Maintenance

Following the installation of the new system, it will need to be maintained. There will be different types of system maintenance that will need to be carried out on the system as-well as detailed documentation that would need to be made.

System Maintenance

Maintenance Documentation

A systems analyst produces maintenance documentation. The typical contents of this documentation would include:-

• Any form of diagrams used in analysis and design.

• Descriptions of procedures and subroutines used.

• The data structure:

  • • What data structures have been used, database table designs and any other information about what data needs to be stored.

• Algorithm designs:

  • • Algorithms will normally be presented in pseudo-code or flowchart form.

• Annotated code listings:

  • • Code listings that abide by the coding standards set out by the development company. Normally self-documenting and/or annotated.

• Variable lists:

  • • Lists of the key variables listing their data types and purpose. More temporary variables, such as loop counters, would not be included.

• Data dictionary:

  • • This will describe all of the fields that need to be stored in the data structure including data type, size, relationship with other tables and a description.

• Design documents:

  • • Any relevant documentation from design phase.

• Hardware and software requirements.

  • • Performance

    • Storage

    • Networking

    • Compatibility

    • Operating system

• Configuration guide and options:

  • • How the system can be configured, which could be through a menu system or by editing configuration files.