1. © Pearson Education Limited, 20041 Chapter 6 Fact-finding Transparencies

2. © Pearson Education Limited, 20042 Chapter 6 - Objectives When fact-finding techniques are used in the database system development lifecycle. The types of facts collected throughout the database system development lifecycle. The types of documentation produced throughout the database system development lifecycle.

3. © Pearson Education Limited, 20043 Chapter 6 - Objectives The most commonly used fact-finding techniques. How to use each fact-finding technique and the advantages and disadvantages of each. About a video rental company called StayHome. How to use fact-finding techniques in the early stages of the database system development lifecycle.

4. © Pearson Education Limited, 20044 Fact-finding The formal process of using techniques such as interviews and questionnaires to collect facts about systems, requirements, and preferences.

5. © Pearson Education Limited, 20045 When are fact-finding techniques used? Many occasions for fact-finding during the database system development lifecycle. Particularly crucial to the early stages of the lifecycle, including the database planning, system definition, and requirements collection and analysis stages.

6. © Pearson Education Limited, 20046 What facts are collected?

7. © Pearson Education Limited, 20047 Fact-finding techniques A database developer normally uses several fact-finding techniques during a single database project, including:  Examining documentation  Interviewing  Observing the business in operation  Research Questionnaires

8. © Pearson Education Limited, 20048 Examining documentation Examining documents, forms, reports, and files associated with the current system, is a good way to quickly gain some understanding of the system.

9. © Pearson Education Limited, 20049 Examples of documentation to examine

10. © Pearson Education Limited, 200410 Interviewing Interviewing is the most commonly used, and normally most useful, fact- finding technique. Objectives include: finding out and/or checking facts generating user interest and/or feelings of involvement, identifying requirements and/or gathering ideas and opinions.

11. © Pearson Education Limited, 200411 Advantages / disadvantages of interviewing

12. © Pearson Education Limited, 200412 Interviewing There are two types of interviews: unstructured and structured. Unstructured interviews are conducted with only a general objective in mind and with few, if any, specific questions. In structured interviews, the interviewer has a specific set of questions to ask the interviewee.

13. © Pearson Education Limited, 200413 Interviewing There are two types of questions: open-ended and closed. Open-ended questions allow the interviewee to respond in any way that seems appropriate. Closed-ended questions restrict answers to either specific choices or short, direct responses.

14. © Pearson Education Limited, 200414 Observing the business in operation One of the most effective techniques. Can either participate in, or watch a person perform activities to learn about the system.

15. © Pearson Education Limited, 200415 Advantages / disadvantages of observation

16. © Pearson Education Limited, 200416 Research Useful to research the application and problem. Computer trade journals, reference books, and the Internet are good sources of information. May find how others have solved similar problems, plus you can learn whether or not software packages exist to solve your problem.

17. © Pearson Education Limited, 200417 Advantages / disadvantages of research

18. © Pearson Education Limited, 200418 Questionnaires Can conduct surveys through questionnaires. Questionnaires are special-purpose documents that allow you to gather facts from a large number of people while maintaining some control over their responses.

19. © Pearson Education Limited, 200419 Advantages / disadvantages of questionnaires

20. © Pearson Education Limited, 200420 Questionnaires There are two formats for questionnaires: free-format and fixed- format. Free-format questionnaires offer the respondent greater freedom in providing answers. Fixed-format questionnaires contain questions that require specific responses from individuals.

21. © Pearson Education Limited, 200421 The StayHome case study This case study describes a company called StayHome, which rents out videos to its members. The first branch of StayHome was established in 1982 in Seattle but the company has now grown and has many branches throughout the United States.

22. © Pearson Education Limited, 200422 StayHome staff registration form

23. © Pearson Education Limited, 200423 Page of report listing members of staff

24. © Pearson Education Limited, 200424 Page of report listing videos

25. © Pearson Education Limited, 200425 StayHome member registration form

26. © Pearson Education Limited, 200426 Page of report listing members

27. © Pearson Education Limited, 200427 StayHome video rental form

28. © Pearson Education Limited, 200428 StayHome case study – database planning Define mission statement for the database project. Defines the major aims of the database system. Clarifies purpose of database and provides clearer path towards the efficient and effective creation of the required database system.

29. © Pearson Education Limited, 200429 StayHome case study – database planning Define mission objectives. Each mission objective identifies a particular task that the database must support. Additional information specifies, in general terms, the work to be done, the resources with which to do it, and the money to pay for it all.

30. © Pearson Education Limited, 200430 Mission statement for StayHome database system

31. © Pearson Education Limited, 200431 Mission objectives for StayHome database system

32. © Pearson Education Limited, 200432 StayHome case study – system definition Define scope and boundary of database system and its major user views. A user view represents requirements to be supported by a database system as defined by a particular job role (such as Manager or Assistant) or business application area (such as video rentals or stock control).

33. © Pearson Education Limited, 200433 Boundary for the StayHome database system

34. © Pearson Education Limited, 200434 User views for StayHome database system

35. © Pearson Education Limited, 200435 StayHome case study – requirements collection and analysis Gather more details on user views to create users’ requirements specification, which describes data to be held in database and how data is to be used.

36. © Pearson Education Limited, 200436 StayHome case study – requirements collection and analysis Collect general requirements for the system to create - systems specification - describes features to be included in new database system such as networking, shared access, performance, and security requirements.

37. © Pearson Education Limited, 200437 StayHome case study – requirements collection and analysis Decide how to manage project where database system has more than one user view. There are three approaches to dealing with multiple user views, namely: centralized approach view integration approach combination of both approaches

38. © Pearson Education Limited, 200438 StayHome user views and data