Weeks 6 and 7

Aargh! Forgot to blog for week 6 - I blame Good Friday and the break-that-wasn't-much-of-a-break. So I'll try and cover both now.

Week 6 looked at use case modelling. A use case is a single function, that is performed by the system, for those that use that function, and are shown on the diagram as bubbles. Actors (love using film terms!) represent the user, and are represented on the diagrams by stick figures (much easier to remember than flow chart symbols). A line is drawn between the actor and the bubble, not to show a data flow, only to show that they participate. A big circle around the outside shows the system boundary. We then learnt how to write use case detailed descriptions, and about activity diagrams, and the system sequence diagram (which Grace does not like as they show the system as an object, which is incorrect). The tutorial then involved understanding the narrative, and then writing (again with an over-simplified example, our class always ends up in discussions as to what to include and what not, and how these systems supposedly work in RL). We also began to create the diagrams, but had a problem in that due to the week before's virus outbreak all the computers had been wiped. Someone forgot to reinstall Visual Paradigm, which was clever, so Grace showed us in Rational Rose, which was good, but as we can't use it at home makes it a touch hard for the assignment. It was still one of the better tutorials in that it had a better structure to it.

Week 7 signalled the end of analysis (and a subtle hint the assignment is due soon). It was a shorter lecture, and more review than anything else. It looked at requirements, the system's enviroment, and implementation. There was more of the buy vs. build, and in-house vs. outsource question, and some information on the variations on obtaining systems (including ERP, which I had to do a 1,500 word essay on implementing during the break). There was also some matrixes (is it matrixes or matrices? I can't remember) to help in the selection of an alternative, which I found interesting, and something that could be quite useful. We also looked at Request for Proposals, a document I hadn't heard of before (which surprised me). The tutorial was further revision still, going through each of the diagrams for an example (a video store, which reminded me of one of the questions on the FIT1004 exam last semester, and is vaguely multimedia related, which is always nice).

I'd thought I'd mention here too that I have been trying to make an effort to download and listen to the interviews on the PODcast. I must admit they've been a nice size, so my internet connection can handle them, as compared to some of the other podcasts I've downloaded in the past. I'd do it at uni, but I don't think iTunes would agree with the WiFi network and the proxy server. Anyway, I particulary enjoyed Episode 4 with Jacob, who contracts out to producers to make screens for the screen :P I'm a multimedia student, who wants to go into film, and yet had never considered the fact there was actually someone out there making those screens. Very cool. It's nice when the core units try to add in a bit of a multimedia element, as sometimes the units can feel rather unrelated to the rest of the degree.

And now, I must go back to working on the assignment. I've only just managed to begin on it properly this week, as I had two due Monday, and another one the week before. All is going fairly smoothly so far, but as I have another due on the same day as this, I think time is going to get a little tight once again. Anyway, shall just have to wait and see.

Week 5

Have just discovered I hadn't yet posted about week 5; shall do so now.

This week's lecture consisted mainly of diagrams. Lots of DFDs in particular. They started with level 0 (context diagram) which is an event partitioned system model, through to logical and physical DFDs. I did learn some bits and pieces - I didn't realise that the numbering on DFDs is purely identification, and I'd never thought of a DFD as being broken into "fragments", I'd only thought of them as subsystems. I like the idea of fragments better. I also had never heard of applying the 7+-2 rule to DFDs. Its a rule I know quite a bit about from year 12 Psychology (a subject I miss very much) and does make sense. Along with the fact that lines shouldn't be crossing on high quality DFDs, a rule which I have broken in the past :(

I had also never heard of the black hole and miracle problems. A black hole is where information goes in but never comes out (i.e. is an unnecessary data input), and a miracle is an impossible data output. (I do like the fact they have rather obvious names to remember, should make life easier come exam time, and not to mention black holes has me thinking of the film Zathura, which my brother had on the other day when he was sick.)

We also looked at information engineering (another method of design which believes data is more important than the process), process dependency diagrams and activity-location and activity-data matrixes.

Overall the lecture was pretty good, followed by a tutorial that wasn't too bad, but I can't remember much about it! Was pushed of my brain slightly by coming home and finding a virus on my USB key, which was different to the one they were having issues with in the labs. Anyway, was a pretty good week SAD wise :)