Informatica Economica Vol. 14 No. 2/2010

Issue Topic: Information Systems Optimization

Issue Editor: Ion LUNGU, PhD

CONTENTS

On Measuring the Criticality of Various Variables and Processes in Organization Information Systems: Proposed Methodological Procedure
Jagdish PATHAK, Abdulkadir HUSSEIN, Ram SRIRAM, S. Ejaz AHMED 5
This paper proposes methodological procedures to be used by the accounting, organizational and managerial researchers and executives to ascertain the criticality of the variables and the processes in the measurement of management control system. We have restricted the validation of proposed methods to the extraction of critical success factors (CSF) in this study. We have also provided a numerical illustration and tested our methodological procedures using a dataset of an empirical study conducted for the purpose of ascertaining the CSFs. The proposed methods can be used by the researchers in accounting, organizational information systems, economics, and business and also in other relevant disciplines of organizational sciences. The main contribution of this paper is the extension of Rockart’s work [33] on critical success factors.  We have extended the theory of CSF beyond the initially suggested domain of information into management control system decision making. The methodological procedures developed by us are expected to enrich the literature of analytical and empirical studies in accounting and organizational areas where it can prove helpful in understanding the criticality of individual variables, processes, methods or success factors.
Keywords: Success Factors, Criticality Analysis, Perceptual Criticality, Critical Success Factors

Component Approach to Software Development for Distributed Multi-Database System
Madiajagan MUTHAIYAN, Vijayakumar BALAKRISHNAN, Sri Hari Haran SEENIVASAN 19
The paper deals with a component based approach for software development in a distributed environment for the database retrieval operations. A Core Component for a distributed multi-database system has been proposed. The core Component is modeled using three interfaces User, Administrator and Databases Handler. The User Interface is the starting point of access for the Core Component. The Administrator interface deals with access control privileges for users and local databases. The Database Handler facilitates global schema management and site management.
Keywords: Assertion, Core Component, Component Based Software Development, Multi-Database, Schema

Optimizing Anti-Phishing Solutions Based on User Awareness, Education and the Use of the Latest Web Security Solutions
Ion LUNGU, Alexandru TĂBUŞCĂ 27
Phishing has grown significantly in volume over the time, becoming the most usual web threat today. The present economic crisis is an added argument for the great increase in number of attempts to cheat internet users, both businesses and private ones. The present research is aimed at helping the IT environment get a more precise view over the phishing attacks in Romania; in order to achieve this goal we have designed an application able to retrieve and interpret phishing related data from five other trusted web sources and compile them into a meaningful and more targeted report. As a conclusion, besides making available regular reports, we underline the need for a higher degree of awareness related to this issue.
Keywords: Security, Phishing, Ev-SSL, Security Solutions

Some Considerations about Modern Database Machines
Manole VELICANU, Daniela LIŢAN, Aura-Mihaela MOCANU (VÎRGOLICI) 37
Optimizing the two computing resources of any computing system - time and space - has always been one of the priority objectives of any database. A current and effective solution in this respect is the computer database. Optimizing computer applications by means of database machines has been a steady preoccupation of researchers since the late seventies. Several information technologies have revolutionized the present information framework. Out of these, those which have brought a major contribution to the optimization of the databases are: efficient handling of large volumes of data (Data Warehouse, Data Mining, OLAP – On Line Analytical Processing), the improvement of DBMS – Database Management Systems facilities through the integration of the new technologies, the dramatic increase in computing power and the efficient use of it (computer networks, massive parallel computing, Grid Computing and so on). All these information technologies, and others, have favored the resumption of the research on database machines and the obtaining in the last few years of some very good practical results, as far as the optimization of the computing resources is concerned.
Keywords: Database Optimization, Database Machines, Data Warehouse, OLAP – On Line Analytical Processing, OLTP – On Line Transaction Processing, Parallel Processing

Hybrid Solution for Integrated Trading
Vlad DIACONIŢA 45
Integrated applications are complex solutions, whose complexity are determined by the economic processes they implement, the amount of data employed (millions of records grouped in hundreds of tables, databases, hundreds of GB) and the number of users. Service oriented architecture (SOA), is now the most talked-about integration solution in mainstream journals, addressing both simple applications, for a department but also at enterprise level. SOA can refer to software architecture or to a way of standardizing the technical architecture of an enterprise and it shows its value when operating in several distinct and heterogeneous environments.
Keywords: System Integration, Data Integration, Web Services, Java, XML, Stock Market

Improving SQL Server Performance
Nicolae MERCIOIU, Victor VLADUCU 55
With the development of client server technology and multilayer architectures the systems efficiency issue has been increasingly discussed. Lacking knowledge in optimization methods and tools offered by DBMS's, database administrators and developers of applications based on Microsoft technologies cannot optimally design and service performing systems. In this article we review the objectives that should be considered (in order) to improve performance of SQL Server instances and we describe the techniques used to optimize queries. Also, we explain and illustrate the new optimization features offered by SQL Server 2008.
Keywords: Query, Optimization, SQL Server

Optimizing Spatial Databases
Anda VELICANU, Ştefan OLARU 61
This paper describes the best way to improve the optimization of spatial databases: through spatial indexes. The most commune and utilized spatial indexes are R-tree and Quadtree and they are presented, analyzed and compared in this paper. Also there are given a few examples of queries that run in Oracle Spatial and are being supported by an R-tree spatial index. Spatial databases offer special features that can be very helpful when needing to represent such data. But in terms of storage and time costs, spatial data can require a lot of resources. This is why optimizing the database is one of the most important aspects when working with large volumes of data.
Keywords: Spatial Database, Spatial Index, R-tree, Quadtree, Optimization

Security Optimization for Distributed Applications Oriented on Very Large Data Sets
Mihai DOINEA, Sorin PAVEL 72
The paper presents the main characteristics of applications which are working with very large data sets and the issues related to security. First section addresses the optimization process and how it is approached when dealing with security. The second section describes the concept of very large datasets management while in the third section the risks related are identified and classified. Finally, a security optimization schema is presented with a cost-efficiency analysis upon its feasibility. Conclusions are drawn and future approaches are identified.
Keywords: Security, Optimization, Very Large Data Sets, Distributed Applications

Optimizing Client Latency in a Distributed System by Using the “Remote Façade” Design Pattern
Cosmin RABLOU 86
In this paper we investigate the role of the Remote Façade pattern in the optimization of distributed systems. The intent of this pattern is to wrap fine-grained remote objects in a coarse-grained interface and thus greatly reduce the total number of calls executed over the network.
The measurement of the performance gain achieved by implementing this pattern is done through testing with a distributed application written in C# and using the latest Microsoft framework for distributed systems (Windows Communication Framework). Furthermore, we will be presenting the scenarios in which the implementation of the Remote Façade pattern brings a significant performance gain. Finally we show further scenarios in which the performance brought by this pattern can be investigated.
Keywords: Object-Oriented Programming, Distributed Systems, Design Patterns, Remote Façade, Performance, Optimization, Windows Communication Framework

ASETS – An Academic Trading Simulation Platform
Claudiu VINŢE, Alexandru LIXANDRU, Andrei JURUBIŢĂ, Adrian BARDAN 97
This paper is intended to present the results of our academic research upon a distributed computing environment dedicated to trading simulation. Our research has been conducted with the aim of creating a trading simulation platform, that would provide both the foundation for future experiments with trading systems architectures, components, APIs, and the framework for research on trading strategies, trading algorithms design, and equity markets analysis tools.
Keywords: Trading Systems, Simulation, Distributed Computing, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), Message-Oriented Middleware (MOM), Java Message Service (JMS)

Contributions to Using IT in Education: An Educational Video Player
Ciprian CUCU, Marian-Pompiliu CRISTESCU, Corina-Ioana CRISTESCU 108
Following the trends of IT use in education we propose four main principles of educational application development: anytime-anywhere access (including access for mobile devices); user-generated content; assigning users an active role inside the platform; creating a correlation between natural activities and educational activities – adding fun into the equation. With these principles in mind we developed a small Educational Player – a movie player that connects to a database to show information relevant to the events in the movie, more specific to the exact key-frame (in the movie time-line) at the moment of the request. Though the application is still in a conceptual form, its possibilities make us confident in its future success either as an informal way of learning, or by using it in a formal educational context either as an e-learning tool, either as interactivity tool in a traditional classroom setting.
Keywords: E-learning, Educational Technologies, Multimedia Applications

E-Commerce Applications Ranking
Marilena DUMITRACHE 120
The paper presents the cycle of development of e-Commerce applications. The e-commerce applications are analyzed being considered to be a subject for complex evaluations. A set of criteria and factors are presented being considered relevant for e-commerce applications used in complex assessments. A ranking algorithm is proposed based on the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) process, which was implemented and tested with online application IAID. The objective of this paper is to build, implement and test this algorithm with the online application IAID.
Keywords: E-Commerce, Hierarchy, Evaluation Criteria, Analyses, Ranking Algorithm

The Modern Approach to Industrial Maintenance Management
Vasile DEAC, Gheorghe CÂRSTEA, Constantin BÂGU, Florea PÂRVU 133
The maintenance activity isn’t a purpose in itself, it’s a necessity of which "the production suffers" and the financial agent "considers too expensive". It often exists a conflict between the production units and the maintenance department, not only for a short term, but, sometimes, for a long term, imposing a rigorous definition of each person’s responsibilities. Considering the mutations in the industrial equipments’ technical complexity and the accidental failures’ catastrophic consequences from the economic and/or social point of view, it should be assigned a new dimension to the maintenance activity. One of the imperatives imposed to this action is represented by modern means of informing through the maintenance’s operational computerization.
Keywords: Maintenance’s Progress, Total Productive Maintenance, Cooperation In Maintenance, The Maintenance’s Costs Minimization, Maintenance’s Operational Computerization

Book Review: Advanced Database Systems
Ion SMEUREANU 145

Publishing guide for authors147