Specification and Design of an Information System Using Computer Aided Analysis

This paper describes the use of computer aided analysis for t.he d:2siqn and development of an integrated financial management system by the Navy Material Command Support Activity. Computer aided-analysis consists of a set of procedures a~d computer proqrdrns specifically designed to aid in the process of applications software design, computer selection and performance evaluation. computer aided analysis consists of four major components: P~oblern Statement Language, Problem Statement Analvzer, r;"merator of t,lternativc Desiqns, and Perfor~ance Evaluator. ~he statement of requirements was written in ADS (Accurately Defined Systems) and analyzed by a Problem Statement Analyzer for ADS developed at the University of Michigan and extended at Purdue University. The ADS problem definition was supplemented with additional inf~ation in order to create a complete problem definition. The analyzed problem statement was then translated to the form necessary for use by the SODA (Systems Optimization and Design Algorithm) program for the generation of alternatives and performance evaluation. Fundamental to the SODA approaoh is the automatic generation of designs of program structure and data structure. This is the point at which SODA differs from the commercially available simulation packages. It was necessary to supplement the ADS definition with additional information needed to perform the SODA analysis. This additional information was defined in SODA Statement Language. The paper focuses on the use of ADS as a problem definition technique and the use of SODA as a design aid for the specification of program modules and logical data base structure. The procedures and programs described are presently being incorporated into a framework that facilitates man-machine interaction for problem definition and information systems design . • Computer Sciences Department Purdue University· ~~st Lafayette, Indiana 47906 SPECIfICATIO:J AND DESIGN OF A:J INFORMATION SYSTEM USING COMPUTER AIDED ANALYSIS. J. F. Nunamaker, Jr. by Thomas Ho, Benn Konsynski and Carl Singer