Ch9 IMPORTANT TERMS
Application Program Interface (API) – An interface created for a software product that, like a standard, allows programmers to write to, link to, and utilize that software’s interface in their applications.
Back-end Systems – Computer systems that handle an enterprise’s operational processing, as opposed to front-end systems that interact with customers.
Back-end Tools – Tools, such as code generators, in computer-aided software engineering suites that automatically generate source code.
Encapsulation – Combining data and procedures in an object.
Fourth Generation Language (4GLs) – A computer programming language used by end users, as opposed to COBOL (a third generation language), or Assembler (a second generation language), or programming via plug boards (first generation programming).
Front-end Tools – Tools in a computer-aided software engineering suite that are used by analysts and designers to create the design of a computer system.
Information Repository – The heart of a computer-aided software engineering system that stores and organizes all information needed to create, modify, and develop a software system.
Interorganizational Systems (IOS) – Systems that require at least two parties with different objectives to collaborate on the development and operation of a joint computer-based system.
Object – In object oriented programming, functions are packaged with data so that the two can be reused. These reusable components are called “classes,” whereas at run time, each class can produce instances called “objects.” Objects hold all the code and data in an object-oriented system.
Object Oriented Programming – A style of programming that encapsulates data and the operations that work on that data within an object, thus increasing the reusability of the code (as an object) and reducing the propagation of errors among objects.
Piggybacking – Loading two truck trailers on a railroad flat car and shipping them to their destination.
Platform– A major trend in inter-organizational systems that provides the infrastructure for the operation of a business ecosystem, a region, or an industry. Examples are American Airlines’ computer reservation system, or the video game industry’s PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox.
Private Programs – Computer programs created and used by only one person.
Prototype – A computer program that is used to test a new computing concept, such as distributed Java applets, for learning and experimentation purposes.
Spiral Diagram – A way of viewing the application development process as a spiral, as opposed to a waterfall.
Structured Query Language (SQL) – A database language for asking queries of a database that has become the standard.
Supply Chain Management Systems – Systems that integrate supply chains that compete against one another on their ability to reduce costs and time across their entire chains. Development of these inter-organizational systems requires teams from the different organizations to work together.
System Development – The process of building a system, originally by writing code to create an application and then linking together applications to form a system; a newer process is system integration.
System Integration – The current process of building systems by piecing together hardware components, software packages, database engines, and network products from numerous vendors into a single, cohesive system.
Third Generation Language – A programming language used by a professional programmer, such as COBOL.
Timebox – A methodology for building a system in which the developers promise to deliver specific portions of the system within a specific timeframe (a timebox); the intent is to better control project delivery schedules.
Visual Programming – A technique for programming, such as creating a graphical user interface, by pointing and clicking on generic items – menus, dialog boxes, radio buttons, and other components of graphical displays – and then arrange them to create a screen.
Waterfall Approach – A way to view the system development process as a series of steps that, when diagrammed, appear as a waterfall.