IGNO Merchandise Companys Database-Driven Website

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Table of Contents

Basic database concepts
User requirements
Client requirements
Customer/user requirements
System design
References

Basic database concepts

In developing the website, I created a database, which Coronel, Morris and Rob (2009) argue in their book that it is a structured, persistent, coherent, and logical collection of records, which have meaning related to the real world needs such as storing and generating records using a database management system (DBMS). My website provides the ability for users to easily query and retrieve data using a query language. I used a collection of software programs (modules) envisioned as a multi-layered application consisting of external, conceptual, internal, and storage views. In the design and integration of the DBMS into the website, I envisioned a situation of the system providing the functionalities of simple file management services besides other more complex functionalities.

The project was informed using contents of different database management books including the books authored by Coronel, Morris and Rob (2009) and Ramakrishnan, Gehrke and Gehrke (2003) and, which were published as per their respective dates. The contents of the books were the main sources of the technical knowledge on database design, through which I was competently able to implement different database concepts including concurrency control, data integrity, data independence, redundancy control, automatic query optimisation. In addition, the books discuss about the normalisation of database tables into the first, second, and third normal forms. The database, using the DBMS modules provide real time concurrent control and access for the read, write, and commit database operations. The books by Morris and Rob (2009) and Ramakrishnan, Gehrke and Gehrke (2003) provided me with the skills when designing the database to ensure the integrity of data when transactions are executed by ensuring that the database has the properties of atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability were reflected into the database design of the IGNO Merchandise Company (IMC).

Cattell (2011), Coronel, Morris and Rob (2009) and Ramakrishnan, Gehrke and Gehrke (2003) have explained the importance of atomicity, which I factored into the database design to ensure that when a client executes a transaction, using the SQL Server ensures that each transaction is reflected in the database and if errors arise in the transition process or stages of a transaction, no database modifications are committed or no changes are reflected into the database. Ramakrishnan, Gehrke and Gehrke (2003) argue that when such modifications occur, the property ensures that either nothing happens or all transactions are executed completely to ensure a consistent state. According to the knowledge gained from the books, it was crucial to ensure that consistency of the database was implemented when the client sends a request to the server and the server returns the results to the client. Consistency is a property, which when implemented in the database I have designed ensures that when a transaction has been effected, the database states remain valid according to the database rules of database triggers, constraints, and cascades or a combination of all the properties.

I designed the isolation property into the database according to Coronel, Morris and Robs (2009) instructions to ensure that concurrent transactions could be executed to ensure that the database state was the same as if the transactions were executed serially. I realised in the design and implementation phases that concurrency control conflicts were likely to occur during the execution stages of concurrent transactions (Coronel, Morris & Rob, 2009)

The books by Cattell (2011), Coronel, Morris and Rob (2009) and Ramakrishnan, Gehrke and Gehrke (2003) discuss on how to implement the concept of durability.a durable transaction maintains the new database state when a transaction has been committed. I ensured that the state designing a database that could store data in a non-volatile memory.

I considered Coronel, Morris and Robs (2009) information on the search techniques used by website to search for products in the online database. The book discusses concepts, which include the Boolean operators using OR and AND to create search statements to search in the most appropriate domain. Other search techniques which the book by Coronel, Morris and Rob (2009) discusses include truncation and wild card symbols, which I factored into the design of the database linked to the website to enable the search overcome the limitation of the database because it is not intelligent.

User requirements

The user requirements were viewed from the perspective of the user who logs into the site and the user requirements of the system administrator of the IGNO Merchandise Company (IMC). The journal written by Dolomanov, Bourhis, Gildea, Howard and Puschmanns (2009) definition of user requirements was important as the outcomes provided the correct guideline to develop a user friendly website. In ensured that the user requirements based on Dolomanov, Bourhis, Gildea, Howard and Puschmanns (2009) were clear, verifiable, viable, traceable, complete and consistent.

Client requirements

To successfully develop the website, which is linked to the database for storing different items that the company specialises in, I first determined the user or client requirements to determine how to design and implement the database to meet those requirements.The journal written by Dolomanov, Bourhis, Gildea, Howard and Puschmanns (2009) provides different methods for gathering user requirements and I used focus groups, questionnaires, interviews, direct and indirect observations to collect the client requirements, which fall into two categories, which include functional and non-functional requirements. The company is able to update the website when new products have been entered into the database and the company store, so that customers can view them.

I designed the website to ensure scalability to allow for new and more modules and web pages, to accommodate numerous products and availability to ensure it is available online each time a customer log in. Reliability was ensured to provide a high degree of dependence and data integrity to ensure that products which are available, and which are out of stock can be determined by the administrator. I designed the website to be consistent with other non-functional requirements, which are the quality characteristics of the website and include the ability to perform by allowing the client to add and delete the products and to ensure that the website is interoperable with the database and using different technologies. I created a diagrammatic representation of the non-functional requirements as shown below.

To ensure that the client requirements were complete, I created another list of functional requirements for the project, which Coronel, Morris and Robs (2009) asserts that they define the application requirements to meet and enable the administrators to add, delete, update, and organise products, which are stored in the database. To meet the specifications, I designed the website to enable the company officials to be able to identify a user who logs into the website or who wants to register as a user. In addition, I created navigation links, which allows the management to perform administrative functions such as disabling and account, updating the website, and communicating with customers when they make inquiries among other activities. When working from the backend on adding or deleting products, I ensured that the administrator does not need knowledge to manipulate the program code used to design the database, but the website simply provides fields for entering or deleting products from the backend by the administrator of the company.

Customer/user requirements

I designed the website to meet user requirements, which include being able to access the website and view all products, different product categories by price, quality, size, and other attributes. The user can click on a link or a picture, which takes her to the page containing products in the same category of attributes and prices.

System design

Data design

The database is the data design for this project based on the E-relationship model using an entity relationship diagram. Harrington (2009) and Coronel, Morris and Rob (2009) provide good guidelines on the design of web based database, which shows the relationship between the entities. The design techniques include identifying each system entities, their actions, and the relationship between the two entities, the database, the customer, and the system administrator, which is exemplified using the format as shown below.

I designed the entity relationship diagram using the Edraw Max software because it fitted well into my project and because it provides a wide range of options, is easy to use, open source, does not require initial training, and flexible. The relationship between the entities and their actions are shown in the diagram above.

Grouping products by category

I designed the website to provide abilities to group products by different attributes using their features by product name, parent category, product details, image of the product, use of the meat title and keywords, use of a URL easily understood by the customer. I used the HTML tags and the CSS to generate the views on the website to allow customers access different categories of products.

Add/delete products from backend

My website provides a flexible framework for the administrator to add or delete items from the website. Each product in the database table has unique attributes for updating or deleting product from the table. The price, product name, number, and other attributes are removed using add or insert buttons. I have designed the website so that it allows the administrator to use the add or delete buttons to perform the task of their choice under the product settings section. The site consists of the general description field, for entering the product name, description, status, code, and the visibility (Catalog, Search, Catalog Search; Selecting Catalog Search will make this product appear in catalog as well as in Search results).

Edit product from backend

The administrative backend consists of Log-in and Log Out, links for reviewing product catalogs, the ability to manage product catalogues, create and manage product registration, and carry out back end navigation (Coronel, Morris & Rob, 2009).

Add/delete categories from backend

Uploading product image from backend

I provided in the website with the backend section of the website for loading images such as videos into the online database of website, which customers can access and download the image of their choice. The image attributes such as size are provided and cannot be exceeded.

Search for products by name or price

The site provides the flexibility to search products by their prices using a query generated by the system upon a click event. The SQL provides different statements, which can be used to generate the desired results as shown below.

Contact company via email from the website

A unified view provides the site for showing the interaction between the customer and system, which provides the features for sending and receiving emails and for performing other communication activities.

User Interface design

The book by Kennedy (2010) provides detailed principles and guidelines for user interface design, which enabled me to design a website making that allows for tolerance, simplicity, feedback, and meaning for the customers and the entire organisation. The website enables products to be categorised according to their features shown below.

In addition the user could allow access the website and navigate to the products, which are placed in categories as shown below.

I used available space and design tools to organise, communicate, and economize the available resources to ensure consistency, a satisfactory screen layout using a grid structure as shown in the screenshot below. The products are organised according to their categories and placed ion their respective positions based on their names and attributes.

Design Approach

The data used to design the website include data books and journals. The data is important to the project because it provides the guidelines for developing a website that meets the business goals of the organisation.

References

Cattell, R. (2011). Scalable SQL and NoSQL data stores. ACM SIGMOD Record, 39(4), 12-27.

Coronel, C., Morris, S., & Rob, P. (2009). Database systems: design, implementation, and management. Cengage Learning.

Dolomanov, O. V., Bourhis, L. J., Gildea, R. J., Howard, J. A., & Puschmann, H. (2009). OLEX2: a complete structure solution, refinement and analysis program. Journal of Applied Crystallography, 42(2), 339-341.

Harrington, J. L. (2009). Relational database design and implementation: clearly explained. Morgan Kaufmann.

Kennedy, H. (2010). Network: the professionalization of web design. Media, Culture & Society, 32(2), 187-203.

Ramakrishnan, R., Gehrke, J., & Gehrke, J. (2003). Database management systems (Vol. 3). New York: McGraw-Hill.

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