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MARAKAS, GEORGE M. 2001, Systems Analysis and Design: An Active Approach, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 483 pp., $92.00.
Courses on systems analysis and design (SAD) can be very confusing to students because of the complexity of the declarative and procedural knowledge being presented. Teaching SAD courses at either the undergraduate or graduate level is made easier by a wellwritten textbook. Such a textbook, in my opinion, should meet the following four criteria: it should be organized logically, it should contain detailed explanations with straightforward examples, the writing should be easy to understand, and it should include comprehensive activities to tie everything together (learning by doing).
SAD builds on itself throughout the course. A logically organized text can provide flow and continuity to the course. Marakas's book flows logically through the decisions, issues, and concerns that face a systems analyst working on developing an information system. While following the systems-development life cycle (SDLC), in each chapter the author provides insight into the particular phase and builds on previous chapters. The one problem I have with the content of the book is that Marakas spends too little time on requirements analysis and its associated activities. This is one of the most important aspects of...