PART 2: SHORT ANWSER
Lecture 1
1. Briefly describe 5 advantages for integrating legacy systems.
Adaptable systems and processes
Streamlined business processes
Management information
Support for electronic commerce
Integrated security
Replaceable components
Reliable and recoverable systems
Economies of scale
2. Building and maintaining options is an important system engineering heuristic.
Why must system engineers follow this heuristic?
System engineers must follow the heuristic of building and
maintaining options to ensure flexibility, adaptability, and
resilience in system design.
Lecture 2
3. Recommend and briefly justify a System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) (or a hybrid
SDLC) for integrating a small company’s financial and accounting system with a
human resource system that must contain consistent information.
I recommend the Agile-Waterfall hybrid SDLC for
integrating a small company's financial and accounting
system with its HR system. This hybrid model uses
Waterfall for thorough initial planning and design,
ensuring a solid foundation, and Agile for flexible, iterative
development and testing, allowing for continuous
feedback and adjustments, ensuring consistent and
accurate information across both systems.
4. Describe 3 disadvantages of the Agile software development lifecycle?
Disadvantages of Agile include scope creep,
less predictability,
need for highly skilled teams,
Lack of Documentation,
integration challenges,
and the requirement for constant client involvement.
Lecture 3
5. Using a table, compare and contrast the 3 different integration styles –
Presentation, Data, and Functional integration.
Presentation Data Functional
Integration
Focus
Applicability
Technology
Standards
6. What does “Coupling” mean with respect to system integration?
Coupling defines the degree of integration. Loose coupling is
where the integra- tion is dependent on a few discrete
interfaces. Strong coupling is usually where implementation
dependencies occur
Lecture 5
7. Briefly Describe 3 problems that can arise from integrating systems with different
naming services.
Naming–All entities have a name and can be found
• Every entity sees the entire system as the same set of
objects
--Integrating different systems will cause problems in
resolving duplicative names
-- Different types of name services have different
attributes associated with the registered entities
--The system may periodically be in an inconsistent state
• Defined interfaces to entities
--Entities don’t have interfaces to register with the name
service
-- Mismatched protocols
• Users/Objects know how to find other system entities
-- Entities make assumptions about their environment
8. Describe a design technique for ensuring that systems are reliable.
Lecture 6
9. Provide an example of what could go wrong if “Isolation” is not enforced in a
system.
Lecture 7
10. Why does a system integrator have to be concerned about overlapping functionality
in applications.(The students should be able to provide 2-3 reasons. Below are some
examples of possible answers)
Lecture 8
11. Why are the “Integration Guidelines” important when designing an integrated
system?
12. A system that integrated data that changes within minutes, such as stock prices or
movement locations, may not want to store that information in a relational
database. Why?
13. How many ways to integrate 2 applications with? Please tell me the
advantages and disadvantages of each type?
Lecture 10
nd rd
14. What are the advantages and disadvantages of 2 and 3 normalization
forms for databases.
15. What are the advantages and disadvantages of creating a separate
database that contains redundant information from all the integrated
applications?
Lecture 11
16. What are some of the security risks in outsourcing software development (you
should be able to come up with at least 3 risks specifically related to outsourcing
software development).
Lecture 13
17. Explain why selecting the middleware is a critical system integration decision.
18. How many types middle ware do you have?
Lecture 14
19. What is the purpose of network integration?
Lecture 15
You demonstrate in Enterprise Integrated Architecture.
Lecture 6
8. Describe a design technique for ensuring that systems are reliable:
Redundancy: Incorporating backup components like hardware, software, or
networks to ensure the system continues functioning if one part fails.
Example: RAID in storage systems.
9. Example of what could go wrong if “Isolation” is not enforced:
Example: Shared database transactions between modules without isolation can lead
to data corruption, inconsistent states, or deadlocks, especially when concurrent
updates occur.
Lecture 7
10. Why does a system integrator need to address overlapping functionality?
1. Increased complexity: Redundant features create confusion in system usage.
2. Resource waste: Duplication leads to unnecessary development and maintenance
costs.
3. Conflicts: Overlapping functions can cause data inconsistency or operational
conflicts.
11. Why are “Integration Guidelines” important?
They ensure compatibility, scalability, and interoperability between components,
reducing errors during system integration.
12. Why avoid relational databases for rapidly changing data like stock prices?
Relational databases may have high latency and overhead due to schema
constraints, making them unsuitable for real-time data updates.
13. Ways to integrate two applications:
1. Point-to-point integration:
o Advantage: Simple for small systems.
o Disadvantage: Not scalable; hard to maintain.
2. Middleware-based integration:
o Advantage: Centralized control and scalability.
o Disadvantage: Initial setup cost.
3. API-based integration:
o Advantage: Flexibility and ease of use.
o Disadvantage: Dependency on API reliability.
Lecture 10
14. Advantages and disadvantages of 2nd and 3rd Normalization Forms:
2NF Advantages: Eliminates partial dependencies, reduces data redundancy.
2NF Disadvantages: Still vulnerable to transitive dependencies.
3NF Advantages: Removes transitive dependencies, ensures data integrity.
3NF Disadvantages: Can lead to complex queries and slower performance.
15. Advantages and disadvantages of a redundant, separate database:
Advantages: Speeds up reporting and reduces load on operational systems.
Disadvantages: Higher storage requirements and potential synchronization issues.
Lecture 11
16. Security risks in outsourcing software development:
1. Data breaches: Sensitive information might be exposed.
2. IP theft: Outsourced developers may misuse intellectual property.
3. Loss of control: Limited oversight of security practices.
17. Why is middleware selection critical?
Middleware ensures compatibility, scalability, and performance of integrated
systems. A poor choice can lead to bottlenecks and failures.
18. Types of middleware:
1. Message-oriented: For asynchronous communication.
2. RPC-based: For procedure calls.
3. Database middleware: For seamless database access.
Lecture 14
19. Purpose of network integration:
To enable seamless communication and data exchange between different systems,
ensuring interoperability and consistent performance.
Lecture 15
You demonstrate in Enterprise Integrated Architecture:
A holistic view of how systems, processes, and data interact in a business context to
optimize integration, scalability, and efficiency.
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