Systems Analysis Assignment 2

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Non Functional Requirements

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I have made some assumptions with regard to how many staff work within the Classic Arts Ticket Agency.

The staffing levels I have allowed for are as follows:-

• 1 Manager
• 1 Post Clerk
• 5 Sales Staff
• 2 Accounts Staff

Therefore there is a total of 9 staff within the company.

To help Classic Arts develop their options in the future I have come up with three business system solutions which would boost the efficiency and ease the work load of the current system.

All of the systems I am going to suggest will include some form of database system as this will help with bookings, information accessing and financial information as all records will be able to be stored in tables and retrieved using forms to give a user friendly interface.  

Probably the single most important part of the system will be the server. Because of this I conducted a substantial amount of research into different servers. I have also investigated various software options. I concluded that all of the options I had in mind could be created using the same software thus I will be using the same server for each of my options.

Server

The server recommended will be the Dell PowerEdge T105; the information about the server is listed below.

Also included with the server are the following:

• 3.5-inch 1.44MB Floppy Drive
• Dell 2 Button USB Optical Mouse
• Dell Standard Quietkey USB Keyboard Black

The price of the system will significantly increase because a client access license (also known as CAL) is required for every computer that accesses the server. Included with the server are five licenses a further ten will be needed to currently cover the entire system.  We have also allowed for future expansion.

Including the additional licenses and all the software the total server cost will be £3,398.00, this will be the same for all of my options.

To prevent the power surges or the system being affected by power cuts we will install a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply).

• APC Smart-UPS 750i, 480Watt, Tower Mount.

To connect all components of the network we will use a 24 port switch.

• Dell PowerConnect™ 2724 - 24 Port Gigabit Switch

The total cost of the server, 24 port switch and the UPS unit is £4069.85 inc. delivery and VAT.

MS SBS (Small Business Server) includes the following server based applications:

• MS Windows 2008 Server

• This is the basis of the operating system.

• MS Exchange Server 2007

• This is used to send emails internally and externally from each of the computers.

• MS Forefront Security

•  Protects Exchange Server from Viruses etc.

• MS SharePoint Services 3

• This is used to help share documents, co-ordinate calendars.

• MS Server Windows Update Services.

• Used to update all desktop pc’s automatically, making system administration easier.

• MS IIS Server (Internet Information Server)

• Used to create a web presence for the company, so customers can access the new company web site to help answer some of their queries.

• MS SQL server

• Used to store database tables and queries. This is a very powerful tool, allowing all users to access the same data simultaneously whilst retaining system performance.

Network

Each computer will be connected to the network using CAT 5e cabling, with a computer point at each desk.

The average price would be approximately £65 per network point including all the connections and cables.

Computers

For the systems I am going to recommend an entry level PC. These units will be suitable for all options. The computers that I have chosen are from Dell. Listed below are the prices and the specification of each system.

Each of the workstations comes with Microsoft Office Professional installed on it. Included in this software is:

• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Publisher

Excel will be very useful for the financial department, where the use of spreadsheets will help contain information about incomes and expenditures, allowing calculations and formulas to be applied.

Word will be greatly used for producing documents and posters. It is a commonly used program and would be used in most departments.

PowerPoint allows for the user to create presentation documents for presenting new ideas or can be used for training techniques.

Outlook allows for email communications internally and externally. This will probably be used by every colleague for contacting different departments, invoicing customers and is also a good method of file sharing.

Access will allow for the creation of a database system. It won’t be useful for every user of the system but will be very useful for a select few. By creating a database system users can store information in a table format with a visual interface that users can use to interpret the stored data. It is a very useful inclusion to the Microsoft Office package and may form the basis of one or more of my options.

Publisher can be used to create professional flyers, posters etc.

The cost to each computer station would be £399.99.

The 2 Payment section computers will have Sage accounts installed, this can be used to manage Invoicing, payments and all accounting required for the business. The cost of this is £800.

Equipment cost for all equipment will be:-

Option 1 – SQL with Visual Basic

Option one will be an SQL database system using Visual Basic to create the front end visual interface for better user control.

Advantages:

• The front end will be designed specifically for the Classic Arts ticket agency.

• SQL allows simultaneous access to the records within the database making it faster and easier to use.
• All aspects of the system can be customised to meet the needs of the business.
• Allows for more effective expansion than the other options as SQL is more appropriate for a larger system than the options I will discus below.
• This option would allow integration into an accounting system.

Disadvantages:

• Development time over the other options will be increased due to the complexity

of the system.

• Creating a bespoke system like this will carry a higher cost than the other

options due to the specialist nature of the required programming.

Cost

The cost of this system will be approximately £2000. This would make the total system roughly cost £111,119.76.

Option 2 - Access                            

Option two will be a Microsoft Access database system. All tables and forms will be designed within Microsoft Access.  

Advantages:

• The front end will be designed specifically for the Classic Arts ticket agency.

• All aspects of the system can be customized to meet the needs of the business.
• Access is a very user friendly environment to use.
• The cost of this option would be considerably lower than option one.
• With appropriate training the system could be modified in house to save on future costs.
• This option would allow integration into an accounting system.

Disadvantages:

• Development time over option three will be significantly higher.
• Cost over option three will be a lot higher.
• Will require more training if development in house is required.

Cost

The cost of this system will be approximately £500. This would make the total system roughly cost £9619.76.

Option 3 - Outlook

Option three will be designed using Microsoft Outlook forms. This will use the integrated email system to store the data used by Classic Arts and send in between departments.  

Advantages:

• There is very little cost associated with this option as it can be produced in house.

• The system uses Microsoft Exchange and Outlook which there is no extra cost.
• Most of the system can be customized to meet the needs of the business.
• Development time will be significantly less than the other options.

Disadvantages:

• Outlook has very limited functionality.
• Reporting within Outlook is not available.
• Data stored is more difficult to access and control.
• This option would not allow integration into an accounting system.

Cost

There would be no extra cost for this option as it can be created and developed in house. Therefore the cost of this option would only include the cost of the equipment priced at £9,119.76.

Training

Training for all of the options above will vary in content and time dependent upon the requirements of the business.

Setup Costs

The cost for setting up the server and configuring all of the machines will be approximately £2000

Recommendations

Despite the cost, I will be recommending option one over the other two options for the following various reasons.

Using an SQL database will give Classic Art much more room for expansion in the future as it is still very effective on a large scale. Comparing it to option three for example where it would only be suitable for a small scale system.

The level of customisation within this system would be significantly higher. The other options would give some customisation but would be increasingly limited. For example you would be able to integrate Sage into SQL and reporting can be increased where as the other options wouldn’t allow for this.

Data stored within this system will be much easier to access and simultaneous access is also available where as in option three this would not be the case.

If Classic Arts were to develop further, integration of the web server would be possible so that customers could order online, this would become a new sales medium for Classic Arts and would greatly improve the size of their potential customer base. Advertising and awareness can also be greatly improved this way.