General Outline of the Project
So far in the semester weve focused on rather abstract
aspects of databases such as data modeling, functional dependencies, and
normalization. This project allows us to
shift gears and explore more managerial aspects of databases. One of the best ways to learn something is to
try to put this new knowledge into practice.
Building database tables, queries, forms, and reports is relatively
easy. However, developing and
maintaining standards, ensuring that the database is properly documented and
keeping to a firm deadline is pretty difficult (as you will discover).
Your Team
The team size is ideally three or four members. Teams of two are discouraged due to the
amount of work to be done and the short time period allowed. I suggest that you divide the extensive work
required equitably among the team members while at the same time relying on the
special strengths of each team member to allow the project to be completed
within the strict time limits. Please
note that this project requires extensive use of computers and that the
computer lab becomes increasingly crowded as the semester progresses.
Deliverables
The deliverables have been broken up into a project proposal
and three main sections:
Project Proposal (Due February 18)
Conceptual Design (Due March 11).25in;’=”” l3=””>Physical Design (Due
April 8).25in;’=”” l3=””>Final Project (Due
May 1)Each team should submit one copy of deliverable through the
Assignment link on Blackboard.
Handwritten material will not be accepted. Remember, professionalism and appearance
rarely cover mistakes; however, they do make mistakes seem more tolerable. In addition, a peer evaluation sheet will be
completed by each person at the time each deliverable is due. This evaluation will cover your team members
contribution on the previous phase of the project and have a DIRECT bearing on
your individual scores for the final project.
I will use all three evaluations from your three milestones to determine
your overall contribution to the project.
Grades
The grade distribution for the project will be
approximately:
Deliverable
1 Conceptual Design 25%
Deliverable
2 Physical Design 25%
Deliverable
3 Final Project & Presentation 50%

General Guidelines for Database Curriculum Integration
While it may be possible or even desirable in some cases to
propose and design a system with more limited database requirements, it is
important in this case to be sure that your proposed system effectively applies
and hones the knowledge you gain through your participation in this
course. Therefore, all projects should
comply with the following guidelines.
Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but any deviation
from the standard will require significant effort redirected and applied within
the project to another key learning objective of the course.

The data model should
contain at least 10 tables, and should be normalized to 3NF. Any deviation from 3NF must be justified
to and approved by the instructor.
Physical table definitions
should include a range of data types, including but not limited to:
integer, decimal, string (varchar), and date
Databases will be
implemented on the MS SQL Server 2012 or Teradata platform.
The user interface should
contain at least:

2-3 screens for data
management (inserting/maintaining/reviewing records)
2-3 screens for reports
& decision support

Databases should be loaded
with at least 1000 records (data loading/conversion manual entry is
highly discouraged).
Queries should include
basic insert, update, select, and (optionally) delete commands; at least 3
complex queries are required which access 2 or more tables.

The First Deliverable: Conceptual Design &
Non-Functional Prototype
For the first deliverable, you need to submit your analysis
and the conceptual design of your database.
This roughly maps to the Planning and Analysis portions of the SDLC that
you experienced in ISYS 3293. Your report should include the following
sections:
Executive Summary:
A short, written overview of the project proposed. This is a managerial statement that should
not be more than a half a page long (12 pt font, doubled space). The summary should address the business
problem or opportunity identified, an overview of the project, and how the
project addresses the problem or opportunity.
Statement of Scope
Write a statement explaining the scope of the proposed
project. This statement should include:
Systems Request Form (complete the form
provided).5in=”” lfo3;=””>General project information: List the project
name, sponsor, project team.5in=”” lfo3;=””>Problem/opportunity statement: Identify and
briefly explain potential problems/opportunitiesProject objectives: List the objectives the
client hopes to achieve with this system (Remember objectives must be
measurable).5in=”” lfo3;=””>Project description: Write a brief description
of the project; include the purpose of the project.5in=”” lfo3;=””>Identification of users: Who is directly and
indirectly affected by this project?.5in=”” lfo3;=””>Benefits: What are the tangible and intangible
benefits?.5in=”” lfo3;=””>Constraints: What are possible constraints or
limitations imposed on this project?.5in;’=”” list=”” 11pt;=”” -.5in=”” lfo3;=”” 0in=””>Duration & Estimates: How long will the
project take? Spend a little bit of time, research a methodology for estimating
the project effort, and provide a realistic estimate..5in=”” lfo3;=””>Costs: How much will the project cost? What are the tangible and intangible costs?.5in;’=”” list=”” 11pt;=”” -.5in=”” lfo3;=”” 0in=””>Feasibility & Risk Assessment: consider
different aspects of the project is the project feasible given the
constraints, estimates, and costs provided above?.5in;’=”” list=”” 11pt;=”” -.5in=”” lfo3;=”” 0in=””>Scope Proposal: based on the information
collected and documented above, provide a managerial summary specifying what
features are in scope, and what features are out of scope.

Project Schedule
Provide a GANTT chart which encompasses all of the
activities/tasks of Milestones 1, 2 & 3.
Identify which team member or the whole team performed the
activities/tasks. I realize that these tasks and resource assignments are
subject to change but at least you will start out with a plan. The GANTT chart
and work plan should be included in the Appendix. Note: the dates should correspond to
project milestone due dates.
Requirements Specification
User Context
Your database will support one or more business
processes. Who are the users? What do
they see (these end up being your attributes)? What sort of stuff will your
database be used to keep track of? What do they do with what they see (these
end up being your processes)?
Detailed Requirements:
This represents the primary output of your requirements
gathering activities. A clearly
specified set of requirements makes developing the database much easier. For this project you will need to make
inferences (assumptions) from the information provided and document those
inferences/assumptions clearly. I
suggest that you start working on this section right away!

For
your sources of facts, use:

existing
paperwork, documents, or web sites;
interviews;

questionnaires;
emails.

Produce
a narrative of the facts gathered.
This
document should explain, in paragraph format, the study of the current
system (i.e., the narrative describes the findings from the facts
gathered). What does the current system do? How does the current system
operate? What activities must be
done? Who does the different
activities? When and where are the
activities done?
This
narrative should be DETAILED!
All information that is relevant to the development of the to-be
system needs to be included. Exactly how is each step currently
accomplished and how will it change in the to-be system? What are the
processes and how are they accomplished, step-by-step?
These
are the specific requirements for your database as outlined by the client.
You and the client should discuss these requirements at length and come to
an agreement of what your system has to do. How will your database
structure support the user requirements?

Entity Relationship (ER) Diagram
Provide an ER diagram that shows your databases entities
and relationships. You should use the Visio
Database Model diagram template to draw your model.
In addition to the graphical representation, walk me through
the database. Tell me, in text, what
your diagram is telling me. Dont give
me a verbatim translation (each customer has many orders; each order is for
one customer). Explain this as you
would to an intelligent, but not database-literate, client. The ER diagram and explanation are the
formalization of the requirements in the previous section. Being able to describe this to a client lets
them know that you understand what they need.
UML Diagrams for the Proposed System:

Include
high-level Use Case diagrams for your project as you see it now. The Use Case diagrams for this phase
should be at the white level, as described in your Systems Analysis
& Design course.
Complete
a use case template for each activity.
Include
additional high-level UML diagrams as appropriate to convey important
high-level information regarding the current process and/or proposed
solution.

Data Dictionary (Preliminary)
You need to document your entities and any attributes that
you have identified so far. This is done
in the data dictionary. The complete
data dictionary will be more extensive, but this will be a good start at
documenting your database.
The data dictionary at this point should include all
attributes and should have the fields in the example below, at a minimum:

Attribute Name

Used In

Description

DepartmentID

Department, Employee

Unique integer identifier for a department

DepartmentName

Department

Text description of a department

Non-Functional Prototype
A series of screenshots with walkthroughs and/or a Visual
Studio project containing a pseudo-functional (navigable) copy of the
application. It does not have to connect
to a database and actually do anything yet, but should provide a good initial
glance at how the system will work.

So far in the semester weve focused on rather abstract
aspects of databases such as data modeling, functional dependencies, and
normalization. This project allows us to
shift gears and explore more managerial aspects of databases. One of the best ways to learn something is to
try to put this new knowledge into practice.
Building database tables, queries, forms, and reports is relatively
easy. However, developing and
maintaining standards, ensuring that the database is properly documented and
keeping to a firm deadline is pretty difficult (as you will discover). The team size is ideally three or four members. Teams of two are discouraged due to the
amount of work to be done and the short time period allowed. I suggest that you divide the extensive work
required equitably among the team members while at the same time relying on the
special strengths of each team member to allow the project to be completed
within the strict time limits. Please
note that this project requires extensive use of computers and that the
computer lab becomes increasingly crowded as the semester progresses. The deliverables have been broken up into a project proposal
and three main sections:Project Proposal (Due February 18)Conceptual Design (Due March 11).25in;’=”” l3=””>Physical Design (Due
April 8).25in;’=”” l3=””>Final Project (Due
May 1)Each team should submit one copy of deliverable through the
Assignment link on Blackboard.
Handwritten material will not be accepted. Remember, professionalism and appearance
rarely cover mistakes; however, they do make mistakes seem more tolerable. In addition, a peer evaluation sheet will be
completed by each person at the time each deliverable is due. This evaluation will cover your team members
contribution on the previous phase of the project and have a DIRECT bearing on
your individual scores for the final project.
I will use all three evaluations from your three milestones to determine
your overall contribution to the project.The grade distribution for the project will be
approximately:Deliverable
1 Conceptual Design 25%Deliverable
2 Physical Design 25%Deliverable
3 Final Project & Presentation 50%While it may be possible or even desirable in some cases to
propose and design a system with more limited database requirements, it is
important in this case to be sure that your proposed system effectively applies
and hones the knowledge you gain through your participation in this
course. Therefore, all projects should
comply with the following guidelines.
Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but any deviation
from the standard will require significant effort redirected and applied within
the project to another key learning objective of the course.For the first deliverable, you need to submit your analysis
and the conceptual design of your database.
This roughly maps to the Planning and Analysis portions of the SDLC that
you experienced in ISYS 3293. Your report should include the following
sections:A short, written overview of the project proposed. This is a managerial statement that should
not be more than a half a page long (12 pt font, doubled space). The summary should address the business
problem or opportunity identified, an overview of the project, and how the
project addresses the problem or opportunity.Write a statement explaining the scope of the proposed
project. This statement should include:Systems Request Form (complete the form
provided).5in=”” lfo3;=””>General project information: List the project
name, sponsor, project team.5in=”” lfo3;=””>Problem/opportunity statement: Identify and
briefly explain potential problems/opportunitiesProject objectives: List the objectives the
client hopes to achieve with this system (Remember objectives must be
measurable).5in=”” lfo3;=””>Project description: Write a brief description
of the project; include the purpose of the project.5in=”” lfo3;=””>Identification of users: Who is directly and
indirectly affected by this project?.5in=”” lfo3;=””>Benefits: What are the tangible and intangible
benefits?.5in=”” lfo3;=””>Constraints: What are possible constraints or
limitations imposed on this project?.5in;’=”” list=”” 11pt;=”” -.5in=”” lfo3;=”” 0in=””>Duration & Estimates: How long will the
project take? Spend a little bit of time, research a methodology for estimating
the project effort, and provide a realistic estimate..5in=”” lfo3;=””>Costs: How much will the project cost? What are the tangible and intangible costs?.5in;’=”” list=”” 11pt;=”” -.5in=”” lfo3;=”” 0in=””>Feasibility & Risk Assessment: consider
different aspects of the project is the project feasible given the
constraints, estimates, and costs provided above?.5in;’=”” list=”” 11pt;=”” -.5in=”” lfo3;=”” 0in=””>Scope Proposal: based on the information
collected and documented above, provide a managerial summary specifying what
features are in scope, and what features are out of scope.Provide a GANTT chart which encompasses all of the
activities/tasks of Milestones 1, 2 & 3.
Identify which team member or the whole team performed the
activities/tasks. I realize that these tasks and resource assignments are
subject to change but at least you will start out with a plan. The GANTT chart
and work plan should be included in the Appendix. Note: the dates should correspond to
project milestone due dates.Your database will support one or more business
processes. Who are the users? What do
they see (these end up being your attributes)? What sort of stuff will your
database be used to keep track of? What do they do with what they see (these
end up being your processes)? This represents the primary output of your requirements
gathering activities. A clearly
specified set of requirements makes developing the database much easier. For this project you will need to make
inferences (assumptions) from the information provided and document those
inferences/assumptions clearly. I
suggest that you start working on this section right away!Provide an ER diagram that shows your databases entities
and relationships. You should use the Visio
Database Model diagram template to draw your model. In addition to the graphical representation, walk me through
the database. Tell me, in text, what
your diagram is telling me. Dont give
me a verbatim translation (each customer has many orders; each order is for
one customer). Explain this as you
would to an intelligent, but not database-literate, client. The ER diagram and explanation are the
formalization of the requirements in the previous section. Being able to describe this to a client lets
them know that you understand what they need.You need to document your entities and any attributes that
you have identified so far. This is done
in the data dictionary. The complete
data dictionary will be more extensive, but this will be a good start at
documenting your database.The data dictionary at this point should include all
attributes and should have the fields in the example below, at a minimum:Attribute NameUsed InDescriptionDepartmentIDDepartment, EmployeeUnique integer identifier for a departmentDepartmentNameDepartmentText description of a departmentA series of screenshots with walkthroughs and/or a Visual
Studio project containing a pseudo-functional (navigable) copy of the
application. It does not have to connect
to a database and actually do anything yet, but should provide a good initial
glance at how the system will work.