Executive Information Systems (EIS)Standalone applications designed to meet the information needs of top executives, providing timely, accurate, and highly summarized internal and external data. Today, they are integrated into broader enterprise systems to serve multiple management levels cost-effectively.
Drill downA capability in enterprise systems that provides further details upon follow-up query requests. This process can be performed manually or in an automated manner to help executives investigate specific data points.
Business AnalyticsAn organizational culture and approach that builds and develops analytical tools, methods, and algorithms on the ERP infrastructure. It aims to transform data into insights and knowledge to improve business strategies and operations.
Descriptive AnalyticsThe first level of business analytics, often called reporting analytics, which deals with the current status of the company. It utilizes key performance indicators (KPIs), descriptive statistics, and data visualization tools like dashboards.
Predictive AnalyticsThe second level of business analytics, which aims to reveal future risks and opportunities. It utilizes statistical forecasting, simulation, and data mining techniques like classification, clustering, and association.
Prescriptive AnalyticsThe highest level of business analytics, which provides feasible solutions or recommendations on how to achieve the best performance. It heavily relies on disciplines like operations research, management science, and optimization.
Power QueryA built-in, menu-driven feature in Microsoft Excel that allows users to easily discover, connect, transform, and merge data from multiple public and corporate sources without requiring programming skills.
PowerPivotAn Excel Add-in used to perform powerful data analysis by importing millions of rows of data from multiple sources, creating relationships between heterogeneous data, and building calculated columns.
SolverAn optimization Add-in in Microsoft Excel used for personal prescriptive analytics. It works on spreadsheet versions of mathematical models to find optimal solutions using three distinct solution engines.
Automated Decision SystemA decision support system developed for structured problems that substitutes for the decision maker as long as predefined conditions are satisfied, such as automatically placing inventory orders.
Decision Analytics SystemA decision support system developed for unstructured problems that supports the decision maker's mental scrutiny by providing a robust suite of analytical tools to convert data into insights and actions.
CIA TriadThe foundational model of information security consisting of three core components: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. A deficiency in any of these components compromises system security.
PhishingA cybercrime method where perpetrators design fake websites or send fake emails to earn the trust of users in order to steal their confidential information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.
Web DefacementAn attack where hackers unauthorizedly change the visual appearance of an institution's website, often executed via SQL injection to gain administrative privileges on the website's database.
Atomic TransactionA security control approach where transaction records are sent simultaneously to multiple sources; the process is completed only if all sources successfully store it, otherwise, the entire transaction is canceled.
FirewallA hardware or software security mechanism that controls all incoming and outgoing communication, allowing connections only with trusted sources and blocking unwanted traffic or malware.
Responsibility, Accountability, and LiabilityThe three core elements of ethical actions in information systems. Responsibility means accepting costs; accountability determines who took action; liability permits individuals to seek legal compensation for damages.
