UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2011/2012
FIRST YEAR EXAMINATION FOR THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BIT 1205 SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
DATE: AUGUST, 2012 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question ONE and any other TWO
QUESTION ONE
a) Distinguish between the following set of terms as used in System Analysis and
Design
i. Logical and physical design [2 Marks]
ii. Milestones and Deliverables [2 Marks]
iii. Systems Validation and System Verification [2 Marks]
iv. Probabilistic & deterministic systems [2 Marks]
b) Explain SIX roles played by the System Analyst during Information system
development [6 Marks]
c) Explain FOUR reasons why Information System projects may fail. [4 Marks]
d) Explain the meaning of the following terms [4 Marks]
i. Database architecture.
ii. A database management system (DBMS)
e) Explain what you understand by the term normalization, describing the various
levels of normalization. [8 Marks]
QUESTION TWO
a) Explain FOUR types of system maintenance [6 Marks]
b) Explain THREE benefits of designing programs in a modular way. [6 Marks]
c) Explain the terms cohesion and coupling when applied to structured program
design. [4 Marks]
d) Explain FOUR types of testing [4 Marks]
QUESTION THREE
a) Credit is given to customers who make purchases of at least kshs 20,000 worth of
goods and has a good payment record or have been a customer for at least five
years
Using the above information
i. Draw a decision table [4 Marks]
ii. Write structured English statements [4 Marks]
b) Explain FOUR information system stake-holders [4 Marks]
c) Explain FOUR benefits to be gained from the use of Data Flow Diagrams as a
functional analysis technique. [8 Marks]
QUESTION FOUR
a) Explain the purpose of walkthroughs in system developments and describe briefly
how they are usually carried out. [6 Marks]
b) Using examples and diagrams describe the following concepts used in process
modeling
i. Process
ii. Dataflow
iii. Data store [6 Marks]
c) Explain FOUR tangible benefits & FOUR intangible benefits that organization
realizes as a result of implementing a new system [8 Marks]
QUESTION FIVE
a) Briefly describe the stages involved in a systems development cycle, starting with
the original identification of the problem by management and ending with a report
back on successful (or otherwise) implementation. [6 Marks]
b) What is system conversion [2 Marks]
c) Explain the FOUR methods that may be used during system conversion
[4 Marks]
d) Using examples and diagrams describe the following concepts applied in data
modeling
i. Unary/recursive relationship
ii. Attribute
iii. Entity
iv. Foreign Key
[8 Marks]
