Part 1: The submission is in the form of an individual written report. This should be written in a concise, formal business style using single spacing and font size 12. You are required to make use of headings, paragraphs and subsections as appropriate, and all work must be supported with research and referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system. The recommended word limit is 2,000-2,500 words, although you will not be penalised for exceeding the total word limit.

Part 2: The submission is in the form of a fully functional relational database system demonstrated to the Tutor; and an individual written report (please see details in Part 1 above).

Part 3: The submission is in the form of a witness statement of the testing completed by the Tutor; technical documentation; and a written report (please see details in Part 1 above).

Learning Outcomes:

LO1 Use an appropriate design tool to design a relational database system for a substantial problem.
LO2 Develop a fully functional relational database system, based on an existing system design.
LO3 Test the system against user and system requirements. LO4 Produce technical and user documentation.

Assignment Brief

You should design and develop a relational database system to solve a problem of your own choosing. The case study, below, can be used if you are unable to find your own problem.

Your own problem must be of similar complexity and be agreed with your lecturer.

Assignment brief Case study

You are employed as a Database Developer for a large IT consultancy company. The company has been approached by a double glazing company called Double Pane which is expanding rapidly due to the huge growth in demand of their products and services from building contractors. New housing developments are growing as a result of the government's agenda to regenerate the old disused factory complexes outside the city of Bedford Falls.

Double Pane have, to date, managed their business by using a computerised system which was developed by a college student five years ago. The system is now too slow and no system documentation was produced when it was implemented so changes to the system cannot be made easily. The CEO of Double Pane feels that their business requirements have changed, and they need to invest in new technology and a new system in order to grow and manage their business successfully.

Double Pane currently has sales agents who follow up sales leads which are mainly generated from their marketing material and calls taken by staff in the company office. Sales are also generated by the agents who visit building contractors. Each visit from a lead results in a quote and some of these quotes result in an actual sale, either to supply only, or to supply and install.

Double Pane supplies a huge range of windows and doors. They buy most of their products in bulk from a few large manufacturers and store the products in their warehouse. They also make some bespoke windows and doors in their workshop in the warehouse.

Your company has accepted the contract to develop a database system for Double Pane and to provide the necessary technology to run the system. Your brief is to develop the database system element of the contract from Double Pane.

You have been asked by your manager to investigate the system requirements; and design, create and implement the system. One of the requirements of the contract is that user and technical documentation be made available to Double Pane.

NB: Any assumptions made regarding the above scenario should be included within the appendix.

Part 1

Before you start the development process, your manager has asked you to produce a report for the CEO of Double Pane, containing:

1. The design of the relational database system using appropriate design tools and techniques. It should contain at least four interrelated tables.

2. Clear statements of user and system requirements.

You would prefer to produce a more detailed document, so you will produce a comprehensive design for a fully functional system which will include interface and output designs, data validations and cover data normalisation.

Your manager would like a separate report on your assessment of the effectiveness of the design in relation to user and system requirements.

Part 2

Once the designs have been accepted by your manager you have been asked to develop the database system using evidence of user interface, output and data validations and querying across multiple tables.

You want to include more than just the basics so you will implement a fully functional database system which will include system security and database maintenance features.

You have decided to implement a query language into the relational database system. The developed system will be demonstrated to your manager.
Your manager has asked you to produce a report:

1. Assessing whether meaningful data has been extracted through the use of query tools to produce appropriate management information.

2. Evaluating the effectiveness of the database solution in relation to user and system requirements, and suggest improvements.

Part 3

Once the system has been developed, you will test the system and your manager will complete a witness statement indicating how your tests are performing against user and system requirements.

You will produce a brief report assessing the effectiveness of the testing, including an explanation of the choice of test data used.

Lastly you will produce technical and user documentation which will be given to the company.

You want to provide some graphical representations for ease of reference in the technical guide, so you have decided to produce a technical and user documentation for a fully functional system, including diagrams showing movement of data through the system, and flowcharts describing how the system works.