Advanced Diploma in Data and Systems Analysis: Assignment Three

Due date: 26 March 2012

Acceptable file types: doc, txt, html, htm, jpg, jpeg, gif, rtf, ppt, xls, zip Maximum number of files: 10 If there is more than one file, please combine in a single zip file. Full instructions for how to submit your assignment are provided in the document Assignment submission and extension instructions, which you will find on the unit homepage of your course website. Total marks for this Assignment: 100. Assignment This assignment is based on a scenario which has been constructed to provide assessment of a range of topics covered by the unit. There is therefore a degree of artificiality in the scenario, and in the way in which the information is presented. You are asked to assume that the data model has been agreed and you are given an entity relationship diagram and the names of the attributes of some of the entities. You are not, however, given a detailed data model (for example, including domains, data types and constraints) because we ask you to make decisions about these things in the assignment. In order to limit the amount of routine work involved in the assignment some attributes you might expect to see (for example the address of a person or an organization) have been omitted. We do not expect you to identify additional routine attributes of this type. We do, however ask you identify some of the attributes that are required to implement keys and the required relationships between relations. The scenario (Wallaces Widgets) on which the assignment is based is provided in the appendix to this document.

Question 1 [ 25 marks] This question is based on the Wallaces Widgets scenario and covers the material in topic 1 of the unit 1(a) Identify the users in the database environment. In each case identify the data to which they need to have access, and the appropriate level of access (for example read, write, data definition) that they need in order to use the database as intended. (300 words) [7 marks] 1(b) Identify and explain how these levels of access can be implemented through: (i) the database design (ii) the user interfaces (300 words) [9 marks] 1(c) Identify any risks to the data, or other misuse that might occur, despite anything you propose in part (b), and suggest policies or technologies to address them. (300 words) [9 marks]

Question 2 [ 25 Marks ] This question is based on the material in topics 2 and 3 Produce a formal schema for the Wallaces Widgets database, using the methodology introduced in topic 3 of the unit, including, where necessary, the relational algebra introduced in topic 2. Domains, attributes and keys Identification and definition of constraints. (13 marks) (12 marks)

Question 3 [15 Marks] This question is based on topic 4. It involves producing the SQL expressions that would be used to implement and query the database designed in question 2. For each part of the question include in your answer the SQL expression which would produce the required result. (a) The creation of the Booking table (b) A new entry in the Vehicle table with: RegNo: W 567 WDD Make: Ford Model: Mondeo MOT: 23/3/2008 contractedServicer: 23 [3 marks]

[1 mark]

(c) An amendment to the above inserted record to correct the date to 23/2/2008 [1 mark] (d) The number (just the number not a list) of bookings authorised by [4 marks] team leader Bob Lockhart since 1st January 2006 (e) Show in a single column the full names of all employees who have booked a vehicle for which the contracted servicer is the Garage called Fleet Services Ltd. [3 marks] (f) The following list (which shows the number of employees in each category) including the headings as shown [3 marks] Category Number T 1 R 3 O 3 Question 4 [15 marks ] This question requires knowledge of all the topics but is mainly concerned with issues covered in topic 5. The requirements of the Wallaces Widgets system include the facility for Service and Sales Engineers to make bookings from any location using a browser. Describe the technology you would use to implement this part of the system and explain how it would work. You may use code extracts to illustrate your answer, but most of the marks are for the explanations and you would gain very few marks by simply submitting a script or program. Your answer to this question should not exceed 500 words (excluding any code or diagrams).

Question 5 [20 marks] This question requires knowledge of all the topics but is mainly concerned with issues covered in topics 5 and 6. You should, however, draw also on your own experience and/or research. Since introducing the new system (discussed in 4 above) Wallaces have made their car pool available to other firms in the area. This started off in a small way, companies with smaller pools being helped out from time to time, but the practice is growing. Where this happens there is either a mutual swap arrangement or ad-hoc agreements about sharing costs. Wallaces Widgets are thinking of floating off their car pool operation as a separate company. It would be essentially a vehicle hire business, though it would specialise in providing services to the firms on the trading estate and surrounding area. There seems on the face of it to be a good business case because the replacement of the existing individual car pools would: produce savings in the costs of management and administration; make it possible to manage with a lower aggregate stock of vehicles; enable better deals to be struck for supply and maintenance. The success of the enterprise is dependent on sufficient firms using the service and so a study group has been set up of interested parties to report on the broad requirements of the proposed system. For some firms, there would be little change, since they could use the new system directly, in the same way as Wallaces own employees. In a number of firms, however, the car pool usage and cost figures are an essential part of their integrated ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems. They need to make bookings through these systems in order to allocate costs and control business processes. There is some concern that under the new system users might have to book pool cars through the new companys system whilst continuing to record bookings in the existing integrated system. There is no easy answer because these firms use different ERP systems involving a variety of platforms. The study group has raised this duplication as a serious barrier but has suggested that the problem be addressed by the new company making its booking services available as a Web Service. You have been asked to make a preliminary report on this idea. You are not asked to produce a formal design, nor even a detailed feasibility study, but they would like you to provide: an explanation of the basic concepts of a Web Service; an evaluation of the possibility of using a Web Service for the proposed pool car booking system Note that the study group consists of managers from several disciplines and though some will have a broad understanding of their own information systems, you should assume none of them will be familiar with Web Services technology. [Your answer to this part should not exceed 1000 words]

Appendix 1 Wallaces Widgets Scenario for Unit 3 assignment This scenario is rather artificial, being designed to test a range of topics whilst keeping to a minimum the routine work involved. Some attributes you might expect to see (for example the address of a person or an organization) have been omitted. We do not expect you to identify additional routine attributes of this type. You are also provided with an entity relationship diagram of the proposed system. There are two versions: one is in the Information Engineering style and the other is in the style used in unit 2 of this course. You do not need to consider both of them. They represent the same model and we advise you to use whichever of them you are most comfortable with. Employees of Wallaces Widgets are able to use a pool car (subject to availability) whenever they have a business need for one. Each booking is for one working day. The existing booking system involves the car pool staff taking telephone or in-person bookings. The records consist of booking forms that are filed in date order and a spreadsheet which records for each day which vehicles have been booked. The booking forms frequently get out of order or lost and the spreadsheet is often not up to date. There have been instances where an employee has booked two vehicles for the same day. Some of these instances may have been accidents but there is a suspicion a vehicle is sometimes booked for a family member. Under the proposed system local staff will continue to telephone the booking staff who will make bookings, but all staff will now be able to access a list of their own bookings from their workstation. Sales and Service Engineers need to be able to make bookings from home or from clients premises, and it is proposed that they should be able to do this themselves using a browser. The car pool manager wishes to be able to carry out research into patterns of usage and respond to ad hoc requests for management support information from senior management. (You can assume any necessary training will be given). A number of garages are retained to service the vehicles. Each vehicle is allocated to a particular garage and the car pool staff ensure they are serviced by the contracted garage at the right time, and that MOT certificates are renewed as required. (For the purposes of this exercise you should implement the system on the basis that a vehicle must always be serviced by the contracted garage). There have been mistakes in booking services in the past and on one occasion a car was used after the Vehicle Inspection certificate had expired. It is a requirement of the new system that this cannot happen. You should assume the system has been analysed and documented and a statement of requirements already negotiated. As part of the negotiated statement of requirements a data model has been agreed as shown in the following entity relationship diagram and the associated textual commentary. The data model is indicated in the entity relationship diagram below.

The data to be kept in tables based on these entities should include Employee employee number - integers in the range 1000 -5000 name telephone number category - T R or O (team leader, regular user or occasional user) team leader - the employee number of the employees team leader Vehicle registration number make model MOT date - ( the date the Inspection certificate expires or first becomes due). contractedServicer Garage Garage Number Name Phone number Under the new system bookings will need authorisation by a team leader. (There may be times when employees are not attached to a particular team so the system must allow any team leader to authorise any booking. A team leader cannot certify his own booking, and needs the authorisation of another team leader. (The authorising team leader need not be involved in the actual booking process because the information given by the employee is taken on trust, subject to occasional cross checks by the car pool staff.) It should not be possible for an employee to book two vehicles for the same day. It should not be possible to book a service with a garage other than the one contracted for that vehicle. It should not be possible to book a vehicle if the MOT expires before or on the booking date.

Appendix 2 - Entity Relationship Model