When the information is no longer needed the company must remove the information, this should be kept longer than necessary.
It should be kept very securely and only be able to be accessed by certain people and have valid security when being moved.
All these things can cause problems for Rufus as it means a lot of hard work is needed; this has a big impact on Rufus. The hard work will be needed to;
- keep up to date with all customer details
- make sure it is relevant information,
- make sure it is kept secure
- do not show information to other people
- do not allow access by others
the information can be hacked online on the computers meaning other people will gain the customer information, this is not complying with the Data Protection Act meaning they are in serious trouble, all customers who loose there information can put a complain in to the company and take them to court.
When the data protection act is concerned, Rufus supermarket must make sure they abide by all the rules included within the act. If these are not kept then the company can face large fines, financial penalties and legal action against them and loosing customers.
Money is a real constraint when the data protection act is involved, the Rufus supermarket will have to spend more money in order to employ more staff to keep all the customer information safe and secure, all the information will need to be monitored so the company can see whether or not it is still valid,, make sure It is being used for the correct reasons and the law is not being broken.
The Freedom of Information Act
The FoIA is not included where more sensitive information is required, they cannot access all of this information because of the DPA (Data Protection Act 1998.) This limits them in what kind of information is allowed. However should somebody request information which is covered by the FoIA law, public authorities legally have to answer any requests within 20 days.
Below, is an example of the constraints within the FoIA. It also shows below, that decisions are made based on these information requests and bad decisions can then be made.
“a reluctance to seek expensive legal advice may lead to hasty decisions and misinterpretations of the Act. Similar problems have arisen under the DPA, most notoriously in the Soham murder case, when it was revealed that Humberside Police had destroyed vital evidence about killer Ian Huntley in the mistaken belief that they were meeting a DPA requirement.”
Describe the different tools used to manage and process information
There are five different tools used within organisations to manage and process information, these tools are,
- Databases
- Spreadsheets
- Management Information System
- Expert systems
- Data mining
Databases
Databases are widely used within organisations and supermarkets such as Rufus. A database is a very effective and professional way of managing and then further processing the information the supermarket receives.
When developing a system within a supermarket, a data model must first be created. A data model explains and describes every piece of information within the system. Databases within Rufus are used to store all the data which is described by the data model usually on a disk. Access is usually very quick and frequently used.
A database is a structured way of collecting records and data, this Is stored on a computer system.The structure is achieved by organizing the data according to a data model, this is a relational model.
Spreadsheets
A spreadsheet is an application used on computer to store data and information in a sufficient way. A spreadsheet is laid out and displayed with multiple cells making a grid. Spreadsheets can contain text, numeric values and formulas. Spreadsheets are frequently used for financial information because of their ability to re-calculate the entire sheet automatically after a change to a single cell is made.
Spreadsheets can display information and data in numerous ways due to the function which allows charts and graphs to be created. Graphs and charts are available for all different types which may be needed.
Management Information Systems
Management Information Systems are decision support systems where a form of input, query and response is predetermined. The data is often summarised from an information system. The main use of this sort of system is where management or other workers would like to ask the same question on a regular basis repeatedly, although about different topics.
Questions used within this are often listing certain areas of data in order for management to make analysis and planning.
Key Features
The key features of a management information system are,
- Confidence
- Sustainability
- Consistent timelines
- Accuracy
Key Elements
The Management information system has five different aspects.
These aspects are,
- Date
- People
- Hardware
- Software
- Telecommunications
Expert Systems
An expert system is a computer program which attempts to reproduce the performance of a human mainly experts at a specialised task.
A wide variety of methods can be used to simulate the performance of the expert, the most common are knowledgebase which uses knowledge representation to gain the information. Expert systems may or may not have learning components but a third common element is that once the system is developed it is proven by being placed in the same real world problem solving situation as the human, typically as an aid to human workers or a supplement to some information system.
Expert systems can be used for the following tasks within Rufus,
- Predicting prices
- Stock control
- Purchasing
- Promotions
- Where to put certain products to get best result
- Abnormal usage
- Prevent Fraud
Data Mining
Data mining is defined usually as data which is being searched and analyzed to find different patterns, relationships and correlations between statistical information. Using computers to access databases it is easier to collect information and data which can then be analysed systematically, this uses advanced techniques to search for relationships. Solutions are then found to certain problems which occur.
Besides governmental uses, many marketers use data mining to find strong consumer patterns and relationships. Large organizations and educational institutions also data mine to find significant correlations that can enhance our society.
Comparing Different Tools
Within this section I will compare the different tools which can be used to aid a supermarket like Rufus in finding and using information.
The different tools available are,
- Databases
- Spreadsheets
- Management Information System
- Expert systems
- Data mining
This section will state what each of the tools can do, what they are used for, why they are used for this and what is gained by using the tool. I will also compare what each tool can do better than the others and why.
Databases
A database is used to gather information and use this efficiently. It stores information using relationships and tables to structure the information in the best way available. A database is a structured way of collecting records and data, this Is stored on a computer system.The structure is achieved by organizing the data according to a data model, this is a relational model.
Databases are good to use in a supermarket rather than other tools due to many reasons which the other tools cannot do.
There are many different types of databases available for use; the three most common ones are,
- Flat file database
- Relational database
- Hierarchical database
I will now explain each database listing the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Flat File Databases
A Flat File Database is a text file commonly only containing a record for each line in the file.
This sort of database would be used for a simple phonebook sort database, showing peoples names with there telephone numbers and possibly addresses. This could also be used to keep track of friends.
An example of a flat file database is a personal phonebook storing names and telephone numbers
Advantages
The advantages of a flat file database are,
- It is a very simple database which is easy to use and understand, very little training will be needed to create and use one of these.
- Easy to understand.
- These are cheap to both create and to run as they are usually just simple text files.
- Uses a small number of resources
Relational databases
A relational database is a database which conforms to a relational model and refers to the data and the structure of how it is arranged. A relational database is a selection of tables of fields related by relationships.
For example, a data set containing all the real estate transactions in a town can be grouped by the year the transaction occurred; or it can be grouped by the sale price of the transaction; or it can be grouped by the buyer's last name; and so on.
Advantages
The advantages of a relational database are,
- This database will use relationships to link different fields in the tables and this will make things easier to understand due to the layout of the information.
- Security features, passwords can be used and fields are then locked after being used meaning other users can not change data entered.
- Efficiently holds and handles large amounts of data.
- Normalisation, this means that all data is normalised so it is not duplicated resulting in only single occurrence of data being shown.
- Values are atomic
- Each row and column are unique
- Column values are of the same kind
- The sequence of columns is insignificant
- The sequence of rows is insignificant
Hierarchical Database
A Hierarchical database is a data model where the data is organised in a structure similar to a tree it is an organisation method, which is structured in a hierarchy. It starts off with one field and this field separates in to other fields, which separate into others. This structure allows information to be repeated. The only access to this database is at the top and it then moves downwards.
The uses of a Hierarchical database are such things as a family tree, or a windows flat file system
Advantages
The advantages of a Hierarchical database are,
- Navigation, the navigating around the database is very quick.
- Easy to understand, this makes it good as it is easy to both program and create a database as well as use one
Storing information
Databases store information in a very structured way based on the information and the data which has or is being entered into the system. Databases can store information based on the actual field it is being used in (e.g. category, prices) or it can store it based on relationships with other data in the system.
Relationships
Databases show the different relationships between information in the system. For example if information from Rufus was entered, it would show all the products the supermarket sold, a relationship would then go from each of the products to the suppliers relating these tables of data. This is the same for any bits of information
Queries
Databases can perform queries, a query is a question which is being asked, on databases the user can ask questions which are already programmed within the system, this will give specified results based on what is asked and what information is held in the system.
Forms
Forms can be printed in many different formats which allows the information to be viewed in different ways to get the best results out of the information you have. The different ways of viewing forms are automatically stored into the databases memory and can be accessed at any times.
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are an application which is used and created on Microsoft Excel. It is used to store data and information in a grid like format. Spreadsheets are mainly used to store statistical values and data but can be used for text based information also.
Spreadsheets are good to use in a supermarket rather than other tools due to many reasons which the other tools cannot do.
Formats
Spreadsheets is a really good program and application to use when storing and processing information. This program is able to store information and data in many different formats within the cells it uses. A list of formats which can be used are below,
- General
- Number
- Currency
- Accounting
- Date
- Time
- Percentage
- Fraction
- Scientific
- Text
- Special
- Custom
Each of the formats above each have formatting within them, such as what type of numbers are wanted and what type of text.
Spreadsheets are a really good way of storing any different kid of data needed and can be used very effectively.
Saving
When using spreadsheets the file can be saved in more than one format.
It can be saved as an excel sheet, which will be reopened as a spreadsheet with sheets and cells on each.
It can be saved as a HTTP file and this will open the file through the internet storing the information as data in different ways for different views, depending on which one satisfies the user best
It can be saved as a chart or a graph, this depends on which is selected and will store the information a lot easier and can be easily viewed by any user.
Ease of use
Spreadsheets are very easy to user as it is a standard program which appears on all computers. No training is needed for the use of this program and a wizard is even available to help the user if they get into a complicated situation which they do not understand.
cost
spreadsheet has no added cost for the supermarket as it appears on all computers which are bought with Microsoft.
Graphs/Charts
Spreadsheet can convert all the information which has been gathered and processed within its files into either a chart or a graph. Each one has specialist uses for different types of information and each one stores the information in different ways and views
There is a graph or chart available for any type of information which is needed to be used, the ones available are,
- Column
- Bar
- Line
- Pie
- XY Scatter
- Area
- Doughnut
- Radar
- Surface
- Bubble
- Stock
- Cylinder
- Cone
- Pyramid
Each of these all have different settings within and allow the user to choose which type of each graph they would like to use, this can then be formatted.
Management Information Systems
Management Information Systems are decision support systems where a form of input, query and response is predetermined. The data is often summarised from an information system. The main use of this sort of system is where management or other workers would like to ask the same question on a regular basis repeatedly, although about different topics.
Management Information systems are good to use in a supermarket rather than other tools due to many reasons which the other tools cannot do.
Data
When data is inputted into a system the management area must first make sure the information is as accurate as possible and meets the needs of the supermarket. This information which is gathered must be stored in the best, effective and logical way; this then means the data can be accessed easier when necessary. There are many different ways to store the information gathered. The data then needs to be summarised to create information in a way that meets the needs of the system users.
This information could be put into categories such as,
- Products
- Suppliers
- Location
- customer
Telecommunications
Management information systems can be delivered via the internet to other companies or other branches of a supermarket. This is a risk to the company as it allows other companies and competitors to gain access to the information which is being sent, this can then be used against them to the other companies advantage. To stop this from happening the supermarket can use an intranet which is a server set up on direct lines over the internet which is only secure to the company.
People
Within a supermarket the people involved are those who gather the data and information. The people who gather this information must be motivated; this can be done by highlighting the value of the information which has been processed.
Hardware
In large supermarkets the hardware involved with management information systems is very important. This system would run on a larger server with internet and intranet to help the system complete its functions.
Software
Within a supermarket the software is very important and affects how the supermarket works and how popular and successful it is. The management information system can be built using the most simple and standard software however specialised software gives a better result. This software usually has the features already built in. The developer configures this by describing the database and its structure, where the data comes from, how to summarise the data and what standard queries will be required. The software can be very expensive or not expensive at all, the cheapest versions only give limited features and function, whereas the most expensive software is very highly functional which provides high performance giving the best results.
Drawbacks
A downfall to management information systems are it can be difficult to use as it needs training and experience to use. This is due to all the technical work and complicated tasks which can be used and completed using a system like this.
Expert Systems
An expert system is a computer program which attempts to reproduce the performance of a human mainly experts at a specialised task.
Expert systems can be used for the following tasks within Rufus,
- Predicting prices
- Stock control
- Purchasing
- Promotions
- Where to put certain products to get best result
- Abnormal usage
- Prevent Fraud
An expert system is Able to store and manipulate knowledge so that they can help a user to solve a problem or make a decision.
Limited to a specific domain (area of expertise);
Typically rule-based;
Can reason with uncertain data (the user can respond “don’t know” to a question);
Delivers advice;
Explains its reasoning to the user.
Explain the purpose and operation of data mining and predictive modelling
Within this section I will explain what data mining is and what predictive modelling is. I will the further explain and justify how and why they can be used within the Rufus Supermarket
Data Mining
Data mining is defined usually as data which is being searched and analyzed to find different patterns, relationships and correlations between statistical information. Using computers to access databases it is easier to collect information and data which can then be analysed systematically, this uses advanced techniques to search for relationships. Solutions are then found to certain problems which occur.
Besides governmental uses, many marketers use data mining to find strong consumer patterns and relationships. Large organizations and educational institutions also data mine to find significant correlations that can enhance our society.
Marketers use data mining to help them pin point and focus their attention on certain segments of the market to sell to, and in some cases black hat hackers can use data mining to steal and scam thousands of people.
Use
Data mining could be used within the Rufus Supermarket very effectively to help the company progress and benefit.
Finding patterns within a supermarket with the customers. This can show what type of customer buy which sorts of products. This information can then be processed and if done effectively can be used well. This can help the supermarket decide where to place certain products within the supermarket and also help how many of the products to order based on the sale of the product, (e.g. buy a lot of the products if sales are high, and less products if the sales are low)
This can also help the supermarket see when certain products are bought by customers. For example in the summer more sunglasses and sun cream are bought, this means the supermarket should buy more of these in the summer to increase profits and buy less in winter as they are not on demand as much and the supermarket will loose money. The sale of beer is a good example, the supermarket will know more alcohol is sold on special occasions such as Easter, Christmas, new year. So the supermarket should purchase more alcohol and maybe have special offers, this will increase profits.
Predictive Modelling
Predictive modelling Is the process of a model being created or simply chosen. This model tries to predict the probability of an outcome of certain areas as best it can.
In many cases the model is chosen on the basis of detection theory to try to guess the probability of a signal given a set amount of input data, for example given an email determining how likely that it is spam.
Predictive modeling can involve figuring out and predicting certain information and relationships within data. this can be used to predict which customer would buy which products from the store, and why.
Predictive modelling is used a lot to analyse customer relationship management ant with data mining. This produces models for the customer level, this describes the likelihood of customers taking particular actions. The actions are usually sales, marketing and customer related.
Predictive modeling can help the supermarkets detect and protect themselves against the supermarket. How many sales have been recorded and the area they have been take is a good example of how the supermarket can develop based on the custom
If the supermarket would like to increase their profits predictive modeling should be used to increase the accuracy of the pricing and the sales of stock.
Unit: 3 – Information Systems Assignment: 2
Candidate Number: Z051677 Centre Number: 47303
Name: Neil Gibson Page:
