Glossary
Computer Systems Analyst Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential computer systems analyst terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key computer systems analyst vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in computer systems analyst training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Change request
- A request to change scope or requirements.
- CRM
- Customer relationship management software.
- Data flow diagram
- A diagram of how data moves.
- ERP
- Enterprise resource planning software.
- Gap analysis
- Comparing current and desired states.
- Go-live
- When a system launches.
- Integration
- Connecting systems to share data.
- Process map
- A diagram of a workflow.
- Requirements
- What a system must do.
- Scope
- What a project includes.
- SDLC
- Software development life cycle.
- Stakeholder
- Anyone affected by a system.
- UAT
- User acceptance testing.
- Use case
- A description of how a user interacts with a system.
- User story
- A short description of a feature from the user’s view.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Computer Systems Analyst practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Computer Systems Analyst training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.