Transcript Chapter Two - | Mouse Graphix

Chapter Two
Gathering Information
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as
Prentice Hall
Chapter2.1
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.
• 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.
• It must be able to both add and remove
items from the inventory
• It must 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 users fill in 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)
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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
Unduplicated Student Count By Ethnicity
NAmer
2%
PacIs
7%
other
5%
Asian
18%
white
50%
AfrAm
18%
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
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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
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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.
Question
How do you set your schedule?
How do you sign up for a
tutoring session? What would
make the process easier?
What do you typically put in the
section of the tutor report
labeled “Materials Covered?”
How do you check to see if a
student is in the class they are
being tutored for?
Why do you sometimes not get
the studentID number
How do you cancel a session?
Would you be willing to enter
your demographic information
to get tutoring?
What is the number one thing
you would like to see changed
in the current system?
What part of the current system
do you like?
Time for follow up questions
For
Tutors
Students
Time Allotted
5 minutes
3 minutes
Tutors
2 minutes
Tutors
3 minutes
Tutors
2 minutes
Tutors ,Students
Students
5 minutes
2 minute
Tutors, Students
8 minutes
Tutors, Students
5 minutes
Tutors, students
5 minutes
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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.
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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 questionnairs.
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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.
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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
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Chapter2.24
Sample Questionnaire
1.
Would you be willing to enter demographic information
such as gender and ethnicity to sign up for tutoring?
1.
2.
2.
Would you be willing to list the classes in which you are
currently enrolled?
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Yes
No
Which is the most important factor when you are looking
for a tutoring session to sign up for?
1.
2.
3.
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 cost more.
• 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
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Chapter2.26
Work Shadowing
• Work shadowing consists in observing a
stakeholder as they work with the current
database.
• Lets the developer see how the data is
actually processed in a day by day routine.
• Lets the developer see “exceptions” to the
rule, that may not be documented.
• 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