What is the difference between system analyst and programmer software engineer?

Answer 1

A title is just a title and what the people do under those titles can differ from company to company, but in general, a computer programmer translates a design into an actual computer program. A computer analyst, or more commonly called a systems analyst or business analyst or software architect will analyze a company process and design a software package that will improve that process. The systems analysts are usually individuals that bridge the gap between the real world and the programming world. They can speak "both languages" by helping the computer programmers understand the business process and by helping the software users understand the computer programming process. The two titles are similar to the difference between a home builder and an architect.

Answer 2

The systems analyst looks at the requirements, considers the available topology and other aspects of the requirements, and designs the solution at the systems level. The analyst will often design the external interfaces and functionality of each piece, but will not get down to the implementation or code level. The programmer / software engineer takes the design from the analyst, and implements / codes each component, testing along the way to ensure that the implementation meets the design. This is a two-way street. Things might get missed, or not considered. During implementation, the programmer may realize there is a need to revise the system design, and will go back to the analyst. The analyst will then integrate the required change(s) into the design. Some times, these roles overlap. Certainly, if the project is small, the analyst and programmer can be the same person. In big projects, however, there might be many (even hundreds of) programmers, and the task of the analyst is to keep everything cohesive.