Analysis
Hardware
The type of computer system I need to solve the problem is a desktop because it has more memory space and in effect stores more data, the output devices I am going to use is a printer to print off the letters and also a screen to see what I am typing. The input devices I am going to use is a keyboard, to type up my information, also a mouse to get to a file or a program I need to type up information also I will use a scanner to input data such as complaints or other information. For the storage I am going to use is a Maxtor 60GB Hard Drive and has got a Basic audio and video system. For the other hardware of my computer I am going to use a fast but cheap processor such as the Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 for the graphics card it will be extremely basic such as the Nvidia 6600 witch outputs to a 15.4” Screen.
Software
The first software I will be using the software Microsoft access and the facility I will be using is called mail merge. I will be putting in all the information and also filtering, the next software I will use is called Microsoft word to write down my report and I will use Microsoft word to use mail merge to write down the letter I want and then using mail merge to add in all the information I want e.g. name address ect…
Input
The information I need in order to solve the problem is;
- Names
- Addresses
- Phone numbers
- Video/game rented
- Date Video/game taken out/request date to be brought back
Method of collection: The method of collection I will be using will be in a number of ways. The first way will be in a survey form getting information from people and then details put onto information cards which will then be saved onto a database. Another way I will use is also using old information cards and again saving the information onto a database
Error checking: The way I will make sure the information I have collected correct is first:
Use spell check to see if the addresses are real.
I can also proof read the information personally.
Give the information to the customers when they come into the shop for a final check.
Processing:
You maybe asking how I am going to do this?
Well I will be starting by first of all organizing all of my customers invoices and information and put them in alphabetical order, after that I will use a device (such as a scanner) which links to a piece of software turning the picture of the Membership details into data which is then inputs the details such as videos, name and address into a complicated Microsoft access database. If this does not work I will have to put in the man power to convert all of the data manually into the computer system, once this is done I can move onto using my facilities such as Microsoft Access so I can start customizing my database and use my other facility Mail merge to create and test out the invoices or queries
Output:
I will now be talking about the various functions that the PC will actually produce for me. The first is screen based; this is so that I can see what I am doing on the PC. The second is printed; this is so that when I have finished my work (Mail Merge letter) I can have it on a sheet ready to be sent off.
The paper size I am going to use is A4 this is because if I have a too small piece of paper everything will be squashed together and hard to read, and if the piece of paper is too big it is a waste of money, it will need a bigger envelope which will cost more money and when the customer opens the envelope the sheet will bee to large to handle.
The colour of the text will be in black because it is cheaper and also more professional than any other colour (like blue or yellow).
There are only going to be two different outputs that will be required the first is the screen, and the second is the printer. These will be used at when there is a new customer that wants to take out a video, and/or if a customer has an overdue video a notification letter will be sent.
Backup Strategies
The backup strategy that is most suitable for backing up the data stored on the computer is a USB flash drive; this is because flash drives are impervious to scratches and dust and mechanically very robust. The data that will be stored on the USB will be weekly updated incase the data on the PC is lost/deleted.
Security
Because the computer has important information that the customers do not want displayed to public eyes, I must use a very strong security system, this will enable me to put passwords on all the files of information I want to be protected and also on the logon screen. This will ensure that if anyone does get onto the computer everything is password protected, and a lot harder to get onto.
Implementation
Evaluation
The original problem that I needed to solve was updating all the customers that had taken out a video or game and had failed to return the video or game, and I have infact solved this problem that had occurred.
- Save all the customers to a database so that you can access all of the customer’s information quickly.
- Type up all the letters leaving out names, addresses, dates (for when film was bought) ect.
- Fill in the gaps using mail merge
- Be able to print off the letters addressed to all the customers.
I can say that I have solved these problems and I will now explain how I had solved these problems.
For the first objective I had used the software called Microsoft access this had allowed me to set out all the different categories that I had wanted in my database e.g. names, video/game, return date. ECT… and I could also go to the customer I wanted very quickly.
When it came to the second objective, I opened up a software called Microsoft word and went onto a tab called mail-merge and used this to type up my letter and in this process type multiple letters just by typing only one letter.
The third objective was to fill in all the information using mail merge e.g. names, video/game, return date. ECT… this was done because I had first used the software called Microsoft access an I could link this software to mail merge.
The final objective was to be able to print off all the letters that I had just created for each customer, I did this by simply clicking on the top hand left corner and selected the print icon and printed off one of each letter.
For my design I had made several changes. These changed had consisted of moving the company details to the bottom of the page (as a footer), the logo at the top of the page in the centre, the customer address at the top of the page above the contents of the letter, and finally the signature and the name of the manager underneath the contents of the letter on the left hand side.
I made these changes to the design because it made the letter look extremely untidy, and I also made these changes because all the information was all over the letter and really confusing to look at.
Dear Mr Jordan Ezekiel,
I think that your method of helping me organise all of my customer’s information and writing out all of the letters was quite helpful and it also made giving out letters to customers a lot easier and it also saved a lot of time. Based on the problem beforehand these solutions were very helpful. One other problem however, is that I have so search through all of the customers return dates every day and this can take up a lot of time. In addition to the new system I have an idea of making ID cards for each customer or a new customer.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Sam Screen
Further improvements to this work is that I could use the software called Microsoft Excel and I will use this software so that it indicates when a video/game is overdue, and after this if there is a website their will be a managers account and this will also automatically update on late videos/games and this will be in date order.
