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The Student Information System is built on the latest and arguably the best technology available to large scale database development, the Oracle Database Management System. The Oracle Corporation provide a set of development tools which have permitted the System Designers to produce a high quality System which, most importantly, is tailored to the needs of you, the user.
To fully understand the System it is necessary to understand the terminology used in, and to describe, the System. Terms used within the System and this manual are described throughout this chapter.
The fact that, for many, this System will introduce unfamiliar technology, with a new way of performing most functions and a new set of terminology, may at first appear daunting. The beauty of this technology is that it has been developed to be easy to learn, understand and use.
If you have experience with Windows or Macintosh Systems you will be able to readily apply that experience to this System.
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
The System is designed using Oracle Forms 4, which provides a graphical user interface. This means that you see data on your computer screens contained within forms which determine, among other things, the layout of the screens. You can operate the System by the use of a keyboard and/or by using a mouse or other pointing device. Use of a mouse permits selection of menu items, fields etc. with a simple point and click action. A GUI interface provides many other useful features which are described in detail throughout this chapter.
The term client - server describes a method of managing large computer applications so that performance and costs are optimised. Client - server technology provides for a sharing of the computing load between your desktop computer (the client) and a central computer (the server). Usually many clients are connected to one or more servers.
The Student Information System utilises client-server technology by mounting parts of the System which remain relatively static, on your desktop computer (this also provides for the quickest possible response times from these parts of the System) and other parts of the System which are relatively dynamic or which require a central database on the server.
Efficiencies are achieved where the client machine performs tasks which previously would have been handled by a central computer. This reduces the load on the server, enhancing performance.
Last Modified on 20 January, 2004