Hardware/Software Strategies. INSTITUTION CAUSE, Boulder, Colo
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 294 513 HE 021 562 TITLE Leveraging Information Technology. Track VI: Hardware/Software Strategies. INSTITUTION CAUSE, Boulder, Colo. PUB DATE 88 MOTE 90p.; In: Leveraging Information Technology. Proceedings of the CAUSE National Conference (Tarpon Springs, FL, December 1-4, 1937); see HE 021 556. AVAILABLE FROMCAUSE Exchange Library, 737 Twenty-Ninth Street, Boulder, CO 80303 (Individual papers available for cost of reproduction). PUB TYPE Speeches/Conference Papers (150) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS College Administration; *Computers; *Computer Software; Cooperative Programs; Decentralization; Delivery Systems; Higher Education; *Information Technology; *Management Information Systems; Private Colleges; School Business Relationship; State Universities IDENTIFIERS Carnegie Mellon University PA; *CAUSE National Conference; Hamilton College NY; San Francisco State University CA; University of Hartford CT; Virginia Polytechnic Inst and State Univ; Wittenberg University OH. ABSTRACT Seven papers from the 1987 CAUSE conference's Track VI, Hardware/Software Strategies, are presented. They include: "Integrated Systems--The Next Steps" (Morris A. Hicks); "Administrative Microcomputing--Roads Traveled, Lessons Learned" (David L. Smallen); "Murphy's First Law and Its Application to Administrative Computing" (Mary Lawarre Cox and William E. Updegraff); "Leveraging Relational Technology through Industry Partnerships" (Leonard M. Brush and Anthony J. Schaller); "Strategies to Implement Technology to Manage and Deliver Educational Programs in a Decentralized Organization" (Thomas R. McAnge, Jr.); "Fourth Generation Languages in a Production Environment" (Sharon P. Hamilton); and "Automated Design Tools: Paradise or Promises?" (David Battleson, Marshall Drummond, John Moylan, and Ruth Strausser). (LB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Leveraging Information Technology Proceedingsof the 1987 CAUSE National Conference TRACK VI: Hardware/Software Strategies December 1-4, 1987 Innisbrook Resort Tarpon Springs, Florida "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION MATERIAL HAS BEENGRANTED BY Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCAJIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC, DJtSis document has beenreproduced as received from the person ororganization originating it. CI Minor changes have been madeto improve reproduction Quality TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES thisdocu- Points of view or Opinions stated in INFORMATION CENTER(ERIC)." ment do not necessarily representofficial OERI Position or policy Copyright© 1988 CAUSE 2 CALE CAUSE, the Professional Association for Computing and Information Tech- nology in Higher Education, helps colleges and universities strengthen and improve their computing, communications, and information services, both academic and administrative. The association also helps individual members develop as professionals in the field of higher education computing and infor- mation technology. Formerly known as the College and University Systems Exchange, CAUSE was organized as a volunteer association in 1962 and incorporated in 1971 with twenty-five charter member institutions. In thesame year the CAUSE National Office opened in Boulder, Colorado, with a professional staffto serve the membership. Today the associationserves almost 2,000 individuals from 730 campuses representing nearly 500 colleges and universities, and 31 sustaining member companies. CAUSE provides member institutions with many services to increase the ef- fectiveness of their computing environments, including: the Administrative Systems Query (ASQ) Service, which provides to members information-about typical computing practices among peer institutions froma data base of member institution profiles; the CAUSE Exchange Library,a clearinghouse for documents and systems descriptions made available by members through CAUSE; association publications, including a bi-monthly newsletter, CAUSE Information, the professional magazine, CAUSE I EFFECT, and monographs and professional papers; workshops and seminars; and the CAUSE National Conference. We encourage you to use CAUSE to support your own efforts to strengthen your institution's management and educational capabilities through the effective use of computing and information technology. it 3 1 INTRODUCTION As professionals in an always-exciting field, we are constantly facing challenges to blendnew infor- mation technologies into our institutions. It is important for higher educationto develop environ- ments that promote the use of information technology for strategic advantages, that allow faculty, staff, and students to benefit from existing technology, and that stimulate thediscovery of new opportunities. The 1987 CAUSE National Conference, with its theme 'Leveraging InformationTechnology," offered the opportunity for us to share, exchange, and learn of new developments in informationtechnology to improve and enhance our environments. The CAUSE'S? programwas designed to -allow the fullest possible discussion of issues related to these new developments. Sevenconcurrent tracks with 49 selectee presentations covered important issues in generalareas of policy and planning, manage- ment, organization, and support services, as well as in the specializedareas of communications, hardware/software strategies, and outstanding applications. To expand opportunities for informal interaction,some changes were made in the program schedule. CAUSE Constituent Groups met the day before the conference,as they did in 1986, but were given opportunities to meet again during the conference. Current Issues Sessionswere moved to Thursday afternoon to provide some flexibility with time,encourage interactive participation, and extend opportunities to continue discussions with colleagues. Vendor workshopswere offered for the first time this year, the day before the conference. The Wednesday afternoon scheduleaccommodated continued vendor workshops, vendor suite exhibits, andconcurrent vendor sessions. David P. Roselle, President of the University of Kentucky, set thetone for CAUSE87 with a Wednes- day morning opening presentation expressing his commitment to the value of informationtechnology in higher education. John G. Kemeny, past president of Dartmouth College andcurrently Chairman of the Board of True BASIC, Inc., spoke during Thursday's luncheonanew developments in comput- ing for classroom learning. The concluding general session, Friday's CurrentIssues Forum, offered an exchange of philosophies about making optimal use of technologies on ourcampuses. We were extremely fortunate to be at Innisbrook,a resort with outstanding conference facilities and great natural beauty (and weather)a real distillation of the best of Florida. Almost 800 people attended CAUSE87. Many of them described the conference,in their evaluation forms, as stimulating, informative, and memorable. We hope this publication of thesubstance of CAUSE87 will be a continuing resource, both for conference-goers and for those whowill be reading about the conference offerings for the first time. Wayne Donald CAUSE87 Chair 4 Leveraging Information Technology Table of Contents TRACK VI: Hardware/Software Strategies 389 Integrated SystemsThe Next Steps 391 Morris A. Hicks Administrative MicrocomputingRoads Traveled, Lessons Learned 403 David L. Smallen Murphy's First Law and Its Application to Administrative Computing 413 Mary Lawarre Cox and William E. Updegraff Leveraging Relational Technology through Industry Partnerships 423 Leonard M. Brush and Anthony J. Schaller Strategies to Implement Technology to Manage and Deliver Educational Programs in a Decentralized Organization 437 Thomas R. McAnge, Jr. Fourth Generation Languages in a Production Environment 449 Sharon P. Hamilton Automated Design Tools: Paradise or Promises? 4:61 David Battleson, Marshall Drummond, JohnMoylan, and Ruth Strausser 5 389 Track VI Hardware/Software Strategies Coordinator: Frank Weiss Barnard College Planning and successfully implementing information technologiesin academic and administrative environments require both short- and long-rangestrate- gies for hardware and software, spanning personal computers andsupercom- puters, spreadsheet packages, and fourth-generation languages. Papers in this track examine such planning strategies, implementations, andsuccessful programs. Morris A. Hicks University of Hart ford Mary Lawarre Car Leonard M Brush Wittenberg University Carnegie Mellon University C 391 "INTEGRATED SYSTEMS - THE NEXT STEPS', Morris A. Hicks Associate Director Computer Services Department University of Hartford West Hartford, CT ABSTRACT The University of Hartford had thenecessary infrastructure in place to capitalizeon its investment in four major integrated systems, when the current data basevendor and application software vendor joined to offera package of software products.Project goals were to upgrade toan advanced relational data base management system, to provide on-line management summary inquiry facilitiesand a new query facility for direct on-line access by end users, and to install a fourth generation language. Since this would be the first installation of these products inan operational environment, flexibility of plans and execution would be required. The value of having a solid foundation at' stabilized systems,