1004INT Information Systems Week 11 Databases as Business Tools

Week 11 Learning Objectives Understanding –How to create input forms to improve data quality; –The power of queries are used to create information; and how reports are generated Achieve a high level perspective of the course and relevance of learning outcomes Mental preparation for weeks 12 & 13 and the design document final “exam”

Last Week in Perspective Understand how business entities are uniquely defined Understand the relationships between business entities Understand how relational databases are used to store data and used to create business information How to use MS Access – creating tables & relationships (related to tutorial exercises)

Week 11 Activities Workshop (Access): Creating input forms; how queries are used to create information; and how reports are generated Discussion and summary of the course and desired learning outcomes Q&A: Discussion of weeks 12 & 13 and the design document final “exam”

Quiz 1 – Input forms How does an input form provide data quality for database software? It allows checks to be created so that only valid input is accepted Where are the data checks actually defined? In the “data dictionary” section for each field definition in the Design View

Quiz 2 – Queries What is the name of the type of query generation tool used in MSAccess? Query-by-example How else might a query be created? Entered directly in SQL Are tables and queries different or the same? Explain. A query creates a new table with data from other tables that meet the query conditions

Quiz 3 - Reports What are two database items that can be used as a source for reports? Tables & Queries How do queries and reports work together? Standardised queries can be used as a source for management reports

What you should take away today (Information) How input forms, queries and reports are powerful tools for managing and leveraging business data How each of these tools are implemented and used in MSAccess What to complete in week 12 labs Steps to complete the final “exam” in week 13 labs

The semester in summary Project-based experiential learning Completing a web-based information system for the assessment of your project Understanding detail of network operation by using low-level network software to create and maintain a website on a remote host Learning that accuracy matters when dealing with computers and their languages (e.g. HTML)

Understanding how humans are designed so that effective, functional interfaces can be designed for Web communication Experiencing ways that spreadsheets can be used as a data management tool Understanding how physical and logical layout of an organization affect information system design Understanding the basics of network design

Key concepts for information system design – scalability, redundancy, accessibility, and interoperability Understand the use of DFDs as a business analysis tool Understanding who and what the “entities” are in organizations and business Understanding the use of ERDs as a business modelling tool and how they become the basis for database design

Experiencing how a database can be used to manage business data and create management information for a project business Experiencing real tools and real tasks that are used in SMEs today Role-playing as a System’s Analyst to understand the steps in IS design Understanding (experiencing) the steps in the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Reflective practice to help you understand how you learn most effectively Now put it all together in the IS design document “exam”Now put it all together in the IS design document “exam”

Week 12 Week 12: Complete project requirements Week 12: Complete minute test Week 12: Work through Design Template

Week 13 Week 13: Check for link to “test” (Monday) Week 13: Go to normal lab Hand in minute test (name, student #) Demonstrate a working link to an (unfinished) “exam” document to the tutor Finish document and test link to it on Dwarf by Sunday 5pm

Thank you all for working so hard Good luck with your studies Steve