HSC IPT - Transaction Processing Systems (TPS)
transaction - ANS-A series of events that generates or modifies data and is important to an
organisation, and contains a request, acknowledgement, action and outcome.
request - ANS-The reason for the transaction occurring (e.g. customer needs cash to purchase
food).
acknowledgement - ANS-Recognising that the transaction will occur by performing some action
(such as entering their card into an ATM and entering PIN).
action - ANS-Tasks that are performed in order to process the transaction (e.g. selecting amount
of cash & withdrawing this from ATM).
outcome - ANS-Result of the transaction occurring (e.g. customer now has cash to purchase
food).
Transaction Processing System (TPS) - ANS-Information system responsible for collecting,
storing, and processing of transactions to generate or alter stored data.
General characteristics of a TPS - ANS-- Rapid response - fast response times
- Reliability - reduction in likelihood of errors occurring - especially important due to dealing with
financial data & related to trust
- Inflexibility - all users/participants of a TPS should conform to its own rules about handling
transactions/finances
- Controlled processing - monitoring TPS to ensure procedures are correct through transaction
processing monitor (computer) and humans
batch processing - ANS-Collecting and storing transactions to be processed at some scheduled
time in the future once a sufficient amount of data has been accumulated.
real-time processing - ANS-The processing of transactions as soon as they occur, and thus
modifying any related data as well as updating databases at the time of the event.
Examples of batch processing - ANS-- Utility bills (gas, water, electricity, etc. - person is not
instantaneously charged for using these assets)
- Cheque clearance
- Credit/debit card transactions (to actually clear)
Examples of real-time processing - ANS-- Reservation systems (hotels, airline tickets, concerts,
car hire, etc.)
- Point of Sale transactions, esp. EFTPOS
, Advantages of batch processing - ANS-- Many transactions are completed in a single process,
saving time and money that would otherwise be required for individuals/computers to constantly
do this
- Can be easily automated, and thus completed quickly
- Less chance of human error compared to entering a transaction in real time
- Employees/computers dedicated to processing transactions do not have to wait for another to
come in after completing one
Advantages of real-time processing - ANS-- Transactions are processed immediately after they
occur
- Data within transactions does not conflict/affect other transactions
- More efficient for users - direct processing and access to processed data is available - quicker
feedback
- Allows for quicker data verification
- Only need to alter one transaction's processing if it fails
Disadvantages of batch processing - ANS-- Takes time from transaction occurring to the
processing of the transaction
- Transactions that occur close to the scheduled processing time have ambiguity on whether or
not they will be processed
- Errors on transactions may be missed as they are not verified during processing, only in
collecting
- Error may cause processing to stop until it is rectified
- Data will never be completely current
- Time consuming to process
Disadvantages of real-time processing - ANS-- Not appropriate for all transactions (e.g. utilities)
- Time consuming to both collect and process transactions at the same time
- Time restrictions for transaction to occur - can "time out" if too much time has elapsed
- Processing data continuously can be repetitive, especially for humans
- Restrictions on the number of things that can be processed in single transaction
- Can cause strain on hardware/software and network, especially bandwidth
historical TPS - ANS-Library card catalogue - each book has title and author card with its
location in the library to find it, and when a book is loaned out, a loan card is removed from the
book and stored.
web-based TPS - ANS-TPS where transactions are performed online, and can be either
processed immediately or later on as a batch.
online real-time TPS - ANS-TPS where transactions are processed immediately after data about
them is inputted and collected online.
transaction - ANS-A series of events that generates or modifies data and is important to an
organisation, and contains a request, acknowledgement, action and outcome.
request - ANS-The reason for the transaction occurring (e.g. customer needs cash to purchase
food).
acknowledgement - ANS-Recognising that the transaction will occur by performing some action
(such as entering their card into an ATM and entering PIN).
action - ANS-Tasks that are performed in order to process the transaction (e.g. selecting amount
of cash & withdrawing this from ATM).
outcome - ANS-Result of the transaction occurring (e.g. customer now has cash to purchase
food).
Transaction Processing System (TPS) - ANS-Information system responsible for collecting,
storing, and processing of transactions to generate or alter stored data.
General characteristics of a TPS - ANS-- Rapid response - fast response times
- Reliability - reduction in likelihood of errors occurring - especially important due to dealing with
financial data & related to trust
- Inflexibility - all users/participants of a TPS should conform to its own rules about handling
transactions/finances
- Controlled processing - monitoring TPS to ensure procedures are correct through transaction
processing monitor (computer) and humans
batch processing - ANS-Collecting and storing transactions to be processed at some scheduled
time in the future once a sufficient amount of data has been accumulated.
real-time processing - ANS-The processing of transactions as soon as they occur, and thus
modifying any related data as well as updating databases at the time of the event.
Examples of batch processing - ANS-- Utility bills (gas, water, electricity, etc. - person is not
instantaneously charged for using these assets)
- Cheque clearance
- Credit/debit card transactions (to actually clear)
Examples of real-time processing - ANS-- Reservation systems (hotels, airline tickets, concerts,
car hire, etc.)
- Point of Sale transactions, esp. EFTPOS
, Advantages of batch processing - ANS-- Many transactions are completed in a single process,
saving time and money that would otherwise be required for individuals/computers to constantly
do this
- Can be easily automated, and thus completed quickly
- Less chance of human error compared to entering a transaction in real time
- Employees/computers dedicated to processing transactions do not have to wait for another to
come in after completing one
Advantages of real-time processing - ANS-- Transactions are processed immediately after they
occur
- Data within transactions does not conflict/affect other transactions
- More efficient for users - direct processing and access to processed data is available - quicker
feedback
- Allows for quicker data verification
- Only need to alter one transaction's processing if it fails
Disadvantages of batch processing - ANS-- Takes time from transaction occurring to the
processing of the transaction
- Transactions that occur close to the scheduled processing time have ambiguity on whether or
not they will be processed
- Errors on transactions may be missed as they are not verified during processing, only in
collecting
- Error may cause processing to stop until it is rectified
- Data will never be completely current
- Time consuming to process
Disadvantages of real-time processing - ANS-- Not appropriate for all transactions (e.g. utilities)
- Time consuming to both collect and process transactions at the same time
- Time restrictions for transaction to occur - can "time out" if too much time has elapsed
- Processing data continuously can be repetitive, especially for humans
- Restrictions on the number of things that can be processed in single transaction
- Can cause strain on hardware/software and network, especially bandwidth
historical TPS - ANS-Library card catalogue - each book has title and author card with its
location in the library to find it, and when a book is loaned out, a loan card is removed from the
book and stored.
web-based TPS - ANS-TPS where transactions are performed online, and can be either
processed immediately or later on as a batch.
online real-time TPS - ANS-TPS where transactions are processed immediately after data about
them is inputted and collected online.
