Title: Week 3
Course: Introduction to Database Management Systems

Database Analysis and Design

The topic aims at exploring the system development process with respect to database design. The various phases of the database system development life cycle with the activities undertaken per phase will be covered. The topic also aims at showing the relationship between the database system development cycle and the traditional System Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the week, you will be able to:
1. Describe the activities that occur per phase of the database system development lifecycle
2. Relate the database system development life cycle to the normal system development life cycle
3. Describe the roles in the database environment

Over to you
Week three is a build-up of what you learnt during the first two weeks. During this week you will interact with your first mini case. This week also introduces you to the course running case. You will work collaboratively during the face to face session and individually during the assignment.

Pre-Topic
Review the different database roles by watching the video on database roles and capture important concepts. Based on the database roles, we will use the information to reflect during the face to face session.

Due date Tuesday 23:59
Estimated study time: 10 minutes

FACE-TO-FACE

- Review the pre-topic activity
- Highlight specific concepts drawn from the weeks’ notes
- Group discussion on a mini case study inline with the Database Analysis and Design.

Mini case study
Think of a bookshop that sells books, stationery and gift items to various individuals, businesses and corporations. The bookshop has five employees: 2 tellers, 1 sales representative, 1 manager and 1 social media marketer. The bookshop has been running on a manual system, where inventory management, transaction processing and ordering is all done manually. Records are stored in large physical books that are updated daily and reports tallied at the end of each week with a final report tallied at the end of the month. The bookshop owners have realized the need for an automated system to handle the tasks above.
Task
Based on the case, identify the life cycle that would be deemed necessary for the development of the database. Further, identify the various roles that would be required for the development and administration of the database.

E-TIVITIES

E-tivity 3.1 (Mandatory)

The purpose of this e-tivity is to explore the process of Database Analysis and Design.

Task 1
Chapters 13 and 14 of Database Design explore the process of database development and identify database users. As you read these chapters, create a mindmap that identifies the phases in the traditional systems development life cycle and how they articulate the process of database development and design. In addition, watch the video on the Database Development Lifecycle and update your mind map with any concepts picked

You should also identify (and show on the mindmap) how the requirements of database users are accommodated in the process.

Task 2
Using the mindmap that you created in Task 1 as a background, read chapter 10 of Relational Database Concepts and, using a different colour pen, notate the mindmap with any additional aspects of database development that you discover.

Task 3
The notated mindmap is the basis for this task. With a third colour pen in hand, conduct an internet search and update the document with any further information that you discover about the systems development life cycle. (Make sure that you note the sources of this new information on the mindmap) Take a photograph of the latest version of the mindmap and post it to the discussion forum.

Task 4
You will be allocated to a group of 5 students.
Each of you will review the mindmaps posted by the other 4 students focussing on the following criteria:
1. Are there any phases of the traditional lifecycle that are not reflected on the mindmap and, if so, which ones?
2. How has your fellow student created bridges between the phases of the lifecycle and the process of Database Analysis and Design?

Task 3 due date Friday 23:59
Task 4 due date Sunday 23:59
Estimated study time: 4 hours

E-tivity 3.2 (Optional)

The purpose of this e-tivity is to dig deeper into Database Analysis and Design. After identifying the phases of the database analysis and design life cycle in e-tivity 3.1, let us try to focus on the data conversion and loading phase. Using an example, discuss what this phase entails.

The guidelines herein will aid in identifying appropriate resources:
- Ensure that as you use google to search, to pay attention to the website’s credibility
- Look up videos on YouTube or any other site that have got high ratings.
- Filter for OER or Creative Commons resources on Youtube.
- Ensure that as you look up different tutorials, be sure to keenly analyze the website author, date of publication as well as their reputation (if possible).
- Access published research papers via scholar.google.com or research gate. Ensure that the resources are indexed with ISBN or DOI numbers.

Any of your colleagues and the instructor will react, give feedback and further explain examples presented

Due date Sunday 23:59
Estimated study time: 1.5 hours

E-tivity 3.3 (Mandatory)

The purpose of this e-tivity is to apply the database system development life cycle on a running case. For this e-tivity, you will be required to analyse the running case while subjecting it to the database system development life cycle.

Based on the background of the Running Case, it would be ideal for tender stores to get a database designed and developed. The database would be a central repository with the aim of ensuring consistent, non-redundant data across all departments within the wholesaler.

Tasks
- Identify the various steps that would be deemed necessary during the database development lifecycles.
- Using appropriate examples distinguish each phase you identified and why it would be used in the part of the wholesaler.
- With the database development life cycle in mind, identify the various roles that may be needed by the wholesaler to manage and maintain the database.

You will as an individual, research and submit your work for evaluation as an assignment.

Due date Sunday 23:59
Estimated study time: 1 hour

Keep a copy of your work in your e-portfolio folder

ASSESSMENT