Assignment 01

Outcomes Assessed:
CLO 1: Explain databases and distinguish, different data models and business rules.

Criteria Completeness Originality Individual/ Presentation Timeliness Final

Team Effort Skills/ Score
Writing Skills

Total 16 1 2 2 1 20
Marks
Marks
Obtained

Q # 1: CLO-1
Investigate whether the organization follows more of a traditional file processing approach or the
database approach to organizing data. How many different databases does the organization have?
Try to draw a figure, similar to Figure 1-2, to depict some or all of the files and databases in this
organization.
Q # 2: CLO-1
Talk with a database administrator or designer from the organization. What type of metadata does
this organization maintain about its databases? Why did the organization choose to keep track of
these and no other metadata? What tools are used to maintain these metadata?
Q # 3: CLO-1
Determine the company’s use of intranet, extranet, or other Web-enabled business processes. For
each type of process, determine its purpose and the database management system that is being used
in conjunction with the networks. Ask what the company’s plans are for the next year with regard
to using intranets, extranets, or the Web in its business activities. Ask what new skills the company
is looking for in order to implement these plans.
Q # 4: CLO-1
Consider a major database in this organization, such as one supporting customer interactions,
accounting, or manufacturing. What is the architecture for this database? Is the organization using
some form of client/server architecture? Interview information systems managers in this
organization to find out why they chose the architecture for this database
Q # 5: CLO-1
Interview systems and database analysts at this organization. Ask them to describe their systems
development process. Which does it resemble more: the systems development life cycle or
prototyping? Do they use methodologies similar to both? When do they use their different
methodologies? Explore the methodology used for developing applications to be used through the
Web. How have they adapted their methodology to fit this new systems development process?
Q # 6: CLO-1
Interview a systems analyst or database analyst and ask questions about the typical composition
of an information systems development team. Specifically, what role does a database analyst play
in project teams? Is a database analyst used throughout the systems development process or is the
database analyst used only at selected points?
Q # 7: CLO-1
Interview a systems analyst or database analyst and ask questions about how that organization uses
CASE tools in the systems development process. Concentrate your questions on how CASE tools
are used to support data modeling and database design and how the CASE tool’s repository
maintains the information collected about data, data characteristics, and data usage. If multiple
CASE tools are used on one or many projects, ask how the organization attempts to integrate data
models and data definitions. Finally, inquire how satisfied the systems and database.
analysts are with CASE tool support for data modeling and database design.
Q # 8: CLO-1
Interview one person from a key business function, such as finance, human resources, or
marketing. Concentrate your questions on the following items: How does he or she retrieve data
needed to make business decisions? From what kind of system (personal database, enterprise
system or data warehouse) are the data retrieved? How often are these data accessed? Is this person
satisfied with the data available for decision making? If not, what are the main challenges in getting
access to the right data?