Chapter Two Gathering Information Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice HallChapter2.1

Ways to Gather Information Initial Interviews Review Business Documents Interviews with Stakeholders Questionnaires Work Shadowing Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.2

Initial Interviews The initial interviews should provide an overall picture of the purpose of the database. What you want at this point is to gather the goals and broad requirements of the database. Avoid too many specifics. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.3

Reviewing Business Documents Reviewing Business documents can reveal many things relevant to development of the database: – Insight into daily business processes. – How information is gathered and used. – What information is gathered. – The sequences used for gathering and passing information. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.4

Database Domain The domain is the focus of the database. If the database is to track inventory, then the inventory content and processes within the company would form the domain of the database. For instance, if the database were for tracking clinical work in a dentist’s office, then the dental procedures and how they are captured would be the database domain. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.5

Requirements Requirements are things the database must do. For instance, an inventory database must: – store all the relevant data about inventory items. – be able to both add and remove items from the inventory. – allow for the details about items to be modified. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.6

Forms Forms are documents used to capture business information. They represent the “input” to a system. They can be paper based or on-line. The fields filled in by users on the forms are a good first guide to what fields the database will need to contain. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.7

Sample Form Tutor Session Report Form Tutor Name Session Date Session Time StudentID Student Name (NA if no student signed up) Materials covered (NS if no show) Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.8

Reports Reports present “output” from the data. Typically they summarize the data, providing things like totals and averages. These too are a good guide to the content of the potential database since it will need to store any information needed to create the reports. Reports often contain graphs and charts. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.9

Sample Report Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.10

Other Documents Manuals and procedures can be useful for understanding work processes. Memos and letters can provide insights into how the data is used and who the major stakeholders are. Annual reports offer insights into the directions and plans of a company in which the database will play a part. Even Mission Statements and goals can be valuable, since the database should support the mission of the company. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.11

Things to Watch for When Reviewing Documents Make sure you understand all the abbreviations and terms. Make sure you understand the purpose of the document within the context of the data with which you are working. Make sure you understand where in the process the document belongs. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.12

Types of Database There are several different functions a database can serve. Three of them are: – Transaction database – Management Information System – Business Intelligence. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.13

Transaction Databases These are databases that are optimized to collect and process business transactions such as sales. They need to be fast and efficient. They often need to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.14

Information Management Systems Information management systems are optimized to process the transaction information, creating summaries and reports that are useful to business managers. They often work with a copy of the transaction data so as not to slow down the transaction database. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.15

Business Intelligence Business Intelligence moves beyond management systems. It provides tools for “mining” data to look for patterns and trends that might help the business improve its offerings or service. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.16

Identifying stakeholders One should first identify all the relevant stakeholders. A stakeholder is anyone who has a “stake” in the database project. This includes not only management, but anyone who will have to work with the database. It may also include customers. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.17

Interviews Interviews are especially good for asking “open ended” questions. An open ended question is one that doesn’t have a set answer, such as “What is the aspect of the current database that gives you the most trouble?” It is important to make sure you interview all the stakeholders to get their perspectives, not just the management. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.18

Preparing for an Interview It is important to always prepare for an interview. Prepare questions ahead of time. Be aware of how much total time you have for the interview. Allot a certain amount of time to each question. Allot some time to follow up questions. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.19

Example Interview Preparation Form Tutor Interview Total time: 45 minutes. Allow 5 minutes for introductions. QuestionForTime Allotted How do you set your schedule?Tutors5 minutes How do you sign up for a tutoring session? What would make the process easier? Students3 minutes What do you typically put in the section of the tutor report labeled “Materials Covered?” Tutors2 minutes How do you check to see if a student is in the class they are being tutored for? Tutors3 minutes Why do you sometimes not get the studentID number Tutors2 minutes How do you cancel a session?Tutors,Students5 minutes Would you be willing to enter your demographic information to get tutoring? Students2 minute What is the number one thing you would like to see changed in the current system? Tutors, Students8 minutes What part of the current system do you like? Tutors, Students5 minutes Time for follow up questionsTutors, students5 minutes Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.20

Conducting the Interview Lay out the rules and the time constraints from the beginning. Facilitate the interview making sure everyone has a chance to respond. Politely cut off overly long responses or responses that stray from the subject at hand. If possible record the interview or have someone you trust take notes. It is almost impossible to facilitate the interview and take good notes. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.21

Follow Up for Interviews Transcribe the notes while they are still fresh in your mind, ideally within 24 hours. Think of any follow up questions to ask in person or in questionnaires. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.22

Questionnaires Questionnaires are useful for asking “closed questions.” Closed questions are questions that have a specific answer such as yes/no or multiple choice. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.23

Preparing Questionnaires Make sure your questions are not ambiguous. Make sure you get a representative sample back. Too small of a return or a return that is not balanced among the appropriate stakeholders may not give you valid information. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.24

Sample Questionnaire 1.Would you be willing to enter demographic information such as gender and ethnicity to sign up for tutoring? Yes No 2.Would you be willing to list the classes in which you are currently enrolled? Yes No 3.Which is the most important factor when you are looking for a tutoring session to sign up for? The particular tutor The time slot Neither of the above Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.25

Comparing Questionnaires and Interviews Interviews Good for open-ended questions More time intensive and more costly Better for complex issues and views Questionnaires Good for closed ended questions Less time intensive and less expensive Capture a wider variety of views Harder to judge the accuracy Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.26

Work Shadowing Work shadowing consists of observing stakeholder as they work with the current database. This allows the developer to: – see how the data is actually processed in a day by day routine. – see “exceptions” to the rule, that may not be documented. It also may uncover other undocumented processes that are important to the function of the database. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.27

Documentation It is important to keep samples of all the business documents you have reviewed. Keep all notes about the abbreviations and field contents. Keep summaries and transcripts of interviews. Keep summaries of questionnaire results. Keep summaries of work shadowing reports. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.28

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall