Implementation and System Security

What Implementation and System Security covers

Implementation and System Security is examined in Unit AS 1, Approaches to Systems Development. It covers the purpose of system implementation, direct and parallel changeover, pilot and phased changeover, user documentation, technical documentation, data conversion, the purpose of system maintenance, corrective, adaptive and perfective maintenance, archiving data, backup and recovery, full, differential and incremental backups and disaster recovery plans.

The 12 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• The purpose of system implementationSystem implementation, four activities that take place during implementation and cascade approach to training.Open →
• Direct and parallel changeoverDirect changeover and parallel running.Open →
• Pilot and phased changeoverPilot changeover, phased changeover and four changeover methods.Open →
• User documentationUser documentation, five sections found in a typical user guide and context-sensitive help.Open →
• Technical documentationWhat a maintainer needs that a user does not — the data structure, the module descriptions, the algorithms, the installation details and the reasons behind the decisions — and why it is written as the work is done.Open →
• Data conversionData conversion, two ways in which data can be converted and data cleansing.Open →
• The purpose of system maintenanceSystem maintenance, three events that typically trigger maintenance work and change request.Open →
• Corrective, adaptive and perfective maintenanceThree forms of system maintenance, corrective maintenance and adaptive maintenance.Open →
• Archiving dataData archiving, archiving and backup by their purpose and retention period.Open →
• Backup and recoveryFour events a backup protects an organisation against, backup schedule and recovery point objective.Open →
• Full, differential and incremental backupsFull backup, incremental backup and differential backup.Open →
• Disaster recovery plansDisaster recovery plan, cold site and warm site.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Implementation and System Security further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Archiving vs Backup

  Archiving: moving data no longer needed day to day onto long-term storage and usually deleting the original. Backup: copying data still in use so it can be restored after a loss.

• Corrective maintenance vs Adaptive maintenance

  Corrective maintenance: repairing software that is failing to do what it was specified to do. Adaptive maintenance: changing software that works perfectly well, so that it keeps working when the law, the business or the platform around it changes.

• Data conversion vs Data cleansing

  Data conversion: changing the structure and format of records so a new system can hold them. Data cleansing: correcting the content of those records, removing duplicates and filling gaps.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is meant by system implementation?

   Model answer

   System implementation is the stage in which a tested system is put into live use, covering installation, data conversion, user training, documentation and the changeover from the old way of working.

2. 2

   Name four activities that take place during implementation.

   Model answer

   Implementation installs the hardware and software, converts and loads the existing data, trains the users, and carries out the changeover to the new system.

3. 3

   Why is implementation planned in detail before it begins?

   Model answer

   The organisation must keep working while the change happens, so the order of tasks, the timing and the staff involved are all fixed in advance to keep the disruption short and controlled.

4. 4

   Why is a quiet period often chosen for a changeover?

   Model answer

   A period of low activity, such as overnight or a slack trading season, means fewer transactions are affected if something goes wrong and staff have time to get used to the new system.

5. 5

   Give three methods of training users on a new system.

   Model answer

   Users can be trained in formal classroom sessions, by working through online tutorials at their own pace, or by a trained colleague coaching them at their desk.

6. 6

   What is a cascade approach to training?

   Model answer

   In a cascade approach a small group of staff is trained thoroughly and each of them then trains their own colleagues, so the training spreads quickly and cheaply through a large organisation.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Implementation and System Security revision questions

What does Implementation and System Security cover in CCEA A-Level Digital Technology?

12 subtopics: the purpose of system implementation, direct and parallel changeover, pilot and phased changeover, user documentation, technical documentation, data conversion, the purpose of system maintenance, corrective, adaptive and perfective maintenance, archiving data, backup and recovery, full, differential and incremental backups and disaster recovery plans. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Implementation and System Security organised?

By the CCEA 2650 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.