Monash University

Leader(s): Judy Sheard/Mike Smith

Offered

Clayton First semester 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit, together with FIT3009, provides a top-to-bottom coverage of e-Business Systems. The emphasis in this unit (FIT2013) is on the technologies used to implement e-Business Systems, ie. the low level of such systems. Although this unit is entirely suitable for a future developer of e-Business Systems, it is optimally targeted at future managers of such development. Thus practical exercises will be illustrative rather than industrial strength and technology issues will be given equal coverage with technology details. The primary aim of the unit is to familiarise students with as many of the currently popular e-Business technologies as possible so that their design and implementation decisions in the future will be informed and therefore produce successful systems with a high degree of probability.
Five aspects of e-Business System technologies are dealt with; namely, data, architecture, programming, implementation issues and standards. The unit begins with a study of common technologies used to format data into messages. These messages, suitably choreographed and transported, are the fundamental atoms of e-Business System transactions. Technologies for transporting, transforming and querying these messages are therefore also examined. Next the architectures (nodes and connections) along which these messages travel are discussed. The architecture nodes require processing capabilities which leads to a study of e-Business distributed programming. Real e-Business systems require security, load and fault tolerance. These topics are covered before the subject of e-Business standards is examined. Here students are made aware of existing isolated standards and more sophisticated standards frameworks which currently are proposed or exist. The importance of adhering to these standards is emphasised.

Objectives

To acquire the Knowledge and Understanding of the following aspects of e-Business Systems, in order to:

1. be familar with Data - formats, schemas, transformation, querying, Message formats (EDI, XML, DTD, XML Schema, SOAP, SWA etc), Message transformation and querying (XPath, XSLT, XQuery), Transport protocols and their formats;
2. understand the workings of Technical Architectures - Successful e-Business Patterns (EAI, B2B, B2C), N-tier Architectures, Middleware, N-tier nodes (Message Brokering, LDAP, etc), Supply Chain Architectures;
3. identify a variety of Programming solutions - Distributed programming models, Processing balance, Client side, Server side, Current IDEs and programming technologies;
4. recognise Implementation Issues - Load Balancing, Fault tolerance, Security (encryption, transport and document level, Digital Signatures, SSL, TSL, Access Control Standards);
5. use appropriate e-Business Standards - Standards Bodies (IETF, W3C, OASIS, OAGIS etc), Business document and business process description standards, Examples (Web Services).

To develop the following Attitudes, Values and Beliefs:

6. An appreciation that e-Business Systems are better designed and managed by professionals with a sound knowledge of the technologies used to build these systems;
7. An appreciation that underlying technologies often directly impact the Business goals of an e-Business System via constraints and opportunities presented by the technologies;
8. A belief that all existing technologies in back-end systems can be integrated by appropriate middleware;
9. Value the importance of choosing to use established technology Standards where possible.

To develop the following Practical Skills:

10. Develop a small e-Business system (B2B or B2C and IDE/implement the appropriate technology;
11. Create an appropriate Technical Architecture for a specified, non-trivial e-Business solution;
12. create XML documents, schemas for these documents, transforming and querying such documents using fundamental XML skills.

In addition, it is expected that the following Relationships, Communication and Team Work skills will be developed and enhanced:

13. Identify and Communicate the technical opportunities and problems associated with a particular technical solution to a business solution;
14. Understand the relationship between Business and Technical analysts within an e-Business System Development.

Assessment

Examination: 60%
Assignments: 40%
Students must pass the examination in order to pass the unit.

Contact hours

4 x contact hrs/week

Prerequisites

FIT1002 or BUS1060 or CSE1301

Prohibitions

BUS1042

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/fit2013