, programmer, and software version manager) and use of project work breakdown structure for task management
    2. Manage responsibility on diverse teams through peer review and task accountability arrived at through consensus methods
  6. Identify and address practical IS implementation issues, especially in the public sector.
    1. Assess software, hardware and networking requirements of information system applications accounting for limited funds and/or manpower
    2. Address issues of information system access, training and confidentiality

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Class Announcements:

Meeting Times:

Lectures - Tuesday, 2:00 PM-3:20 PM, Hamburg Hall 1000

Labs (for computer-based course assignments and project work, supervised by professor and TAs)

Section Day Start End Room
A Thursday 2:00 PM 3:20 AM A100 Hamburg Hall
B Thursday 11:00 AM 12:20 PM A100 Hamburg Hall
C Thursday 3:30 PM 4:50 PM A100 Hamburg Hall

Workshops (for software tutorials, question-and-answer, course assignments and project work, supervised by TAs)

Section Day Start End Room
A Friday 9:30 AM 10:50 AM A100 Hamburg Hall
B Friday 11:00 AM 12:20 PM A100 Hamburg Hall
C Friday 12:30 PM 1:50 PM A100 Hamburg Hall

Review Sessions (Held by teaching assistants)

Day and Time

Location
Wednesday 5:30 -7:30 Porter Hall 255

Reading:

  • Microsoft Access 2000 Step by Step, Catapault, Inc. 1999.
  • Barron and Lyskawa, Microsoft FrontPage 98 Illustrated Standard Edition, Course Technology. 1998.
  • Course binder of readings. Readings cost $29.00 and may be purchased from Prof. Johnson's administrative assistant, Connie Lucas.

Course Web Page:

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/course/90-728/

Note: Course Web page contains:

  • course syllabus
  • lecture notes (posted the day after lecture)
  • homework assignments (posted the day after assignment is distributed)
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • course updates and announcements
  • links to other Internet resources.

 

Course Bulletin Board:

org.heinz.90-728

Note: Course bulletin board is a discussion list intended to:

  • allow students to ask and answer questions related to course topics
  • allow TAs and professor to broadcast important announcements

Before sending e-mail to TAs or the professor, students should check the Web site, the b-board and other students to see if their questions have been already answered!

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Course Policies::

Students must complete seven homework sets, two examinations, and a class project. The proportion of the total grade accounted for by each requirement is as follows:

Homework 20%
Exam 1 25%
Exam 2 25%
Project 30%
Total 100%
  • Homework is due at the start of class. No late homework will be accepted unless there are extenuating circumstances like illnesses.
  • For identification purposes, homework and exams should be labeled with the student's ID number and mailbox number only.
  • Students are encouraged to work in small groups (two to four per group) for consultation, e.g. problem structuring, comparing solution approaches. However, each student must complete her/his own unique homework assignments, including all computer work. Students who do not do their own computer work generally get poor grades on the hands-on computer exam!
  • Course information, including updated syllabus, homework assignments, project information, and lecture notes will be posted on the course Web site .
  • Both exams are open book and notes. Exam 1 will be held in Room 1000, Hamburg Hall. Exam 2 will be "hands-on computer" and held in A100, Hamburg Hall during regular Thursday lab times.
  • Homework, exams and the class project may include "extra credit" portions with more challenging problems. No student's grade will be adversely affected if he/she chooses not to do extra credit work.
  • Electronic files for course assignments and projects will be stored on the Heinz School network at r:\academic\90728.
  • Students are encouraged to communicate with each other regarding various course issues and to read announcements from TAs or the instructor using e-mail, the b-board of the course Web page before contacting TAs or the professor.
  • If you object to the grading of a homework set or exam, document your objections in writing to the head TA, and your homework or exam may be regraded. Your new grade could be higher or lower than the original, and all regrading decisions are final!

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Course Philosophy:

Computers and information systems (IS) have profoundly and permanently changed the way organizations conduct business and individuals manage their personal lives. Information, and the computer systems that process it, are increasingly seen as strategic resources. This course is intended to enable you to make business decisions about IS design, acquisition and management. Equally important, the course is intended to give you hands-on skills in IS implementation and evaluation.

Many public-sector organizations have difficulty identifying and addressing information systems needs; some do not yet see IS as a tool that can help them deliver more and better services. For example:

  • The health care industry uses separate information systems devoted to insurance claims, patient records, diagnostic support and other areas, but does not have industry-wide standards on electronic record-keeping that would allow integration of these separate systems.
  • Community-based organizations deliver valuable services such as job training, housing development and family counseling, but much of the information related to these services is stored on paper, making program evaluation difficult.
  • Public school planners would like to have data on student attendance and performance available for on-demand analysis and decision support, but much of this data is stored on mainframe computers and made available only in certain formats or at certain times.

It is hoped that this course will enable you to serve as an interface between persons focused on organization policy and those focused in IS operations, especially in the public sector. In addition, this course serves as an introduction to more advanced IS courses offered by the Heinz School.

Database technology is perhaps the most important and fundamental part of computing in organizations. Data stored in databases are those necessary to carry out the objectives of organizations. Relational database design and technology are also the most complex and difficult components of organizational computing that we will encounter. Hence, a major portion of the course is devoted to database design and implementation.

The Web offers new opportunities for information sharing and commercial transactions throughout and among organizations of all kinds. In fact, it will cause a revolution in computer use throughout the public and non-profit sectors. Hence, this course introduces Web authoring and database applications.

Finally, database and Web-based computing are subsets of larger information system issues of applications development management, network infrastructure design, public access to information technology, data confidentiality and security. Hence, this course also addresses IS policy, project management and architecture (hardware/software/networking) issues.

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Class Project:

The instructor will divide the class into teams of 8 - 10 students apiece to work on a single project. Team members will be in the same lab section to facilitate working on projects during lab and workshop times. Each team will work independently and in parallel on a single project identified by the instructor. Factors affecting a project's grade will include:

  • quality of system components,
  • quantity of non-trivial components, and
  • cohesiveness and attractiveness of the total system.

It is not necessary that team projects be of professional quality. However team projects should reflect:

  • a thorough understanding of the problem at hand,
  • a consistent, parsimonious design and
  • attention to ease of use.

Individual team member grades are based on the overall project grade, plus an adjustment reflecting written peer reviews (details on peer reviews are attached to this syllabus). For example, it is possible for an individual to get an "A" on a "B" project or a "B" on an "A" project. "Free riders" get failing grades on projects, regardless of the quality of the group project.

 

This year’s project will be an administrative support system for local home-delivered-meals ("Meals-on-Wheels") providers.

Past MIS student projects have included:

  • Tracking participation of individuals in job training and job skills programs
  • Identifying illegal firearms dealers and purchasers for the ATF National Tracing Center
  • Organizing historical data on arts organization performances

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Course Schedule

(Please refer to course Web page and b-board for changes)

 

Part I: Introduction to Information Systems

  1. (8/24) Lecture 1: Overview of Information Systems

    2. [Optional reading: Stair and Reynolds, pp. 1-26, 32-33]

    1. Information system definition
    2. Types of business information systems
    3. IS demo with source code: Access, Web
    4. Role of IS in the organization
    5. IS in the Heinz School curriculum
    6. IS careers
  2. (8/26) Lecture 2: IS Architecture and Applications

    3. [Note: this lecture will meet at 8:00 AM in HbH 100. Regularly scheduled class lab sessions in HbH A100 are cancelled.]

    [Reading: Stair and Reynolds, pp. 82-113, 136-181, 326-327]

    1. Hardware: input, processing and output devices
    2. Software: systems and application software
    3. Telecommunications and networks
    4. Internet, intranets and extranets
    5. IS case study: the Heinz School LAN and CMU's Andrew system
  3. (8/27) No Workshop (Heinz School IS orientation sessions)

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Part II: Database Design and Implementation

 

  1. (8/31) Lecture 3: Overview of the Relational Database Model

    2. [Reading: Rob and Coronel, pp. 56-94]

    [Honework #1 due: IS design and management issues]

    1. Table structure of a relational database
    2. Primary keys, foreign keys, and non-key attributes
    3. Computer demo (WTIS): components of a database management system (tables, forms, queries, reports, macros, and program modules)
  2. (9/2) Lab : Entering and Viewing Data in Access

    3. [Work through pp. 3-67, Access 2000 Step by Step]

    1. Entering data with forms and subforms
    2. Working with datasheets
    3. Sorting and filtering data
    4. Using a report
    5. Creating mail labels
  3. (9/3) No Workshop (Heinz School IS orientation sessions)
  4. (9/7) Lecture 4: More on the Relational Database Model

    5. [Reading: Rob and Coronel, pp. 56-94]

    [Homework #2 due (Database application analysis; elementary data analysis)]

    1. Many-to-many relationships and linking tables
    2. Joining tables
    3. Data quality issues: codes, referential integrity
    4. Data cleaning
    5. Computer demo: table joins and options for controlling data quality
  5. (9/9) Lab: Building Access Database Tables, Controlling Data Quality and External Data

    6. [Work through pp. 71-136, Access 2000 Step by Step]

    1. Building tables using a Wizard and in design view
    2. Building relationships in tables
    3. Building validation checks, referential validity, and combo boxes in forms
    4. Controlling tab order in a form
    5. Setting default values and making data required
    6. Using cascading updates and deletes in many-to-many relationships
    7. Using subforms and subdatasheets
    8. Working with external data: linking, importing and exporting tables
  6. (9/10) Workshop: Access tutorial, homework assignment
  7. (9/14) Lecture 5: Complex Databases & Entity Relationship Model

    8. [Read Rob and Coronel, pp. 188-225; handout "The Ten Things You Need to Know About Relational Database Design"]

    [Homework #3 due: database designs]

    1. Complex database examples
    2. Entity and relationship types
    3. Cardinality of relationships
    4. User views
    5. Tracking service delivery life cycles
  8. (9/16) Lab: Access Forms

    9. [Work through pp. 181-193, p.198 ("Step 5"), 203-219, 255-257 (except "Step 4"), Access 2000 Step by Step]
    1. Creating a form with subform
    2. Calculated controls
    3. Modifying forms
    4. Including images on forms
  9. (9/17) Workshop: Access tutorial, homework assignment
  10. (9/21) Lecture 6: Database Case Study

    11. [Reading: Rob and Coronel pp. 226-249;  681-691]

    [Homework #4 due (database designs)]
    1. Relational databases vs. non-normalized data tables (data warehouses)
    2. Automating a manual information system
    3. Steps for database design
    4. Case study [bus garage]
  11. (9/23) Lab: Case Study Database Implementation
  12. (9/24)Workshop: Case Study Database Implementation
  13. (9/28) Lecture 7: Query Logic and Design

    14. [Reading: "QBE and SQL Query Notes"]

    [Homework #5 due (case study implementation)]
    1. Logical and arithmetic expressions
    2. Query by Example (QBE) interface
    3. Structured Query Language (SQL) commands
    4. Data aggregation
    5. Using parameters in queries
  14. (9/30) Lab: Query by Example (QBE)

    15. [Work through pp. 139-180, 195-199 (except "Step 4"), Access 2000 Step by Step]

    1. Creating queries using the Query Wizard
    2. Expressing logical and arithmetic expressions in the QBE grid
    3. Joining tables in a query
    4. Aggregating data by grouping
    5. Calculating new fields
    6. Crosstab queries
    7. Adding parameters to a query
  15. (10/1) Workshop: Continuation of Query By Example, Review for Midterm
  16. (10/5) Exam 1: IS fundamentals, Database Design, Queries

    17. [Homework #6 due (simple QBE queries)]

  17. (10/7) Lab: Access Macros
    1. Macro demo
    2. Macro replication
  18. (10/8) No Workshop
  19. (10/12) Lecture 8: Designing Reports and Macros

    20. [Reading: "Access Macro Notes", "Macro Actions and DoCmd Methods"]

    1. Data aggregation for management
    2. Organizational hierarchy and reporting needs
    3. Components of an Access report
    4. Advanced macros
    5. Case study/demo
  20. (10/14) No Lab (Heinz Midsemester Break/Network New York)
  21. (10/15) No Workshop (Heinz Midsemester Break/Network New York)

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Part III: Project Management, Application Development and the Web

  1. (10/19) Lecture 9: Project Introduction & Project Management

    2. [Reading: McLeod and Smith, pp. 1-35, 73-76, 128-142]

    1. Project requirements
    2. Team structure
    3. Project management software
    4. IS project management issues
  2. (10/21) Lab: Access Reports

    3. [Work through pp. 221-254, 257-258 (except "Step 3"), Access 2000 Step by Step]

    1. Building detail and summary reports
    2. Creating grouped reports
    3. Report formatting
  3. (10/22) Workshop: Project98

    4. [Work through Project98 course tutorial]
  4. (10/26) Lecture 10: Systems Analysis and Design

    5. [Reading: Rob and Coronel, pp. 318 - 324; McLeod and Smith, pp. 115-123; Shelly, Dashman and Rosenblatt, pp. 4.1-4.50]

    [Homework #7 due (macros and reports)]

    [Project assignment #1 due (draft project database design, project work schedule)]

    1. Criteria for information system feasibility
    2. Systems analysis and design life cycle
    3. Data flow diagrams and business processes
    4. Prototyping systems
  5. (10/28) Lab: Creating a Web Site

    [Work through Microsoft FrontPage 98 Illustrated Standard Edition]

    1. Creating a Web site
    2. Designing a homepage
    3. Insert files and existing Web pages to a site
    4. Create hyperlinks
    5. Formatting pages
    6. Creating tables
    7. Working with static and animated graphics
    8. Create an image map with hot spots
    9. Adding sounds and movies
    10. Creating a form and standard controls
    11. Creating frames
  6. (10/29) Workshop: Continuation of Building a Web Site
  7. (11/2) Lecture 11: Web Design How-To's and Web-Enabled Access

    8. [Project assignment #2 due (Project case analysis, database E-R diagram, context diagram)]

    1. Hyperlink field data type in Access tables and on forms
    2. Import HTML tables, HTTP, and FTP server data
    3. Static Web publishing of Access tables, queries, and reports
    4. Fundamentals of dynamic Web-enabled databases
  8. (11/4) Lab: Exam 2 (using computers)
  9. (11/5) No Workshop
  10. (11/9) Project Meeting: HbH 1000

    11. [Project assignment #3 due (Web site with project problem statement, data flow diagrams, and initial Access database design)]
  11. (11/11) Lab: Internet-Enabled Access

    12. [Work through pp. 261-284, Access 2000 Step by Step]

    1. Hyperlinks to database components, Office applications, Web sites
    2. Publishing database objects as static Web pages
    3. Creating data access pages
  12. (11/12) Workshop: Project Work
  13. (11/16) Project Meeting: HbH 1000
  14. (11/18) Lab: Project Work
  15. (11/19) Workshop: Project Work
  16. (11/23) Project Meeting: 1000HB

    17. Project and Peer Evaluations due at 5:00 PM Wednesday November 24

  17. (11/25) No Lab (Thanksgiving Break)
  18. (11/26) No Workshop (Thanksgiving Break)

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Part IV: IT Implementation and the Public Sector

  1. (11/30) Lecture 12: IT Implementation and Management

    2. [Reading: Rob and Coronel, pp. 614-615, 622-650, 654-660, "Improving the Placement Process for Allegheny County Children and Youth Services"]

    1. Client-server systems
    2. Networking and IS infrastructure design
    3. Application case study
  2. (12/2) Lecture 13: IT in the Public Domain

    3. [Reading: "Falling Through the Net - Defining the Digital Divide"]

    1. Universal access to IS: hardware, software, networking
    2. Community access to public-sector IT applications
    3. Data security and confidentiality
  3. (12/4) No Workshop

    4. [Homework Assignment #8 due at 5:00 PM Friday, December 4 (white paper on project implementation issues)]

No Final Exam

End of Semester

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Academic Support:

Teaching assistants are available for weekly workshops and appointments:

Name

 E-mail Mailbox
Shawn McClory (Head TA) sm9p@andrew.cmu.edu 177
Karthik Chandrasekar Karthikc@andrew.cmu.edu 123
Cordell Carter cordell@andrew.cmu.edu 120
Dana Berger dberger@andrew.cmu.edu 111
Gersande Rigenbach gmr@andrew.cmu.edu 189
Robin Groce rgorce@andrew.cmu.edu 148
Qui Yang (Course Grader) qyang@andrew.cmu.edu 222
Ruth Kolb rkolb@andrew.cmu.edu 149

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MIS Links:

USENET Access Newsgroup: comp.databases.ms-access

Last year's MIS Projects

InfoLink Program Web Page

Microsoft Access home page

Microsoft Access Tutorial: Sharing Data on the Web

Microsoft FrontPage home page

Microsoft Project home page

Last Modified
Oct. 13, 1999		 Back to the Top