Database Coursework

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Project Ideas: Possible projects include:
video library	garage	nursery	newsagent	milk round
hair dresser	farm	dentist	vet	stables
mail order business	accountant	pharmacist	music collection	tourist attractions
travel agent	coach hire business	driving school	social club	sports club
solicitor	dating agency	optician	builder	beauty salon
computer games	stock	restaurant	kennels	employees

Who are you creating this database for? What is that person's requirements? What data will you be using? What is the outputted information that you need to produce?

It is very important that you are as detailed as possible when it comes to describing your problem. Your user needs to list several specific requirements that will allow you to carry our an "extension task".

Example:

My uncle Eric is the manager of a cheese shop. He is completely disorganised and he is always losing important files and scraps of paper. Auntie Ethel bought him a PC for Christmas and I would like to produce a database for him that will make his business more efficient.

I have talked to Eric about the cheese shop and he has given me these requirements:

The database must allow him to see details of customers quickly and easily.
He needs to be able to see who his best customers are.
He needs to be able to see who owes him money.
He wants to be able to specify a location and then see all the customers in that location.
He wants a "Cheese Form" so that he can enter details of different cheeses, prices, suppliers and so on.
He wants to be able to print a cheese price list.
He wants to be able to enter a price and then see all cheeses below or above that price.
Eric says that he is "a complete idiot on computers" and, therefore, he wants the system to be very easy to use.
Eric is worried about a competitor stealing the database and seeing the details of his customers. Therefore, he wants the system to be password protected.

Instead of storing files in a database, you could use a "manual system" i.e. a card file or a filing cabinet. The problems with a manual system would be that only one person could look at a file, people would have to walk to the room where the filing cabinet is kept and it is much more difficult and slower to search or sort files in a filing cabinet.

The disadvantage of computerised databases are that they require training to use and to produce, they rely on electricity and there are security concerns about databases on networks (people can "hack" them).

Base these on your user's requirements. Make sure you set yourself measurable objectives.

How will your data be manipulated? (what fields, queries and reports will you create?)

You explain how you will avoid losing your work. How often will you backup? What media will you backup to? How long will the backup take?

You should say whether or not you will be affected by the Data Protection Act.

Hardware available to you includes a PC (computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse), a black laser printer, a colour laser printer, a colour inkjet printer, scanner, digital camera, the Internet. Software includes Word, Access, Excel, Internet Explorer, etc.

Excel can be used as a database but it has severe limitations. In Access, you can do complex searches (called "Queries", produce quality Reports and convenient data entry forms. You can also improve your database by making it "relational". Excel is more suited to performing calculations or "data modelling" functions.

A relational database application such as Access is better than a Flat File database program, such as Information Workshop or Excel because it can mean spending less time on data entry and fewer errors.

Access saves files in MDB (Microsoft Database) format. It compresses all your tables, forms, queries and reports into a single file.

Sometimes it will be sufficient for your user to see information on the screen but, on other occasions, s/he may need a printed report. Explain what reports you will produce. Say what form of output is appropriate to each of your objectives?

You can use a flowchart stencil or you can do a flowchart in Word by clicking View / Toolbars / Drawing. The Drawing toolbar includes all the flowchart shapes.

Remember that you are trying to illustrate the flow of data i.e. what are the inputs, processes and outputs?

You must show table structures, data validation details, sorts, queries, data entry forms, reports and relationships.

Produce a table like the one below and fill in all columns except the "Actual Result" column.

You should test things like queries, reports, data validation features, printing, combo boxes.

On each piece of printed out work, you should write what you did and how you did it. Say what features of the program you used. Say what buttons you pressed and what menu items you selected. The more you can explain your work, the more convinced the examiner will be that you know what you're doing.

Do a screenshot of your work by pressing ALT+Print Screen and then pasting into Word. Remember to annotate the print-out.

Print out evidence to show all queries, forms, tables, reports and macros that you produced.

Save your draft copies! When you make mistakes, you should show how you corrected mistakes.

Reproduce your test plan. This time, fill in the "actual result" column. Provide evidence to show how you carried out each test.

It is very important that you compare "expected results" with "actual results"

Test No.	Purpose of Test	Test Data	Expected Result	Actual Result
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