Further details on input
Record date of booking from the system clock. The date will need to be in short date format. Using the formula =(date)
Customer details
Surname, first name, address, telephone number and.
Amount of deposit must be subtracted from total price of booking.
The end user will know the solution is right because of the following-
- The solution will enable B-Loud to record customer details and calculate prices for bookings.
- The solution should increase profits by the company in the long run by receiving more bookings.
- The DJ crew will perform better if they have preliminary information on the customer for example type of music preferred or favourite songs.
- The spreadsheet will ensure that we never get double booked and loose out on custom.
In order to store customer information I will create an excel chart which will contain details on customer names, address and telephone number. I will also create a separate chart which will include information on the actual booking such as date of booking, deposit paid, agreed price for show, venue plus start & finish time of show. The spreadsheet must calculate the total price of the booking taking into consideration time of performance, deposit and any discounts. This will be done by entering the appropriate formulas and values so that excel can calculate the total using figures from all the spreadsheets. For creating the invoice I will use the process of entering information into several spreadsheets at the same time, so upon entering the details into the charts, it will be copied to the invoice.
Limitations and constrains
With many systems there will always be limitations and it is vital that these are identified in order to create a suitable spreadsheet for this project.
Software limitations might occur when compared to the paper based system-
- Information concerning customers within the spreadsheet could get lost if the computer system goes down and recent data isn’t backed up,
- Paper based systems are quicker to access whereas with the spreadsheet system you have to log onto the computer.
Apart from this there are no other major software limitations.
Hardware
A standard computer is made up of several different components. There are many components which operate in order to provide input, processing and output information. The main hardware which will be used in conjunction with my spreadsheet system are as following-
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Printer
- Monitor
End user requirements
- The system has to be user friendly and be able to input data efficiently
- There has to be a macro button which allows a printout of the invoice
- The solution should be created on Microsoft excel
- For each booking the system should show:
Date of booking
Venue of the booking
Proposed deposit and payment, also should indicate whether the deposit has been paid
Name and general details of customer.
- The new system should require only basic I.T skills and users should be able to learn how to use it quickly.
Solution Specification
The manager of the DJ setup wants an automated invoice procedure which will print off a type of receipt which will be given to the customer so that they know what kind of setup or hire they have purchased. Details of the booking or hire must be easily retrievable to enable discussion between DJ and customer. Payment terms will need to be worked out with accuracy and must take in account any discounts. The user needs to be able to choose from a selection of prices, quantities and equipment pieces so that the customer receives an instant quote regarding the criteria they have provided. Details of the bookings and hire will need to be stored in an organised list so that the user can access the records quickly. The system should validate all data before accepting it, if this is not done errors are prone to occur within the system.
The appropriate formulas will need to be entered so that the system can calculate the totals regarding bookings and hire. The formula which is entered must take into account all deductions and additions which include extra time, discounts, day of booking, extras, equipment quantity and duration of hire. Upon entering all these values the spreadsheet should process these values according to the formulas that have been inserted. Then the output should be displayed in a total cell, this will be the price charged for the set up depending upon the prices entered in the time period and extras cells. To design this spreadsheet I will use Microsoft excel. Various macros will need to be incorporated into the system so that the user can navigate around the system swiftly. Other macros which will need to be integrated will be macros which perform the basic tasks such as save, print, back and forward. To capture the data from the clients I will design an electronic form on excel on which I will enter customer details.
Software
The type of software that will be used for this project is a spreadsheet package. The following reasons outline why a spreadsheet package in the form of Microsoft Excel will be used for this system.
- A user interface can be easily created by some one who is familiar with Excels features. Macros will play a major part in designing a successful user interface.
- Excel has the ability to accept formulas entered by the designer and then process the inputted data in order to calculate the correct output.
- Within one workbook the designer can create many worksheets. Within these worksheets one can design various lists, tables and forms.
- VLookups can be created so that relevant data can be displayed on a certain worksheet after excel has searched for this particular data from a list or something similar.
Limitations and constrains
With many systems there will always be limitations and it is vital that these are identified in order to create a suitable spreadsheet for this project.
Software limitations might occur when compared to the paper based system-
- Information concerning customers within the spreadsheet could get lost if the computer system goes down and recent data isn’t backed up,
- Paper based systems are quicker to access whereas with the spreadsheet system you have to log onto the computer.
Apart from this there are no other major software limitations.
Hardware
A standard computer is made up of several different components. There are many components which operate in order to provide input, processing and output information. The main hardware which will be used in conjunction with my spreadsheet system are as following-
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Printer
- Monitor
The Solution
The Main Tasks
To design this system accurately and efficiently I have divided the task into smaller more manageable sub-tasks. These sub tasks include:
- Create a list of the DJ equipment alongside price for each piece of equipment.
- Create a form type spreadsheet in which the details for each booking will be entered.
- A separate spreadsheet should list the personal and relevant details of each client so that information on the customer can be retrieved easily.
- A main menu will be created from which the user can easily navigate and access the system.
- The system will need to be protected so that data can be viewed and changed by certain users only. This means that certain cells will need to be locked so that the data within them cannot be edited by unauthorised personnel.
- The system will need to be as automated as possible so that the user can use the system easily. To achieve this macros will have to be included in order to crate shortcuts to produce outputs e.g printouts and invoices.
