Documenting an AIS II

1. Millennium Insurance of Asheville, NC processes its auto insurance policies on a batch oriented computer system with magnetic disk storage. Customers send requests for auto insurance into the sales office, where sales clerks prepare policy request forms. They file a copy of the form and forward the original to the input preparation section, where data entry clerks use networked PCs to key and key-verify the data contained on the documents to a disk ("policy requests"). Each evening, computer operations retrieves the policy request data from the network, edits the data on the computer for accuracy, sorts the data in policy number sequence, and prints a summary report listing the edited policy requests. The summary report is sent to the sales office, where the sales clerks compare the report to the copy of the policy request form that they previously filed. If everything checks out, they notify computer operations to go ahead with processsing. When notified, computer operations processes the correct policy request data against the policyholder master data to create a new policy record. Each evening, a disk, which was created during the processing run, is used to print premium notices that are sent to the customer.

2. Documenting an AIS II Flowcharts

3. Type of Flowcharts • Document • Shows flow of document through areas of responsibility • Origination to final disposition • Used to analyze internal controls • System • Identifies the input into an AIS, the processing of the input and the output • Shows the processing steps but not the logic • Program • Shows the computer logic of the processing steps

4. Suprina Systems Flowchart with an Enterprise Database

5. Flowchart Symbols: input/output On line keying Document Journal/Ledger Display Transmittal Tape (batch total) Multiple copies of one document CRT Display, Personal Computer

6. FC Symbols: processing Computer Process Auxiliary (offline) Process Manual Process

7. FC Symbols: storage Magnetic Tape Magnetic Disk File On line storage

8. FC symbols: other Terminal Decision On page connector Annotation Off page connector

9. Flowchart these segments • Keyed online to a remote computer • Filed a document numerically • Scanned a document to an online system • Received a check from a customer • Reviewed a document and then stored it in a file

10. Name this symbol:

11. Flowchart Symbols in Excel

12. Common System Flowcharting Routines (cont’d) Enter document into computer via keyboard, edit input, record input.

13. Common System Flowcharting Routines (cont’d) User queries the computer

14. Common System Flowcharting Routines (cont’d) Update sequential data store

15. Common System Flowcharting Routines (cont’d) Preparation and later manual reconciliation of control totals.

16. Common System Flowcharting Routines (cont’d) Key and key verify inputs

17. Common System Flowcharting Routines (cont’d) Enter document intocomputer using a scanner

18. Common System Flowcharting Routines (cont’d) Enter document into computer using scanner and manual keying

19. Flowchart steps • Work from Table of entities and activities • Set up a column for each internal entity • Draw top to bottom, left to right • Sandwich rule: document process document • Never lose a document • Storage • Terminal

20. Preparing Systems Flowcharts • Divide the flowchart into columns; one column for each internal entity and one for each external entity. Label each column. • Flowchart columns should be laid out so that the flowchart activities flow from left to right. But, minimize crossed lines and connectors. • Flowchart logic should flow from top to bottom and from left to right. For clarity, put arrows on all flow lines.

21. Preparing Systems Flowcharts (cont’d) • Keep the flowchart on one page, if possible. With multiple pages use off-page connectors. • Within each column, there must be at least one manual process, keying operation, or data store between documents. Do not directly connect documents within the same column. • When crossing organizational lines (one column to another), show a document at both ends of the flow line unless the connection is so short that the intent is unambiguous.

22. Preparing Systems Flowcharts (cont’d) • Documents or reports printed in a computer facility should be shown in that facility’s column first. You can then show the document or report going to the destination unit. • Documents or reports printed by a centralized computer facility on equipment located in another organizational unit should not be shown within the computer facility.

23. Preparing Systems Flowcharts (cont’d) • Processing within an organizational unit on devices such as a PC, laptop, or computerized cash register should be shown within the unit or as a separate column next to that unit, but not in the central computer facility column. • Sequential processing steps (computerized or manual) with no delay between them (and resulting from the same input) can be shown as one process or as a sequence of processes.

24. Preparing Systems Flowcharts (cont’d) • The only way to get data into or out of a computer data storage unit is through a computer processing rectangle or offline process square. • Manual process is not needed to show the sending of a document; sending should be apparent from the movement of the document. • Do not use manual processes to file documents; show documents going into files.

25. Lab 2 • Lab 2: Millenium: (P4-7) Prepare a flowchart • Use Excel • Upload to Entropy before class: Flowchart • Work with your partner; one document uploaded for each team; Make sure both names are on the document

26. Webster Table of Entities

27. Webster DFD