11.8. Key Terms

Chapter 11

Batch Processing is where data is collected over some time period and processed together. Batch processing uses computer resources very efficiently and is well-suited to applications such as payroll processing that require periodic rather than continuous processing.(11.4)

Business process: A collection of linked tasks which end in the delivery of a service or product to a client. (11.2)

Business Process Management (BPM): A systematic approach to making an organization’s workflow more effective, more efficient and more capable of adapting to an ever changing environment. (11.3)

Business Process Reengineering (BPR): The analysis and redesign of workflows within and between enterprises in order to optimize end-to-end processes and automate non value-added tasks. (11.3)

Centralized Database: All data in an ERP system is stored in a single, central database. Centralization is key to the success of an ERP. Data entered in one part of the company can be immediately available to other parts of the company. (11.5)

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): System manages an organization’s customers. (11.6)

Diagramming Tool: For documentation of business processes is a formalized visual language that provides systems analysts with the ability to describe the business processes unambiguously, to visualize the business processes for systematic understanding, and to communicate the business process for business process management.(11.2)

Document Management System: Stores and tracks documents and supports the following
functions.(11.2)

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): Provides a competitive advantage through integrating the supply chain electronically. (11.6)

Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP): A business process management program that allows an organization to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and automate many back office functions related to technology, services and human resources. (11.5)

Knowledge Management: The process of creating, formalizing the capture, indexing, storing, and sharing of the company’s knowledge in order to benefit from the experiences and insights that the company has captured during its existence. (11.6)

Management Information System: Extracts data from a database to compile reports, such as sales analysis, inventory-level reports, and financial statements, to help managers make routine decisions.(11.4)

Online Processing: Keeps the company’s data current. When you make an airline reservation, the information is entered into the airline’s information system, and you quickly receive confirmation, typically through an e-mail. (11.4)

Process: A series of tasks that are completed in order to accomplish a goal. (11.2)

SAP: Systems, Applications & Products in Data Processing. A German multinational software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. (11.5)

Supply Chain Management (SCM): System handles the interconnection between these links as well as the inventory of the products in their various stages of development. (11.6)

Transaction Processing System (TPS): A TPS is a system that collects, modifies and retrieves business transaction data.(11.4)

Versions and Timestamps: The document management system will keep multiple versions of documents. The most recent version of a document is easy to identify and will be considered the default.(11.2)

Adapted from Information Systems for Business and Beyond Glossary by Ruth Guthrie licensed under a CC-BY-3.0