When i was at college studying B.IT (some years ago ) we were using programs like SSADM. Structured System Analysis Design Method was basically a program that lets you design dataflow diagrams so that you could analyze systems before attacking them with coding. My question is are these methods still used today. The program was first introduced in the early 80's and was still being used into the 90's. Has anything taken it's place or is it still widely used? If it's still used i will do a basic tutorial on this if any one is interested.
B_B, If someone showed me that page and asked me to explain it, i would be well and truly stumped myself. I think you must have picked the worst page possible, or maybe it's like a 'phobia' of pages and pages of just long winded bullshit that most of us have.
Now as you are interested i will gladly write a tut on this but it might take a few days. To get a better idea of what ssadm is take a look here:
That gives just the basic outline which i will go into and post here and when its finished you can move it to the tutorial section if that is ok. I should be able to start this tomorrow night.
ahhh....NOW I know what SSADM is about, on the page I looked I understood about 5%...maybe even less....
that's very interesting, Maboroshi did something similar in context with data package flows/transmission protocols...I'm looking forward to your tut!
Now as you all know i am not a programmer and although i learned the basics of Cobol at the same time i learned SSADM which brings me to the point why i am still here on suck-o trying to learn new more up to date options rather than going back to where i left off from college. I have looked at a few examples of basic Cobol on the web and can understand it still a little and thats about as far as i want to go into it any more unless i feel otherwise later in life after i have accomplished what i am trying to do at the moment( learn to program 1. Ruby 2.VB 3. C and C++ and 4. Java Script plus a few more).
It shouldn't matter whether you want to use 3GLs (3rd generation programming language) or 4GLs (4th generation programming language) or any low level programming language for that matter, SSADM should be the starting point of administration of any system used in business.
For this tut i will use a two part focal point on a fictitious business. The first part will be based on
a) time management and how to implement a system into a business
and secondly
b) analyzing an older system and using it to develop a newer system which i will use the basics of the above to make it easier to understand.
For this tutorial i will use a jewelers as the business looking to move on and get a system to help them with the day to day running of the company. The first thing you would have to do is analyze how they operate and build a questionnaire. This should really build itself as you will notice it should be a based on the companies business handling, for eg. How the transactions are handled and the processes it goes through. This part of the process is called the 'Feasibility Study'
The three most important modeling techniques used in analyzing and building information systems are: Data Flow Diagramming (DFDs), Logical Data Structure modeling (LDSs), and Entity Life Histories (ELHs)
The first one we shall look at is DFD's model events and processes(i.e. activities which transform data) within a system. DFDs examine how data flows into, out of, and within the system.
In a DFD model we have four main components.
1. Data store
2. Process
3. External entity
4. Data flow
The first three are usually represented by shapes and data flow is represented with lines, it does not really matter which you use as long as each corresponds as needed. So lets say that:
1.Data Store = Square
2.Process = circle
3.External entity = rectangle
4.Data Flow = line with markings showing direction
These will expand as we go on for example it just depends on what each represents or eg.
The data store maybe manual or electronic like either a filing cabinet or a database or the process maybe manual or electronic....or what would you call a 'cash dispenser'....is it a process or is it a data store? hope this explains a little.
So back to the project...... so off I pop to my fictitious jewelers to get some information on how the day to day business is going and how they run it and then back to work to to start on the DFD, and here's what it would basically look like.
the Customer (External entity) goes to (Data Flow) the jewelers (Data Store) and purchases (process) a ring from the counter (Data Store) and pays (process) the shop keeper (external entity) who then walks to (data flow) the cash register (process and data store) and walks back (Data Flow) to the customer(external entity) with his receipt.
This would then be represented on a SSADM DFD chart like such:-
*off topic* it will be basic.....it takes a few men many years to do a project like this is, its just to explain how it works. And i am going to try and go right through the full spectrum of this and it might take a few months to complete so please bare with me. Notice at the top i said a few days =P. Things are always easier in the mind than in practice XD.
*I will keep editing this with diagrams as i get time*
K guys, i am going to try and get the first section done before Tuesday and then I'm off on a long deserved break for 2 weeks on my holidays, my first in 6 years and my first ever break thats lasted longer than a week. This is taking longer than expected as I'm really stressed out at the moment and have too much on and not enough time to do it in. Suppose if i had nothing to do then it's reason to complain
) we were using programs like SSADM. Structured System Analysis Design Method was basically a program that lets you design dataflow diagrams so that you could analyze systems before attacking them with coding. My question is are these methods still used today. The program was first introduced in the early 80's and was still being used into the 90's. Has anything taken it's place or is it still widely used? If it's still used i will do a basic tutorial on this if any one is interested. 
