D01 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1

Prerequisites None beyond those required for any student undertaking the Diploma Course.

Assessment By a single 3 hour externally set examination paper.

1. Appreciate the reasons for the introduction of the computer into a business and the main areas in which it may be used.
2. Understand fundamental concepts of Information Technology.
3. Understand the ways in which data may be represented.
4. Understand the major features of computer hardware and be able to compare them for use in differing environments.
5. Understand the fundamentals of data transmission together with the hardware needed to support it.
6. Have a basic understanding of the uses of COM systems.
7. Understand the basic ways in which data may be organised.
8. Understand the main requirements for a satisfactory computer room environment.
9. Appreciate the fundamental application of operational standards.
10. Understand the main ways of preserving data security and integrity.
11. Understand the organisation of a Information Technology department and the functions of the staff employed therein.

1.1 Appreciate the large volumes of data handling implicit in business systems, together with the information requirements of business, industry and government.

1.2 Appreciate the need for ensuring accurate and reliable processing of data.

1.3 Understand the ability of the computer to handle large volumes of data and complex Information Technology at high speed.

1.4 Understand the place of a computer system as a functional unit within an organisation and its importance to the business of that organisation.

1.5 Understand the main types of computer processing, batch, on-line input, on-line updating, real time, remote job entry, interactive and distributed.

1.6 Understand the relationship between the organisational constraints and the type of computer system used.

2.1 Appreciate the need for a full problem specification for any Information Technology application, including an overall description, the necessary file descriptions and the processing constraints in detail.

2.2 Understand the flow of data in a computer unit, together with the need for adequate control and logging.

2.3 Appreciate the need for standards and the forms of documentation in respect of microcomputer and mainframe operations.

2.4 Appreciate the need for systems controls from source document creation through to delivery and use of processed data.

2.5 Understand the methods employed for the verification of data and the differing ways in which data may be corrupted on transcription.

2.6 Understand the means employed for data validation and the types of check encompassed by such a checking procedure.

2.7 Appreciate the need for audit procedures.

2.8 Understand the need for the security of hardware and the various means of safeguarding this, including password protection, other physical methods, software protection and encryption.

3.1 Distinguish between data and the varying forms in which data may be represented.

3.2 Understand the relationships between bits, bytes, words and characters.

3.3 Understand the use of numeric systems, binary, octal and hexadecimal and the relationships between them.

3.4 Understand the use of binary coded decimal methods and their value in making best use of available storage space.

3.5 Understand the storage of alphanumeric data.

3.6 Understand the means whereby program instructions may be stored in binary format.

Objectives

4.1 Understand the essential hardware differences between mainframes, mini - and micro-computers in terms of capacity, cost and environmental conditions etc.

4.2 Be familiar with typical applications of mainframe, mini - and micro-computers.

4.3 Be familiar with the elementary characteristics of digital computers, main store, control unit, arithmetic and logic unit, peripherals. The use of indicators and registers. The stored program concept.

4.4 Be familiar with the physical characteristics together with the functions of:-

4.4.1 Input devices; key-stations and consoles (including Processor-Controlled Keying (P.C.K), Key-to-Disk/Tape systems, Direct Data Entry (D.D.E.), Remote Job Entry (R.J.E.), bar-code readers, Optical Character Recognition (O.C.R.), Magnetic Ink character Recognition (M.I.C.R.), mark-sensing devices, kimball tags, badge readers, data pads, mouse, icon, wand, (together with Point-of-Sales systems, portable stock recording and warehouse systems), scanners and fax.

4.4.2 Output devices; line printers, character printers (such as daisy wheel and dot-matrix), ink-jet and laser printers, graph plotters, graphical display units, V.D.U and fax.

4.4.3 Primary (immediate access) storage and how this differs from secondary storage, RAM and ROM. Virtual storage and cache memory.

4.4.4 Secondary storage and associated media. Disks (fixed and exchangeable) and disk-drives. Optional disk. CD-ROM. Magnetic tape decks, magnetic tapes, cassettes and cartridges. Magnetic drums, bubble memory.

4.5 Be able to distinguish between input to intermediate storage and input directly to the processing cycle.

4.6 Be able to appreciate the differences between volatile storage and non-volatile storage and the concept of virtual storage.

4.7 Be able to identify the main uses of small business computer systems, the hardware used in stand-alone systems and the factors influencing choice.

5.1 Be aware of the essential features of an on-line application:

5.1.1 Be aware of the existence of a line.

5.1.2 Be aware of the existence of the means of addressing the line.

5.1.3 Be aware of the existence of high speed direct access storage devices.

5.2 Be familiar with the concepts and practice of linking together computers and other equipment used in small business systems; multi-user system and networks.

5.3 Be familiar with the major factors influencing data transmission, modems, acoustic couplers and lines (local, half- and full-duplex), multiplexes. The applications of fibre optics, satellite transmission, multi-channel lines, local- and wide-area networks, noise and line boosters, A/D and D/A conversion.

5.4 Be familiar with the use of front-end processors (switching on-line to more than one processor) and message-switching devices.

5.5 Be familiar with telephone services and lines (duplex, half-duplex and simplex), their orders of speed and costs.

6.1 Be able to appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of COM systems.

6.2 Be familiar with the hardware involved in COM systems.

6.3 Be aware of the stages involved in the production of microfiche, the use of Quality and Data Control.

6.4 Be familiar with typical applications of COM.

7.1 Be familiar with the basic structures of file, record and field, and fixed and variable formats. The relationships between blocks and records.

7.2 Be familiar with the reasons for and the use of elementary fields, group fields, keys, sort-keys and control fields.

8.1 Be aware of the need for air conditioning and the methods of providing it.

8.2 Be familiar with typical computer room dimensions, floor loading and structures.

8.3 Be aware of the needs for transportability, connectability and earthing requirements.

8.4 Be familiar with the methods for ensuring staff health and safety, and the security of equipment.

Objectives

9.1 Be aware of the need for standards for the efficient control and working of operations. The need for overall strategies to secure resources, systems and data against fraud, loss or damage.

9.2 Be aware of the need for the implementation of standards for scheduling, balancing resources against job requirements, the monitoring of performance.

9.3 Be aware of the need for logging equipment failure and the forms of documentation used for this purpose.

9.4 Be aware of the necessity for ensuring quality control in respect of media data and output to ensure that user requirements are met.

9.5 Be aware of the standards to ensure the cleanliness and tidiness both of the computer room and of the equipment it contains; the requirement for operational cleanliness.

9.6 Be aware of the need to provide a service for end-users and of the problems encountered. Help desks.

10.1 Be aware of the means of restricting access to data and program files, and to computing equipment.

10.2 Be familiar with the application of the generation technique for file security, tape/disk back-ups copied onto tape streamer, magnetic tapes and floppy disks. Archiving of files.

10.3 Be familiar with the use of write-permit rings and file labels as additional means of protecting data from accidental erasure.

10.4 Be familiar with the range of techniques used to ensure the accuracy of data including batch controls, verification, validation (including the use of check-digits) and audit trails.

11.1 Be familiar with the range of functions undertaken by the staff in a Information Technology department, management, development staff, (software) maintenance staff, operations staff, data preparation and data control staff, (hardware) engineering support, user-support staff.

11.2 Be aware of the lines of communication which exist between Information Technology staff with one another and with users.