This research will examine distinctions between database management systems and information systems, two terms that are often used interchangeably. The plan of the research will be to set forth working definitions of the terms and then explain the differences in ways that might help organization executives understand introduction of information technology in the workplace, including precautions that should be observed in the design, engineering, installation, and management of the technology.
The term information system (IS), or information management system, refers to a computer technology-driven architecture around which use of data-processing equipment and software programs are organized. Configuration, or the method of organization, of the information system is designed to enable users to exploit the features of computational, word processing, electronic communications, information input, retrieval, and management, or graphical software programs. Organizations that have multiple computer users typically create a network architecture, so that data and computer programs can be shared by multiple users. A local area network, or LAN, for example, is "a method of connecting computers and their peripherals [e.g., printers, modems] in a limited area, such as an office" (Glossary, 1996, p. 152). Another kind of IS is the Internet, a giant computer network "joined by data lines that communicate using common software standards" (FileMaker 4.0, 1997, p. 11-1). Internet architecture allows users to access and navigate through the World Wide Web, a part of the Internet that is essentially a "collection of documents, or pages, stored on computers around the world called World Wide Web servers" (FileMaker 4.0, 1997, p. 11-1). These pages are also called addresses, and users may navigate from one address to the other with computer software and telecommunications hardware designed for the purpose.
Keyboard terminals connected electronically t...