In this discussion, you will provide at least two alternatives, techniques, or processes that you would use to align the goals and objectives of a new database with the given business rules. When selecting these keep in mind that when employed, they should elicit the assistance of the stakeholders (or small business owner). For instance, say one of the goals of an event-tracking database is to track the number of events by type (e.g., a wedding, a birthday, or an anniversary). However, the business rules may say that there is no need to track the type of event.
In a similar vein, your stakeholders may say, “You are the database expert, so do not talk with me, but go design the database.”
In your initial discussion post, discuss methods or strategies you would use to address this situation and keep the lines of communication open with the stakeholders. What tools would you utilize to convince the stakeholders that their input is needed and required?What are the best practices to follow when designing a database based on prescribed objectives from stakeholders and specified business requirements? How does database design fit into the larger and more comprehensive software development life cycle (SDLC)?
In Module One, we reviewed the difference between data and knowledge and noted that good design requires following a database model during the planning phase of database design. The planning process includes an analysis of the database’s ultimate purpose and the business rules that surround the data and influence its design. During this phase, we must seek out all the business rules surrounding a database design while also verifying and validating each rule. Well-written rules define many of the components (such as entities, attributes, and relationships) that will be used later in the design process.
During this part of the design, communication is key to ensuring that business rules are properly understood and implemented during the design. This communication should be frequent and should involve the use of the data model and related diagrams that we will learn about in this class. Furthermore, the data model and related diagrams should provide a basis for conversing with all parties who are part of the design team.
Finally, database design is one part of a database lifecycle that is, in turn, part of the more expansive SDLC. Similar to the SDLC, database design follows the database life cycle (DBLC).
The phases of DBLC include the following:
- Initial study
- Database design
- Implementation and loading
- Testing and evaluation
- Operation
- Maintenance evolution
As you can see from the above list, this class primarily covers the first two steps in the DBLC process, but we must understand how database design fits into the larger design process of many projects.
0 comments