Information Systems & Technology Flashcards

What is the role of metadata in information systems?

Answer: It provides data about data, describing the structure, context, and meaning of information

Metadata describes data attributes such as its origin, format, date created, and relationships, making information easier to find, manage, and use.

In enterprise information systems, what does SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) enable?

Answer: Reuse of software services across different applications through standardized interfaces

SOA enables software components (services) to communicate over a network via standardized interfaces, promoting reuse and interoperability across enterprise applications.

Which of the following is a key characteristic of cloud-based information systems?

Answer: On-demand resource scalability with pay-per-use pricing

Cloud-based systems offer on-demand scalability, allowing organizations to increase or decrease computing resources and pay only for what they use.

What is the primary function of middleware in an information system?

Answer: To act as a bridge enabling communication between different software applications

Middleware is software that sits between operating systems and applications, facilitating communication and data management across disparate systems.

An IMST professional is evaluating a system's ability to handle increased workload without performance degradation. What characteristic are they assessing?

Answer: Scalability

Scalability refers to a system's capacity to grow and manage increased demand—in users, data volume, or transactions—without loss of performance.

What is a key difference between structured and unstructured data in information systems?

Answer: Structured data fits neatly into predefined fields (e.g., databases), while unstructured data does not follow a predefined model

Structured data conforms to a defined schema (like rows and columns in a database), whereas unstructured data—such as emails, images, and videos—lacks a predefined format.