Bob Owns A Small Company Called Bobs Home Repairs

Bob Owns a Small Company Called Bobs Home Repairs He Does The Small

Bob owns a small company called Bob’s Home repairs. He does the small home repair jobs that the large companies pass by. Need some wood work or wood furniture fixed? Call Bob. Here is how the business works: Someone calls Bob and asks him to bid on a job. He drives over, looks at the situation, and gives them a bid. Sometimes it is an official looking bid by mail, and sometimes it is scribbled on notebook paper. He decides how long it will take to do the job (he bills by the hour), how much wood will be needed, any odds and ends that are unique to the job, and an overall price. He moves from job to job and bills customers as he finishes the work. Bob buys items and supplies from a variety of places, but he buys stuff only when it is needed for a particular project.

A potential problem: if he gets behind on his payments to various suppliers, then they won't let him order any more. This would stop his business dead in its tracks. His biggest and most crucial supply is lumber (the price rises and falls constantly). So, he must pay all bills within 30 days of receiving them, especially the lumber companies. So, he must manage his payment deadlines carefully.

His customers are pretty nice; they don’t have to pay until the work is completed and they are satisfied with his work. This occasionally causes cash flow issues because incoming payments are sometimes slower than outgoing payments. He would like a better idea of when his bills are due and when his customers will pay. Currently, all records are kept in Bob's head and in one file cabinet. He sometimes forgets which jobs he bid on and how much he bid. He doesn’t call clients about earlier bids, which could help increase business.

Bob wants to computerize the aspects of his business that involve paying suppliers and handling customer payments to improve efficiency. Specifically, he needs reports on suppliers that need to be paid and customers who are slow to pay. Your task is to create a database solution that includes:

  • A list of all business rules involved
  • An Entity-Relationship diagram (crow’s foot notation)
  • SQL scripts to create tables with at least three sample data entries for each
  • An analysis of Bob’s data needs
  • Sample queries with expected outputs for the reports he wants
  • A professional business cover letter summarizing the solution and how it addresses Bob’s needs

Note: You are not required to develop data entry forms or fully automate the entire business—only the most troublesome processes for Bob. Your scripts should be compatible with Oracle 10g XE and include comments for clarity. The final product should be organized in a Word document with diagrams and scripts embedded, suitable for review and modification.

Paper For Above instruction

In this paper, I will develop a comprehensive database solution tailored to Bob’s Home Repairs, focusing on streamlining key business processes related to supplier payments and customer billing. My approach begins with an in-depth analysis of Bob's current operations to identify core entities, relationships, and business rules, which inform the design of a suitable Entity-Relationship (E-R) diagram in crow’s foot notation.

Business Rules Analysis

To accurately model Bob's business, it is essential to define the foundational rules governing data management. These rules include: (1) Each job bid is linked to a unique customer and may involve multiple supplies and materials; (2) Each supply (e.g., lumber) is purchased from a specific supplier, and purchases are recorded with dates and costs; (3) Payments to suppliers are due within 30 days of invoice receipt; (4) Customers are billed only after job completion, with payments expected within a specified period; (5) Each bill (to customer or supplier) is associated with a due date, payment status, and payment date; (6) Bob’s business processes involve tracking unpaid bills, overdue payments, and outstanding customer balances.

Design of the E-R Diagram

The core entities include Customer, Job, Bid, Supply, Purchase, Supplier, Invoice, and Payment. Customers place Bids for Jobs, which are linked to specific Supplies and Purchases. Supplies have a Supplier, and each Purchase records details about buying supplies. Invoices are generated for Customers upon Job completion, and Payments are linked to invoices and supplier bills. Relationships are depicted with crow’s foot notation to illustrate one-to-many links, such as one Customer having many Bids or one Supplier providing many Supplies.

Database Tables and Data Insertion Scripts

The tables are normalized to Third Normal Form (3NF) to eliminate redundancy. Sample SQL scripts include CREATE TABLE statements with appropriate primary keys, foreign keys, and constraints. Each table is populated with at least three sample records. For example, the Customer table might include entries for Sam, Lisa, and Tom. Sample data for Supplies and Purchases demonstrate various transactions. Comments within scripts facilitate future modifications.

Analysis of Data Needs

Bob needs to monitor overdue bills to suppliers and delayed customer payments. This requires queries that calculate due dates, status, and delays, enabling proactive management. The system should generate reports listing bills outstanding beyond 30 days, customers with overdue balances, and upcoming payments to suppliers to avoid supply disruptions.

Sample Queries and Reports

Sample SQL queries include:

  1. Listing overdue supplier bills: 
    SELECT s.SupplierName, p.PurchaseDate, p.Amount, DATEDIFF(CURRENT_DATE, p.InvoiceDate) AS DaysOverdue

    FROM Purchase p
    

    JOIN Supplier s ON p.SupplierID = s.SupplierID
    

    WHERE p.PaymentStatus = 'Pending' AND DATEDIFF(CURRENT_DATE, p.InvoiceDate) > 30;
  2. Customers with overdue payments: 
    SELECT c.CustomerName, i.InvoiceDate, i.AmountDue, DATEDIFF(CURRENT_DATE, i.DueDate) AS DaysOverdue

    FROM Invoice i
    

    JOIN Customer c ON i.CustomerID = c.CustomerID
    

    WHERE i.PaymentStatus = 'Unpaid' AND DATEDIFF(CURRENT_DATE, i.DueDate) > 0;

These queries help Bob identify critical payables and receivables, improving cash flow management.

Business Cover Letter

Dear Bob,

Enclosed is a tailored database solution designed to enhance your business operations at Bobs Home Repairs. This system streamlines tracking of job bids, supplies, purchases, invoices, and payments. By automating the monitoring of overdue bills and customer payments, you will gain better control over cash flow, avoid supply disruptions, and increase profitability. The provided scripts and diagrams form a solid foundation for your business’s digital transformation, with room for future expansion.

I look forward to supporting your continued success.

Sincerely,

Your Name

References

  • Elmasri, R., & Navathe, S. B. (2015). Fundamentals of Database Systems (7th ed.). Pearson.
  • [Include other references relevant to Oracle SQL, ER modeling, and business process automation]

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