Information Systems Data Management

ISC — Information Systems & Data Management Exam: CPA — ISC (Information Systems & Controls Discipline) Last Updated: June 2026 --- ## IT Architecture and Infrastructure ### Key Components | Component | Description | |---|---| | Hardware | Physical devices: servers, workstations, networking equipment | | Software | Operating systems, applications, middleware, databases | | Networks | LAN (local), WAN (wide area), internet connectivity | | Data storage | On-premise servers, SAN, NAS, cloud storage | | Cloud computing | IaaS, PaaS, SaaS — services delivered over the internet | ### Cloud Service Models | Model | What Provider Manages | What Customer Manages | |---|---|---| | IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) | Physical hardware, networking | OS, runtime, applications | | PaaS (Platform as a Service) | Hardware + OS + runtime | Applications, data | | SaaS (Software as a Service) | Everything | User data only | Examples: IaaS = AWS EC2; PaaS = Salesforce Platform; SaaS = Microsoft 365, QuickBooks Online. --- ## Database Management ### Relational Databases Data organized in tables (relations) with rows (records) and columns (fields). Key concepts: - Primary key: Uniquely identifies each row - Foreign key: Links to primary key in another table (enforces referential integrity) - Normalization: Process of organizing data to reduce redundancy (1NF, 2NF, 3NF) - SQL: Structured Query Language for querying and manipulating relational data ### Data Governance Data governance framework ensures: - Data quality (accuracy, completeness, timeliness) - Data ownership (who is responsible for each data set) - Data policies (retention, access, usage) - Data dictionary (metadata catalog documenting data elements) Data steward: Business role responsible for data quality and governance of specific data domains.…