Capstone Exercise At The Morris Arboretum In Chestnut Hill,

Capstone Exercisethe Morris Arboretum In Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania T

Analyze and create an Access database for the Morris Arboretum’s donor and plant tracking system. Import data from Excel files into new tables, establish relationships, input sample donation data, and create queries to extract specific information about donations and donors, including donations over $100 and a list of donors with upcoming plant pickups. Modify and save the queries accordingly, then close the database upon completion.

Paper For Above instruction

The Morris Arboretum in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, has traditionally managed its donor records and plant inventory using Excel spreadsheets. However, as the organization's activities and data volume increase, Excel's limitations become apparent, necessitating a transition to a more robust database management system such as Microsoft Access. This transition aims to improve data integrity, facilitate complex queries, and streamline data management processes related to donor contributions, plant records, and donation tracking.

The first step in this process involves examining the existing Excel worksheets to identify suitable primary and foreign keys for the new database tables. The donors' data, stored in the 'a02c1Donors' workbook, contains unique donor identifiers, names, contact details, and other pertinent information. Similarly, the plant data, in 'a02c1Plants,' includes unique identifiers for each plant, plant names, and descriptions. The goal is to import these worksheets into Access, create two primary tables—'Donors' and 'Plants'—and define primary keys to ensure data uniqueness and referential integrity.

Creating a new database titled 'a02c1Arbor_LastFirst' serves as the foundational step. Once established, the automatically generated default table is discarded to maintain a clean database environment. Using the Import feature, data from the Excel workbooks is imported into newly created tables, with careful attention given to setting primary keys and indexing options. For 'Donors,' the 'DonorID' field acts as the unique identifier and primary key, similarly for the 'Plants' table, where the 'ID' field is renamed to 'PlantID' to better reflect its purpose.

Next, a new table named 'Donations' is created in Design View to capture each donation's details. It includes a unique 'DonationID' primary key, foreign keys 'DonorID' and 'PlantID' linking back to the 'Donors' and 'Plants' tables, respectively, as well as fields for 'DateOfDonation' and 'AmountOfDonation.' The fields are assigned appropriate data types such as Number, Date/Time, and Currency, ensuring accurate data entry and management.

Relationships are then established between these tables using the Relationships window, enforcing referential integrity to maintain consistent and valid data links. Specific updates cascade to related records to preserve data integrity across the database. Adjusting the 'Field Size' in the table design views guarantees compatibility among key fields, preventing data anomalies.

Sample data representing ten donations is inserted into the 'Donations' table. These records include varied donation amounts and dates, mimicking real-world contributions to the Arboretum. Sorting the data by 'AmountOfDonation' in descending order allows for quick identification of significant donors or donations.

The database further utilizes the Query Wizard to generate a straightforward query named 'Donations Over 100,' which filters donations exceeding $100 and sorts them in ascending order of donation amount. Additional queries in Design View are crafted to identify donors who made contributions after a specified date, particularly after April 1, 2018. This query assembles detailed donor and donation information, including donor names, contact numbers, donation amounts, and the associated plants, facilitating targeted communication efforts for upcoming plant pickups.

A cloned and modified query, 'ENewsletter,' is derived from the prior query to prioritize sorting by a field named 'ENewsletter.' Adjustments involve deleting and adding specific fields, then reordering the sorting sequence to match the new criteria. These versatile queries support the Arboretum's outreach and donor engagement strategies.

Upon completing the data entry, relationship setup, query creation, and modifications, the database is closed, signifying readiness for operational use. This systematic approach ensures the Morris Arboretum benefits from a comprehensive, relational database that offers efficiency, accuracy, and improved data analysis capabilities, supporting its fundraising and educational programs effectively.

References

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