Case Study: The Peeples Family DVD and Game Rental Company DBMS
Abstract
Technology has changed the way corporations carry out their everyday activities. For any company to remain relevant in a highly technological world, they have to embrace modern tools. While Peeples Family DVD and Game Rental Company is a start-up, its reliance on paperwork may be its undoing when it comes to competing against business rivals.
However, the adoption of the new repository is strategic when it comes to offering quality service, proficiency, controlled inventory, informed decision making and a return on investment. In this age, when every other organization is jostling to implement technology, the use of the database will eradicate cabinets and shelves.
Apart from the ease of use, and increased efficiency, the technology will enable the company to have a competitive edge. This project is about the transition from paperwork to the adoption of database technology for enhanced management at Peeples Family DVD and Game Rental Company.
Purpose and Goal of the Project
Peeples Family DVD and Game Rental Company was founded by two computer scientists called Wayne and Marisol Peeples in 2007. The residents of Willow subdivision that comprise of 120 families is served by this company, which deals with rental of videos. However, Peeples Family DVD and Game Rental Company need a computerized system to keep track of all the money that flows in and out of the business and the assets.
While the company is smaller than the traditional video store, this process becomes easy to follow. With a paltry investment of $300, the company could cause the business to boast of success or be deemed a failure. As founders, we have not been aggressive enough to make a lot of money with the business.
The company was meant for the children not just in our community but in the neighboring communities as well. Because children are fond of movies, there was a need to feed them with much-needed content. The company has been operating largely from donations and from the small investment we plow back in the business. This has seen us invest approximately 90% of our profits back to the company.
The company is still in its embryonic state with less complex transactions, as such, we never conceptualized the need for computerisation of the equipment and information in our stores. The company relied heavily on paperwork, however, this is proving not just tedious for us but has also had a toll order on the proficiency.
The business has since grown with the closure of the traditional video renting stores that were competing with other company. The increased demand for entertainment has compelled us to shift from a small company mentality by increasing the capacity of the company. This has also resulted in the adoption of technological application that will render paperwork irrelevant.
With computerized systems, the company is able to track inventories, forecast the demand, enhance efficiency and ensure the quality of services. In the long run, this technology will ultimately offer a return on investments (ROI). The decision to transition from paperwork to embracing computerized system will ensure that the company is able to satisfy the needs of clients. It will also avoid overstocking as well as understocking. Moreover, technology will help the leadership make informed decisions for the sake of customer and its posterity.
The media room that has the capacity of seventy-five people was also added targeting private events. Research on the benefits accrued by using a database showed that it was a good thing to use since it is efficient and easy to use. It was then seen to be a good idea worth implementation into the company.
A relational data will be created on Microsoft access which is aimed at keeping track of all the DVDs and video games. The database will be important in the management of the company and its branches in case we think of setting them up. The whole research points at numerous advantages in using the database.
The main reason for the selection of Microsoft Access is its ability to work with databases without being intensively gifted in the discipline. The simple-to-make use of codecs made by Microsoft corporation in their program dubbed Microsoft access has made it very easy for anyone to work with databases (Donato, 2017).
This is done by supplanting an element of the entangled work. It also offers many choices which make it the best option. The interface in it which is easy to use enables anyone to work on the databases effectively.
The Microsoft Corporation considerations of people who are not good at making databases made them work on layouts that the user can download and use rapidly and efficiently. One can tailor the database from the ground up, designing it to fit into the enterprise. Many records are stored in Microsoft access such that when you start a similar business, you do not need to enter the data afresh when you start another venture that requires similar information.
Microsoft access also works hand in hand with other Microsoft office tools which include Microsoft word, Microsoft publisher, Microsoft power point and Microsoft excel. A good example is storing a spreadsheet in the database, a large volume of letters and store in the database and also storing several power point presentations and various Microsoft publications (Donato, 2017).
Name of the Project
The Peeples Family DVD and Game Rental Company DBMS
Users and Administrators
The database will be used and administered by the co-owners who are Wayne and Marisol Peeples, the employees and the head volunteers. The administration has to be done by the honest and most skilled personnel to prevent loss of information since the sensitive information must be safeguarded (Connolly et. al., 2014). Administrators and users should have different access rights. To ensure that information is well guarded and secured, administrators should implement strong passwords.
How the Work is Being Done Now.
Currently, records are kept in the traditional paper filing system. The system has proved tedious especially when it comes to information retrieval. This hardship in the retrieval of information is what made us come up with a computer database. The bulky files due to increasing number of transactions made it difficult for us to work with the paper filing (Connolly et. al., 2014). Moreover, with too much paper, the safety of important information becomes subject to manipulation and vandalism.
Platform that will be used
Microsoft access will be used for the long-term and the short-term. The information about the customer which includes his/her name, address, telephone numbers and their date of birth and other information regarding the stock will be included. The platform was chosen due to its ease of handling and its efficiency regarding the performance (Connolly et. al., 2014).
Entities and Data Elements Involved
The entries to be entered in the database include; customer information, information on DVDs and game rentals and information on sales. On the customer side, the name, the address, the telephone number and the date of birth of the customer are recorded.
On the DVDs rentals database, the information on the date which the DVD was rented and the date it was returned is recorded, the genre of the DVD is also recorded (Horror, Documentary, Family, etc.), the price to be paid by the customers for the rental, the game ratings, the type of games and which console they were made for (android, Xbox, PlayStation, windows, etc.).
On the sales part of the database, the name of the product, the number of products sold, the date in which the product was sold, and the name of the customer who bought or rented the product is recorded (Connolly et. al., 2014).
Database tables:
The database will compose of 3 tables which include: customer details, DVD games rental and sales tables. The first table will contain columns which contain customer name, customer address, telephone number and the date of birth. The second table will contain the date on which the DVD was rented and the date it was returned, the genre of the DVD, the rental price, game ratings and the types of games.
On the third table, the database will comprise of the columns for the product name, a number of sold products, the date, and the customer’s name. The database will be interconnected based on the client’s details, products bought and the information about sales. The process will be done concurrently to avoid confusion.
However, because of the interconnection, they will function dependently. This means that an individual’s information will be recorded in the first field; the second field will include what is bought, then sales information in the third field.
Forms
Forms will be used for the input of data into the tables. Forms will be used by customers to input their personal details. However, on the official part of the forms, information about the type of DVD games and the sales information will be captured. There is a form for both the first and the second table that requires the customer and the company to fill them.
The date of birth should have a calendar attached for easy insertion of dates. The date that the DVDs were rented should also contain a calendar attached. The column with the genre of the DVD contained a drop-down list listing them. The rating part contains stars to indicate ratings.
Queries and Reports
The database will contain some queries. There will be the consumer information query and the products bought or rented query. The information on the sales will provide special receipts for the customers as proof of payment for the goods and services. The printout will also contain the customer’s name and the product information.
Run-through
The run-through will go as follows: The user will enter the data into the customer information form. Then the data will be correspondently entered into the DVD rental or the sales form. The user will open up the customer’s information then a printout of the business transaction will be done by syncing it with the sales information.
References:
Connolly, A., Thomas, D., Carolyn B.(2014). Database Systems: A Practical Approach to Design, Implementation, and Management, 6th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions.
Donato, D. (2017). Advantages of Microsoft Access. Retrieved January 05, 2017, from https://www.techwalla.com/articles/advantages-of-microsoft-access
Want help to write your Essay or Assignments? Click here
