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Organization
A formal collection of people and other resources established to accomplish a set of goals
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Value Chain
A series (chain) of activities that includes inbound logistics, warehouse and storage, production, finished product storage, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and customer service
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Organizational Structure
Organizational subunits and the way they relate to the overall organization
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Traditional Organizational Structure
An organizational structure in which major department head report to a president or top-level manager
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Flat organizational Structure
An organizational structure with a reduced number of management layers
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Empowerment
Giving employees and their managers more responsibility and authority to make decisions, take certain actions, and have more control over their jobs
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Project Organizational Structure
A structure on major products or services
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Team organizational structure
A structure centered on work teams or groups
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Virtual Organizational Structure
A structure that employs individuals, groups, or complete business units in geographically dispersed areas that can last for a few week or years, often requiring telecommunications or the internet
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Culture
A set of major understandings and assumptions shared by a group
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Organizational culture
The major understandings and assumptions for a business, corporation, or other organization
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Organizational Change
how for-profit and nonprofit organizations plan for, implement, and handle change
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Change Model
A representation of change theories that identifies the phases of change and the beset way to implement them
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Organizational Learning
The adaptations to new conditions or alteration of organizational practices over time
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Reengineering (process redesign)
The radical redesign of business processes, organizational structures, information systems, and values of the organization to achieve a breakthrough in business results.
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Continuous Improvement
Constantly seeking ways to improve business processes to add value to products and services
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Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
A model that describes the factors leading to higher levels of acceptance and usage of technology
- Technology Diffusion
- A measure of how widely technology is spread through the organization
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Technology infusion
the extent to which technology is deeply integrated into an area or department
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Quality
The ability of a product (including services) to meet or exceed customer expectations
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Outsourcing
Contracting with outside professional services to meet specific business needs
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On-Demand Computing
Contracting for computer resources to rapidly respond to an organization�s varying workflow. Also called on-demand business and utility computing.
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Downsizing
Reducing the number of employees to cut costs
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Competitive Advantage
A significant and ideally long-tern benefits to a company over its competitions
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Five-forces Model
A widely accepted model that identifies five key factors that can lead to attainment of competitive advantage, including (1) the rivalry among existing competitors, (2) the threat of new entrants, (3) the threat of substitute products and services, (4)the bargaining power of buyers, and (5) the bargaining power of suppliers
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Strategic Alliance (Strategic partnership)
An agreement between two or more companies that involves the join production and districution of goods and services
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Productivity
- A measure of the output achieved divided by the input required
- Return on Investment (ROI)
- One measure of IS value that investigates the additional profits or benefits that are generated as a percentage of the investment in IS technology
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Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
- The measurement of the total cost of owning computer
- equipment, including desktop computers, networks, and large computers
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Information Center
A support function that provides users with assistance, training, application development, documentation, equipment selection and set-up, standards, technical assistance, and troubleshooting
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Information Service Unit
A miniature IS department
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Certification
A process for testing skills and knowledge, which results in a statement by the certifying authority that confirms an individual is capable of performing a particular kind of job
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Information System (IS)
A set of interrelated components that collect, manipulate, store and disseminate data and information and provide a feedback mechanism to meet an objective
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Data
Raw facts, such as employee number, total hours worked in a week, inventory part numbers, or sales orders
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Information
A collection of facts organized in such a way that they have additional value beyond the value of the individual facts
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Process
A set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined outcome
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Knowledge
The awareness and understanding of a set of information and ways that information can be made useful to support a specific task or reach a decision
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System
A set of elements or components that interact to accomplish goals
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Efficiency
Measure of what is produced divided by what is consumed
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Effectiveness
A measure of the extent to which a system achieves its goals; it can be computed by dividing the goals actually achieved by the total of the stated goals
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System performance standard
A specific objective of the system
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Input
The activity of gathering and capturing raw data
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Processing
Converting or transforming data into useful outputs
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Output
Production of useful information, usually in the form of documents and reports
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Feedback
Output that is sued to make changes to input or processing activities
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Forecasting
Predicting future events to avoid problems
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Computer-based information system (CBIS)
A single set of hardware, software, databases, telecommunications, people, and procedures that are configured to collect, manipulate store, and process data into information
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Technology infrastructure
All the hardware, software, database, telecommunications, people, and procedures that are configured to collect, manipulate, store, and process data into information
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Hardware
Computer equipment used to perform input, processing, and output activities
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Software
The computer programs that govern the operation of the computer
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Database
An organized collection of facts and information
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Telecommunications
The electronic transmissions of signals for communications, which enables organizations to carry out their processes and tasks through effective computer networks
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Networks
Computers and equipments that are connected in a building, around the country, or around the world to enable electronic communications
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Internet
The world�s largest computer network, consisting of thousands of interconnected networks, all freely exchanging information
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Intranet
An internal network based on Web technologies that allows people with an organization to exchange information and work on projects
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Extranet
A network based on Web technologies that allows selected outsiders, such as business partners and customers, to access authorized resources of a company�s intranet
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Procedures
The strategies, policies, methods, and rules for using a CBIS
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E-commerce
Any business transaction executed electronically between companies (business-to-business), companies and consumers (business-to-business), consumers and other consumers (consumer-to-consumer), business and the public sector, and consumers and the public sector
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Mobile commerce (m-commerce)
Transactions conducted anywhere, anytime
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Electronic Business (e-business)
Using information systems and the internet to perform all business-related tasks and functions
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Transaction
Any business-related exchange, such as payments to employees, sales to customers, and payments to supplies
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Transaction processing system (TPS)
An organized collection of people, procedures, software, databases, and devices used to record completed business transactions
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Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
A set of integrated programs capable of managing a company�s vital business operations for an entire multisite, global organization
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Decision Support System (DSS)
An organized collected of people procedures, software, databases, and devices used to support problem-specific decision making
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Knowledge Management System (KMSs)
Organized collection of people, procedures, software, databases, and devices to create, store, share, and use the organization�s knowledge and experience
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Artificial Intelligence (AI)
A field in which the computer system takes on the characteristics of human intelligence
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Expert System
A system that gives a computer the ability to make suggestions and function like an expert in a particular field
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Knowledge Base
The collection of data, rules, procedures, and relationships that must be followed to achieve value or the proper outcome
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Virtual Reality
The simulation of a real or imagined environment that can be experienced visually in three dimensions
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Systems Development
The activity of creating or modifying business systems
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Computer Literacy
Knowledge of computer systems and equipment and the ways they function; it stresses equipment and devices (hardware), programs and instructions (software), databases, and telecommunications
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Information systems literacy
Knowledge of how data and information are used by individuals, groups, and organizations
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Hardware
Any machinery (most of which uses digital circuits) that assists in the inputs, processing, storage, and output activities of an information system
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Central Processing Unit (CPU)
the part of the computer that consists of three associated elements: the arithmetic/logic unit, the control unit, and the register areas
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Arithmetic/logic Unit (ALU)
the part of the CPU that performs mathematical calculations and makes logical comparisons
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Control Unit
The part of the CPU that sequentially accesses program instructions, decodes them, and coordinates the flow of data in and out of the ALU, registers, primary storage, and even secondary storage and various output devices
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Register
A high-speed storage area in the CPU used to temporarily hold small units of program instructions and data immediately before, during, and after execution by the CPU
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Primary Storage (Main memory; memory)
The part of the computer that holds program instructions and dta
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Instruction Time (I-time)
The time it takes to perform the fetch-instruction and decode-instruction steps of the instructions phase
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Execution Time (E-Time)
The time it takes to execute an instruction and store the results
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Machine Cycle
The instruction phase followed by the execution phase
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Pipelining
A form of CPU operation in which multiple execution phases are performed in a single machine cycle
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MIPS
Millions of instructions per second, a measure of machine cycle time
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Clock speed
A series of electronic pulses produced at a predetermined rate that affects machine cycle time
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Microcode
Predefined, elementary circuits and logical operations that the processor performs when it executes an instruction
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Megahertz (MHz)
Millions of cycles per second
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Gigahertz (GHz)
Billions of cycles per second
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Moore�s Law
A hypothesis stating that transistor densities on a single chip double every two years
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Byte (B)
Eight bits that together represent a single character of data
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Random Access Memory (RAM)
A form of memory in which instructions or data can be temporarily stored
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Read-only memory (ROM)
A nonvolatile form of memory
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Cache Memory
A type of high-speed memory that a processor can access more rapidly than main memory
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Multiprocessing
The simultaneous execution of two or more instructions at the same time
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Coprocessor
The part of the computer that speeds processing by executing specific types of instructions while the CPU works on another processing activity
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Multicore microprocessor
A microprocessor that combines two or more independent processors into a single computer so they can share the workload and improve processing capacity
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Parallel Computing
The simultaneous execution of the same task on multiple processors to obtain results faster
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Massively parallel Processing systems
A form of multiprocessing that speeds processing by linking hundreds or thousands of processors to operate at the same time, or in parallel, with each processor having its own bus, memory, disks, copy of the operating system, and applications
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Grid Computing
The use of a collection of computers, often owned by multiple individuals or organizations, to work in a coordinated manner to solve a common problem
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Cloud Computing
Using a giant cluster of computers to serve as a host to run applications that require high-performance computing
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Secondary storage (permanent storage)
Devices that store larger amounts of data, instructions, and information more permanently than allowed with main memory
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Sequential access
A retrieval method in which data must be accessed in the order in which it is stored
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Direct Access
A retrieval method in which data can be retrieved without the need to read and discard other data
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Sequential access storage device (SASD)
A device used to sequentially access secondary storage data
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Direct access storage device (DASD)
A device used for direct access of secondary storage data
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Magnetic Disk
A common secondary storage medium, with bits represented by magnetized areas
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Magnetic Tape
A secondary storage medium; Mylar film coated with iron oxide with portion of the tape magnetized to represent bits
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Redundant Array of Independent/Inexpensive Disks (RAID)
A method of storing data that generates extra bits of data from existing data, allowing the system to create a �reconstruction map� so that if a hard drive fails, the system can rebuild lost data
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Disk Mirroring
A process of storing data that provides an exact copy that protects users fully in the event of data loss
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Virtual Tape
A storage device that manages less frequently needs data so that it appears to be stored entirely on tape cartridges, although some parts of it might actually be located on faster hard disks
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Optic Disk
A rigid disc of plastic onto which data is recorded by special lasers that physically burn pits in the disc
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Compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)
A common form of optical disc on which data, once it has been recorded, cannot be modified
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Digital Video Disc (DVD)
A storage medium used to store digital video or computer data
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Network-attached storage (NAS)
Storage devices that attach to a network instead of to a single computer
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Storage Area Network (SAN)
The technology that provides high-speed connections between data-storage devices and computers over a network
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Policy-based storage management
Automation of storage using previously defined policies
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Data Entry
Converting human-readable data into a machine-readable form
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Data Input
Transferring machine-readable data into the system
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Source Data Automation
Capturing and editing data where it is initially created and in a form that can be directly input to a computer, thus ensuring accuracy and timeliness
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Speech-recognition technology
Input devices that recognize human speech
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Magnetic Stripe Card
A type of card that stores limited amounts of data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based particles contained in a band on the card
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Point-of-sale (POS) device
A terminal used in retail operations to enter sales information into the computer system
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Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
A technology that employs a microchip with an antenna that broadcasts its unique identifier and location to receivers
- Pixel
- A dot of color on a photo image or a point of light on a display screen
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Plasma Display
A plasma display uses thousands of smart cells (pixels) consisting of electrodes and neon and xeon gases which are electrically turned into plasma (electrically charged atoms and negatively charged particles) to emit light
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LCD display
Flat display that uses liquid crystals � organic, oil-like material placed between two polarizers � to form characters and graphic images on a backlit screen
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Digital Audio Player
A device that can store, organize, and play digital music files
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MP3
A standard format for compressing a sound sequence into a small file
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Handheld Computer
A single-user computer that provides ease of portability because of its small size
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Smartphone
A phone that combines the functionality of a mobile phone, personal digital assistant, camera, Web browser, e-mail tool, and other devices into a single handheld devce
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Portable Computer
A computer small enough to be carried easily
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Thin Client
A low-cost, centrally managed computer with essential but limited capabilities and no extra drives, such as a CD or DVD drive, or expansion slots
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Desktop Computer
A relatively small, inexpensive, single-user computer that is highly versatile
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Workstation
A more powerful personal computer that is used for technical computing, such as engineering, but still fits on a desktop
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Server
A computer designed for a specific task, such as network or Internet applications
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Scalability
The ability to increase the capability of a computer system to process more transactions in a given period by adding more, or more powerful, processors
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Blade Server
A server that houses many individual computer motherboards that include one or more processors, computer memory, computer storage, and computer network connections
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Mainframe Computer
A large, powerful computer often shared by hundreds of concurrent users connected to the machine via terminals
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Supercomputers
The most powerful computer systems with the fastest processing speeds
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Computer Programs
Sequences of instructions for the computer
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Documentation
The text that describes the program functions to help the user operate the computer system
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Personal Sphere of Influence
The sphere of influence that serves the needs of an individual user
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Personal Productivity Software
The software that enables users to improve their personal effectiveness, increasing the amount of work they can perform and enhancing its quality
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Workgroup
Two or more people who work together to achieve a common goal
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Workgroup Sphere of Influence
The sphere of influence that serves the needs of workgroup
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Enterprise sphere of influence
The sphere of influence that serves the needs of the firm in its interaction with its environment
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Operating system (OS)
A set of computer programs that controls the computer hardware and acts as an interface with application programs
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Kernel
The heart of the operating system, which controls the most critical processes
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User interface
The elements of the operating system that allows you to access and command the computer system
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Command-based user interface
A user interface that requires you to give text commands to the computer to perform basic activities
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Graphical user Interface (GUI)
An interface that uses icons and menus displayed on screen to send commands to the computer system
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Application Program Interface (API)
An interface that allows applications to make use of the operating system
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Utility Programs
Programs that help to perform maintenance or correct problems with a computer system
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Middleware
Software that allows different systems to communicate and exchange data
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Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
A modular method of developing software and systems that allows users to interact with systems, and systems to interact with each other
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Application Service Provider (ASP)
a company that provides software, support, and the computer hardware on which to run the software from the user�s facilities over a network
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Software as a Service (SaaS)
A service that allows businesses to subscribe to Web-delivered business application software by paying a monthly service charge or a per-use fee
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Software Suite
A collection of single application program packages in a bundle
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Workgroup Application Software
Software that supports teamwork, whether in one location or around the world
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Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software
A set of integrated programs that manage a company�s vital business operations for an entire multisite, global organization
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Programming Languages
Set of keywords, symbols, and a system of rules for constructing statements by which humans can communicate instructions to be executed by a computer
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Syntax
A set of rules associated with a programming language
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Compiler
A special software program that converts the programmer�s source code into the machine-language instructions consisting of binary digits
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Single-User License
A software license that permits only one person to use the software, typically on only one computer
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Open-source Software
Software that is freely available to anyone in a form that can be easily modified
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Shareware and Freeware
Software that is very inexpensive or free, but whose source code cannot be modified
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Character
A basic building block of information, consisting of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numeric digits, or special symbols
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Field
Typically a name, number, or combination of characters that describes an aspect of a business object or activity
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Record
A collection of related data fields
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File
A collection of related records
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Hierarchy of Data
Bits, characters, fields, records, files, and databases
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Entity
A generalized class of people, places, or things for which data is collected, stored, and maintained
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Attribute
A characteristic of an entity
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Data Item
The specific value of an attribute
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Key
A field or set of fields in a record that is used to identify the record
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Primary Key
A field or set of fields that uniquely identifies the record
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Traditional Approach to data Management
An approach whereby separate data files are created and stored for each application program
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Database Approach to Data Management
An approach whereby a pool of related data is shared by multiple application programs
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Planned Data Redundancy
A way of organizing data in which the logical database design is altered so that certain data entities are combined, summary totals are carried in the data records rather than calculated from elemental data, and some data attributes are repeated in more than one data entity to improve database performance
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Data Model
A diagram of data entities and their relationships
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Enterprise Data Modeling
Data modeling done at the level of the entire enterprise
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Entity-Relationship (ER) Diagram
Data models that use basic graphical symbols to show the organization of and relationships between data
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Relational Model
A database model that describes data in which all data elements are placed in two-dimensional tables, called relations, which are the logical equivalent of files
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Domain
The allowable value for data attributes
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Selecting
Manipulating data to eliminate rows according to certain criteria
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Projecting
Manipulating data to eliminate columns in a table
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Joining
Manipulating data to combine two or more tables
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Linking
Data manipulation that combines two or more tables using common data attributes to form a new table with only the unique data attributes
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Data Cleanup
The process of looking for and fixing inconsistencies to ensure that data is accurate and complete
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Schema
A description of the entire database
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Data Definition Language (DDL)
A collection of instructions and commands used to define and describe data and relationships in a specific database
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Data Dictionary
A detailed description of all the data used in the database
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Concurrency Control
A method of dealing with a situation in which two or more people need to access the same record in a database at the same time
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Data Manipulation Language (DML)
The commands that are used to manipulate the data in a database
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Data Administrator
A nontechnical position responsible for defining and implementing consistent principles for a variety of data issues
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Data Warehouse
A database that collects business information from many sources in the enterprise, covering all aspects of the company�s processes, products, and customers
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Data Mart
A subset of a data warehouse
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Data Mining
An information-analysis tool that involves the automated discovery of patterns and relationships in a data warehouse
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Predictive Analysis
A form of data mining that combines historical data with assumptions about future conditions to predict outcomes of events, such as failure product sales or the probability that a customer will default on a loan
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Business Intelligence
The process of gathering enough of the right information in a timely manner and usable form and analyzing it to have a positive impact on business strategy, tactics, or operations
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Competitive Intelligence
One aspect of business intelligence limited to information about competitors and the ways that knowledge affects strategy, tactics, and operations
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Counterintelligence
The steps an organization takes to protect information sought by �hostile� intelligence gatherers
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Distributed Database
A database in which the data can be spread across several smaller databases connected via telecommunications devices
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Replicated Database
A database that holds a duplicate set of frequently used data
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Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)
Software that allows users to explore data from a number of perspectives
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Object-Oriented Database
A database that stores both data and its processing instructions
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Object-Oriented Database Management System (OOB)
A group of programs that manipulate an object-oriented database and provide a user interface and connections to other application programs
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Object-Relationship Database Management System (ORDBMS)
A DBMS capable of manipulating audio, video, and graphical data
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Telecommunications Medium
Any material substance that carries an electronic signal and serves as an interface between a sending device and a receiving device
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Telecommunications Protocol
A set of rules that governs the exchange of information over a communications medium
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