PLEASE READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
Overview
Database design is an integral step in the overall development of a database solution; a bad design can lead to many issues and problems with queries and potential expansion for any database. Getting the database design right is the first and most important step in creating a successful database.
For this final project, you will solve a database design situation as outlined in this scenario. As you read through the scenario, be sure to pay close attention to the business requirements that the business owners note in the narrative. Over the course of two milestones, you will need to define the need for the database and pick out the business requirements. Next, you will frame the entity-relationship model (ERM) and define the entities and attributes for the business. Your next steps will be to normalize your entities, define primary and foreign keys, and finally, draft an initial entity-relationship diagram (ERD). After referencing feedback from your instructor for appropriate revisions, you will submit a database design report package.
The package will contain your final design proposal, including an ERD and dependency diagrams, an explanation for the determinations you made while filling in your ERD and making adjustments after normalization, and a summary explanation of how your design will allow the database to achieve the desired end result, including a consideration of the user requirements, business processes, and restrictions.
Prompt
You have been hired to design a database that meets an outlined set of requirements in order to solve an information management problem. After reading through the provided scenario, you will first determine the overall purpose of the database and the user requirements. You will then work through a conceptual design process, design revision, and design finalization. Your final submission should be in the form of a final entity-relationship diagram (ERD) in third normal form (3NF) and an explanatory report that summarizes your process and recommendations for the database solution. Along with your final ERD and new work for the assignment, the document should incorporate the text and diagrams from your milestones, including revisions.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
Requirement Gathering: Read the provided scenario in order to determine the overall purpose of the database and the user requirements, specifically the following:
Define the purpose, goals, and objectives of the database as determined by the scenario.
Assess the user requirements associated with the database according to its owners and stakeholders.
Explain the business processes and restrictions that the database addresses in support of the user requirements.
Explain what the end result of the database should be as determined by the scenario.
Conceptual Design: Using your analysis of the provided scenario, address the following in order to determine an appropriate entity-relationship model (ERM) that will inform your final design:
Assess various ERMs for their design applicability to your database design.
Determine the appropriate ERM and explain your choice.
Identify the data sets for the database, including all entities and attributes.
Design Revision: During this stage, you will draft your entity-relationship diagram (ERD), addressing the following elements:
Construct your ERD, utilizing your identified entities and attributes.
Determine appropriate primary and foreign keys for each entity and note them on your ERD.
Determine table relationships and note them on your ERD.
Determine appropriate data types and sizes for each attribute and note them on your ERD.
Complete the normalization process utilizing dependency diagrams in order to prove tables are in third normal form (3NF), and adjust your ERD if necessary.
Design Finalization: Finalize your ERD after normalization, and conclude your report package, addressing the following elements:
Draft your recommended final ERD, which accounts for any adjustments made to its elements as determined through the normalization process.
Summarize your process for developing your database design, including an explanation for the determinations you made while filling in your ERD and making adjustments after normalization.
Explain how your design will allow the database to achieve your desired end result, including consideration of the user requirements, business processes, and restrictions.
