I.T Shopticians

Shopticians Coursework

Design

The series of tasks that I will perform from now until the system is completed:

Research into information the company needs to include in database content.
Create a data capture form.
Fill in my data capture form, in order to organise what fields I will create.
Create a data design sheet.
Fill in my data design sheet, in order to organise what types of fields I will create [e.g. Boolean].
Start creating fields and text labels in the main layout in Viewpoint.
Create the other different layouts that I will have.
Add validation checks to fields where it is necessary.
Test the validation by inserting ‘test records’.
Create queries by sorting and searching.
Attach the queries to the layouts.
Create buttons on the first page, in order to navigate around the database, through the different layouts. These will then need testing, to see if they link to the correct layout.
Set up a web page, so that a web link button can be created on the database.
Check database through to see if it is all working correctly.
Input all data as records.

Inputs:

Data that is required for the system will need to be input. This would be through a mouse and a keyboard.

When the database is first being set up, the main input device needed will be a mouse. A mouse is needed to control your actions on screen, so in this case, I will need to use it to select fields and drag them on screen. I will also need to select options and position the cursor. There are two options for this, either a roller ball, or an optical mouse.

There are not really many advantages to using a roller ball mouse, apart from them being very cheap in price. It becomes clogged up over time, so stops working, as well as the ball being lost or stolen easily. This would mean that the company would need to invest in a new one, wasting money on old technology. An optical mouse, however, uses a beam of light, instead of a ball. It runs smoothly and is not much more expensive than a roller ball mouse, depending on the type. For example, a wireless mouse would be more expensive than a non-wireless mouse, but only because it has the advantage of not being restricted to the length of a wire. However, I do not perceive this to be a problem during the creation of my new system, and, consequently, the cheaper, wired mouse would be perfectly suitable.

There are a number of variations of keyboards, the main one being a QWERTY keyboard. Also being considered, to create my database, is a touch screen (concept keyboard) and a numeric keyboard.

It is immediately obvious that a concept keyboard will not be needed for my task of creating a database as, although it is quick to use, it is more limited and, therefore, not suitable. Concept keyboards are more suited for use at cash tills and for recording sale transactions, such as in restaurants.

There is then the option of a numeric keyboard. This could be used to easily input numbers as data, after the database is finished and records are being created. However, a numeric keyboard is limited to numbers. It would then be more sensible, therefore, to invest in a QWERTY keyboard, which includes a numeric keyboard anyway, as well as characters and letters, which will be needed for labelling fields. Also, I can be assured that a QWERTY keyboard has all the symbols necessary for inputting validation [e.g. <, “, ‘, > etc.] and its layout has been specially designed ...

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Therefore, an optical non-wireless mouse and a QWERTY keyboard will be used.

Outputs:

When creating and viewing a database, the pages will need to be output, using a monitor. There are two main options that can be used – A CRT, or a flat screen. Flat screens usually come as either TFT [Thin Film Transistor], or LCD [Liquid Crystal Display].

A CRT [Cathode Ray Tube] monitor is cheaper; however, it is bulky and has a larger footprint [takes up more space]. This is not good, in terms of the company, as they already have a limited amount of room. Another disadvantage is that the screen flickers, which is not good for the eyesight of the user.

A flat screen, however, has a smaller footprint, therefore, taking up less room, as well as the screen being stable. Also, the technology is newer, which is an advantage, as this means that it should support the latest software.

As well as a monitor, a printer is needed as an output device. I am going to consider the three main types of printer - laser, inkjet and dot matrix.

As I will include a layout linked to a webpage, customers will be able to view this on the Internet, and may want to print it out for future reference, to remind them of their appointment time. I would expect most clients to have a colour inkjet printer as the quality of the print is high and inkjets are quite cheap to purchase, compared with the other printers. Another advantage for home use is that it does not occupy as much room as other types of printers. The dot matrix printer, on the other hand, does not really have many advantages. The quality of the print would not be satisfactory, especially for pictures, and it is quite large. A laser printer would be too expensive, and the speed of the print would be wasted, as this is not necessary for domestic use.

The Shopticians store will need a printer to print out layouts, especially for the opticians and their appointment times. A dot matrix printer is suitable for printing out simple receipts as they are relatively cheap in price, but the technology is old, and Shopticians need a printer for other uses. Also dot matrix printers are quite large in size, so are not very practical and it has been said that Shopticians is quite limited for space. Shopticians will probably need to use printers a lot more than customers at home, and therefore speed needs to be taken into consideration. Because of this, a laser printer would be the most sensible choice, despite its higher cost compared to the other types of printers. Also, it is relatively quick and is quite economical when printing is being done on a grand scale, even if the new cartridge toners for the printer are expensive.

Customers are more than likely to use an inkjet printer, as the quality of the print is high, they do not need to print fast and they are quite cheap to purchase. On the other hand, Shopticians will probably need to use printers a lot more, and therefore speed needs to be put into consideration. Because of this, a laser printer would be the most sensible choice, despite its higher cost.

Processing:

The speed of viewing and using the database depends on the computer’s CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory size. The CPU could be compared to the brain of a computer system. It is where input data is processed and turned into output data. The higher the processing speed, the faster the instructions are carried out.

For complicated instructions, such as validation, a big RAM is needed.

Another process is the downloading of pages, when viewing them on the Internet. This will apply to the webpage that is linked to the database, that customers will be able to view. The speed of this depends on the user’s Internet connection, measured in how many bytes are sent per second. Most users at home [Shopticians’ customers] will have either a broadband connection, usually at around 1MB per second, or a slower dial up modem at around 56.6KB per second. I, however, have access to a much faster T100 link, which works at the speed of 10GB per second, meaning that web pages that I view load almost instantly. However, if I had one of the slower connections, there would be a longer loading time.

3GHz processor at skool

If this slower system was the case for a customer, then they may become impatient waiting for the Shopticians website to load, and give up. This may result in them being put off from using this feature and then the problem of customer organisation may not be sorted.

Validation and Verification:

Validation is making sure that input data is sensible. Viewpoint will allow me to add validation checks to all necessary fields to check reasonable information has been input.

With type checks, I would not be able to type a name into the birth of date or age fields. I will allow a maximum of 15 characters to be entered into the forename field and no more, as an example of a length check. A range check on the age field means that I cannot enter ages below 16 years old and above 99 years old. Presence checks on fields ensure that required fields are completed otherwise an error message will pop up and the data cannot be submitted.

If validation was not present, then answers that are not sensible could be entered. Setting ‘allowable entries’ on some fields prevents unwanted data being input, as the user can only choose from a certain amount of options. For example, with the format check on a field for ‘e-mail address’, if an ‘@’ sign is not entered, then the entry cannot be an email. If an e-mail address is not given, but the customers wants to receive something from the company via their e-mail address (e.g. a newsletter on offers), then the company cannot send them this. This means less business for the company and the customer missing out on information.

Verification is double-checking if input data is accurate and free of mistakes. In my case of creating a database, an example would be to proof read text labels during creation, as well as after. I could also get another person to check the database through, to see if they pick up on any other mistakes. Another option would be for two users to type in the same data and check for any differences. However, this is time consuming and would not be practical.

Solving:

In order to create my solution of a database, I will need to consider three types of software; “Microsoft Word”, “Microsoft Excel” and “Viewpoint”

First of all, Microsoft Word is mainly designed for writing up documents, and it is rarely heard of that it is used to sort data. It has little features that could be used to design a database, although, it does have a tool for creating tables and validation can be applied. It also has a spell check feature, which is validation in itself and you can perform a mail merge. However, these useful features are very limited.

Microsoft Excel is a step up from Word, as tables can be created, validation can be applied and you can sort, but not search. Mail merge is also a feature. On the other hand, it is not designed for database creation, and the layout cannot be easily controlled. Also, the same spreadsheet can only be used by one user at a time. However, an advantage is that it can be password protected.

Lastly, Viewpoint has the immediate advantage of being a software especially designed for the purpose of database creation. It has all the features that would be used in Word and Excel, as well as more. It allows you to position different types of fields [as described under validation], wherever you like on the page and there are different types of fields for different types of entries. For example, a ‘formula’ field can be created to calculate the relationships between two fields. One instance of this is to calculate a cost. However, these formulas can become complex, and exact field names have to be entered. Training is also required to be able to successfully achieve this. This is also the case for the validation of fields. Validation itself is a very useful aspect of the software, as it can save time and reduces the risk of entering a wrong entry. On the other hand, formulae can be complex and can get very long, increasing the chance of a mistake. Also, if a mistake has been made, then the user can become stuck in view mode until the wrong validation formula has been corrected.

Viewpoint also allows you to insert text into your database layout, for clarity of what section each of the fields come under. The user can also change the type of field if a wrong one is created, and they realise that, for example, it needs to be a text field instead of an integer. Although, to completely delete a field, the user has to know to press ‘ctrl’, as well as ‘delete’. Another advantage about the software, however, is that, for text and fields, the software allows the user to select multiple boxes, in order to change colours, fonts, borders and backgrounds, saving time.

A main useful feature that is included in Viewpoint, is ‘Query’. This saves the user time, instead of them having to browse the whole database, and also allows a ‘Sort’, for a specific order. Layouts can also be created with attached queries. However, the user has to know the specific codes to type. For example, to find all ages under 15 the user has to type ‘<15’ and not everyone may know this, again coming back to the point that training is required.

After considering the 3 software as options, it has become clear that Microsoft Word is not really an option at all. Then, in the words of http://www.filemaker.com, “Most people would agree that Excel is the tool of choice when it comes to crunching numbers and building charts. But when your needs become more sophisticated and you want to add graphics, print professional reports, perform complex searches and sorts, or share your data across a workgroup, it's time to consider a database solution.” Therefore, I will use Viewpoint.

User Interface:

Navigation Through The Database: