Windows 7 Please help me find the answer for number 2 I have no idea

[florida2001]

Hi,
I'm desperately trying find the information for my school discussion, I don't want anyone to do homework for me, but I'm seriously do not know how to answer this questions. Access is not my best friend.I found answer for nb 1.which I believe is -(determine the purpose of database, find and organize information, divide into table, turn into items into columns, specify primary key and set up relationship. But I have no clue what number 2 is asking?? Please help!!!

Scenario: Think of an opportunity in your personal, academic, or professional life in which you could use a database (ordering supplies, tracking inventory, maintaining a customer mailing list, organizing a library, etc.). Answer the following questions:

1.What guidelines would you use for designing your database and tables?
2.Who would your end users be and how would you accommodate their needs through your design?

3.Explain how you would use filters or queries. What's the difference between a filter and a query?
4.What kinds of reports would you run? Why?

 

[Fixer1234]

Regarding #1, see these links, which may provide specific needed detail for your answer:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283878
http://www.dbnormalization.com/rules-of-normalization-i
As a minimum, at least throw in words such as "normalization" to demonstrate that you recognize that there is a structured approach to organizing the data.

No. 2 is the one you're hung up on? You may be over-thinking it. The end users are the people who will be using the database. The question of who they would be is probably to get you to focus on them and their perspective rather than your own. Accommodating their needs involves providing for the information they need to get from the database and making it user-friendly for them to do so. Start with the purpose of the database. It is being created to serve a need so it is desirable for it to provide all of the needed information (rather than serve as a source for part of the information and the user has to go somewhere else for the rest), and to not bury that information in a mountain of extraneous stuff.

The user-friendly aspect involves thinking about how the user will want to approach a query. What do they need to know before they can begin. The objective is to require only that knowledge needed to ask their question. For example, you could create a very flexible database capable of providing a customized report showing any level of granularity or summarization using myriad keys. If the user has to go through training first to understand how you have structured the data, the identity of all of the possible keys, and how to ask for what they want, it isn't user friendly. They shouldn't need to be a programmer or have to understand what is behind the curtain. If you need the capability for great flexibility and granularity, a friendlier approach would be to step the user through a series of questions or menus to define what they need (and if they don't need something, it shouldn't be required in order to get a result). Also, it is desirable for the report or result to be understandable and self-explanatory (plain English, no jargon or cryptic abbreviations).

As the question was posed, you were asked to think of a specific application. Use this perspective to tailor an answer to that application.

 

[patcooke]

"As a minimum, at least throw in words such as "normalization" to demonstrate that you recognize that there is a structured approach to organizing the data."

By all means consider use of this suggestion but you should be aware that the expression "normalization" is a process used in an advance concept called "relational databases" and as there is no reference to this it is probably superfluous to use it and unless you understand it you will be seen as using "buzzwords" which you don't understand just to try and impress!

This article deals well with some of the basic database concepts:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/database-design-basics-HA001224247.aspx

 

[Fixer1234]

"As a minimum, at least throw in words such as "normalization" to demonstrate that you recognize that there is a structured approach to organizing the data."

By all means consider use of this suggestion but you should be aware that the expression "normalization" is a process used in an advance concept called "relational databases" and as there is no reference to this it is probably superfluous to use it and unless you understand it you will be seen as using "buzzwords" which you don't understand just to try and impress!

This article deals well with some of the basic database concepts:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/database-design-basics-HA001224247.aspx

Nice going, Patcooke. If the instructor follows this forum, they will now be tuned into looking for unsupported buzzwords!

BTW, you found a good reference link.

To clarify for florida2001, I wasn't suggesting to just throw in buzzwords, and patcooke is correct. Read the links to learn the concepts, then apply them to your answer. There is a structured process for organizing any kind of database, relational or not (for a relational database, there are additional steps in the process). The intent of my suggestion was to be sure you include wording that shows you understand the process and the purpose for it. The reason I commented on No.1 was that what you outlined in your forum question was way too superficial. It is obviously not your actual answer, but it looked like a list of buzzwords and raised a concern that if you don't provide a more thorough answer, the instructor will have no basis to know whether you really understand the material.