Lecture 04EX2S - Ch 3 - Exercises Part 2 SOLUTIONS
Answers are shown with blue color.
Question 1. (Question 3.1 from the textbook)
Prepare flowcharting segments for each of the following operations:
a) processing transactions stored on a sequential medium such as a magnetic tape to update a
master file stored on magnetic tape
b) processing transactions stored on magnetic tape to update a database
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c) querying a database and printing the query result
d) using a terminal to enter paper-based source document data and send it to a remote location
where a corporate computer updates the company database.
e) using a terminal to query your customer sales database
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f) a scheduled automatic backup of a database to an external hard drive
g) use a terminal to enter employee hours recorded on time cards to update both the payroll
transaction file and the wage data in the payroll master file
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h) use a terminal to access a price list in the sales database to complete a purchase order. An
electronic copy of the purchase order is sent to the vendor and a backup copy is printed and
filed by vendor name
i) make an airline reservation online from your home computer
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Question 2. (Question 3.2.a from the textbook)
“At the Barsus steel factory, employees have to enter their working hours on data input terminals and the job code for each
project they work on. They enter the starting time and the time they stop working on each project. The international head office
of Barsus receives the job-time data electronically every day. Not all divisions of Barsus are equipped with the electronic system;
some of them still work with paper job-time tickets. These tickets are mailed weekly and scanned at the head office, where the
data is stored digitally. The payroll database is updated weekly based on the job-time tickets. All employees are paid
electronically and therefore no checks are printed; instead, the payroll system deposits an employee’s net pay in the employee’s
bank account. Payments are made to government tax bodies. All disbursements are accompanied by a report summarizing the
disbursement. The system also produces pay stub data that is stored in a payroll transaction file that is accessible to employees
over the internet. An electronic summary payroll report is created and sent to the payroll supervisor.”
Prepare a system flowchart for Barsus steel factory payroll processing.
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Question 3. (Question 3.5 from the textbook)
As an internal auditor for No-Wear Products, You have been asked to document the company's payroll
processing system. Based on your documentation, No-Wear Products hopes to develop a plan for
revising the current system to eliminate unnecessary delays in paycheck processing. The head payroll
clerk explained the system:
“The payroll processing system at nowhere products is fairly simple. Time data are recorded in each department using time
cards and clocks. It is annoying, however, when people forget to punch out at night, we have to record their time by hand. At the
end of the period, our payroll clerks entered the time card data into payroll file for processing. Our clerks are pretty good, do I've
had to make my share of corrections when they mess up the data entry.
Before the payroll file is processed for the current period, human resources sends us personal changes, such as increases in pay
rates and new employees. Our clerks enter this data into the payroll file. Usually, when mistakes get back to us, it's because
human resources is recording a wrong pay rate or an employee has left and the department forgets to remove the record.
The data are processed an individual employee paychecks are generated. Several reports are generated for management,
though I don't know what they do with them. In addition, the government requires regular federal and state withholding reports
for tax purposes. Currently the system generates these reports automatically, which is nice.”
a) Prepare a context diagram and Level 0 DFD to document the payroll processing system at No-
Wear Products.
Context diagram:
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Level 0 Data Flow Diagram (DFD):
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b) Prepare a document flowchart to document the payroll processing system at No-Wear Products.
Flowchart:
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Question 4. (Question 3.8 from the textbook)
“A mail-order skin and body care company advertises in magazines. Magazine subscribers initiate most
orders by completing and sending coupons directly to the company. The firm also takes orders by phone,
answers inquiries about products, and handles payments and cancellations of orders. Products that have
been ordered are sent either directly to the customer or to the company's regional offices that handle the
required distribution. The mail-order company has three basic data files, which contain customer mailing
information, product inventory information, and billing information based on invoice number. During the
next few years. the company expects to become a multimillion dollar operation. Recognizing the need to
computerize much of the mail-order business, the company has begun the process by calling you.”
Draw a context diagram and at least two levels of DFDs for the preceding operations.
Context diagram:
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Level 0 Data Flow Diagram:
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Level 1 Data Flow Diagram:
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Question 5. (Question 3.10 from the textbook)
Prepare a context diagram and a Level 0 DFD for each of the following situations:
a) Prepare and file a tax return with the tax owed to the Internal Revenue Service.
Context Diagram:
Level 0 Data Flow Diagram (DFD):
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b) A customer pays an invoice with a check. Accounts receivable is updated to reflect the payment.
The check is recorded and deposited into the bank.
Context Diagram:
Level 0 Data Flow Diagram (DFD):
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c) A customer places an online order to purchase merchandise. The order is approved, filled, and
sent to the customer with an invoice.
Context Diagram:
Level 0 Data Flow Diagram (DFD):
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d) An inventory request is received by the purchasing department. The purchasing department
prepares and sends a purchase order to the appropriate vendor.
Context Diagram:
Level 0 Data Flow Diagram (DFD):
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e) A vendor invoice is received, reviewed, and compared against the appropriate purchase order,
then paid and filed.
Context Diagram:
Level 0 Data Flow Diagram (DFD):
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f) A bill of lading for ordered inventory is received from a vendor, recorded, checked against the
appropriate purchase order, and filed.
Context Diagram:
Level 0 Data Flow Diagram (DFD):
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Question 6. (“Comprehensive Problem” from the textbook)
Prepare a document flow chart for the following system:
“SoftData, a vendor, sends an invoice to Accuflow for data warehousing support services. The invoice is
sent directly to Megan Waters, the accounts payable clerk, who manually records the invoice in the
accounts payable subsidiary Ledger. Once the invoice is recorded, it is forwarded to stand Phillips, the
cash disbursements clerk, for processing. Stan prepares a check to pay the invoice and sends the check
and invoice to John Sterling, the company treasurer. John approves and signs the check and cancels the
invoice. John then mails the check to SoftData and returns the canceled invoice to Stan for recording in
the cash disbursements journal and filing. Once a week, Megan manually posts disbursements from the
cash disbursement journal to the accounts payable subsidiary ledger.”
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