Design A Conceptual Database For A New Dealership ✓ Solved
Design a conceptual database for a new dealership supporting operations
ACME Motors recently opened a new dealership to sell locally here in San Diego in the Poway area. As part of their new setup they will not only sell, but also service and repair ACME vehicles. They are in need of a parts inventory, maintenance and sales system to support their service bay operations. Unfortunately, they have looked at buying COTS existing packages from ImaginaSoft but found the cost and time to deploy un-acceptable given their impending new launch of the new much sought after ACME Electric Hybrid convertible sports car among other new model lines. They are looking for a crack team of software professionals to come in there and get a small but reliable system up and running to support operations immediately, and then evolve the system as time goes by. · Design a conceptual database on one of the three scenarios above. · ER Diagrams in Crow’s foot notation using Visio or graphic modeling software of your choice which include entities and their relationships. · At least 5 business rules · An introduction that outlines your proposal of at least 250 words · A conclusion paragraph of at least 250 words · Tables created with reasonable representative data values · Example of five SQL scripts to illustrate your business rules.
Sample Paper For Above instruction
Introduction
The establishment of an efficient, scalable, and reliable database system is crucial for ACME Motors’ newly opened dealership in Poway, San Diego. The dealership’s operational scope encompasses vehicle sales, service, and repairs, necessitating a comprehensive database that can effectively manage parts inventory, maintenance schedules, customer information, sales records, and service operations. The primary objective of this project is to design a conceptual database model that accurately reflects the dealership’s business processes, supports daily operations, and is adaptable to future growth and technological advancements.
The initial phase involves understanding the core business activities and translating these into a conceptual schema. This schema will serve as the foundation for detailed designs and physical implementation. Given the dealership’s focus on launching the new electric hybrid convertible sports car, the database must handle complex relationships among entities such as vehicles, customers, technicians, inventory, and sales. Employing ER modeling, specifically Crow’s foot notation, makes it easier to visualize one-to-many and many-to-many relationships inherent in dealership operations.
An analysis of business rules will guide the entities' attributes and their relationships. For instance, each vehicle in the inventory must be uniquely identified, and sales transactions should link to specific customers and vehicles. The system should also track parts availability, maintenance histories, and technicians’ assignments. By establishing clear constraints and business rules, the database design aligns with operational needs and enhances data integrity.
Furthermore, this database will include representative data tables to demonstrate its practical implementation, including sample values that simulate real-world scenarios. Additionally, the proposal includes scripting examples—SQL queries that enforce and exemplify business rules—ensuring that the database's functionality is demonstrable, reliable, and ready for deployment.
In conclusion, implementing this tailored database system will enable ACME Motors’ dealership to operate efficiently, provide excellent customer service, and adapt seamlessly to future needs, ultimately contributing to its competitive advantage in the automotive industry.
Business Rules
- Each vehicle in the inventory must have a unique Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
- A customer can purchase multiple vehicles, but each sale must be linked to one customer.
- Parts inventory levels must always be maintained with a minimum stock threshold to ensure availability for repairs.
- Technicians are assigned to service appointments based on their specialization and availability.
- A maintenance record must be associated with each vehicle serviced, documenting date, details, and technician involved.
Entity-Relationship Diagram (Crow’s Foot Notation)
The ER diagram depicts entities such as Customer, Vehicle, Sale, Technician, Parts, Maintenance, and Service Appointment. Relationships include:
- Customer to Sale: one-to-many (a customer can make multiple purchases)
- Vehicle to Sale: one-to-one (each sale involves one vehicle)
- Vehicle to Maintenance: one-to-many (a vehicle can have multiple maintenance records)
- Technician to Maintenance: one-to-many (a technician can perform multiple maintenance tasks)
- Parts to Maintenance: many-to-many (multiple parts can be used in various maintenance activities, requiring a join entity)
Representative Data Tables with Sample Data
| Vehicle | VIN | Make | Model | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1HGBH41JXMN109186 | ACME | Electric Hybrid Sports | 2024 |
| 2 | 2HGBH41JXMN109187 | ACME | Sedan | 2023 |
Sample SQL Scripts
- -- Enforce unique VIN for each vehicle
CREATE TABLE Vehicle (
VIN VARCHAR(17) PRIMARY KEY,
Make VARCHAR(50),
Model VARCHAR(50),
Year INT
);
- -- Insert a new vehicle
INSERT INTO Vehicle (VIN, Make, Model, Year) VALUES ('3HGBH41JXMN109188', 'ACME', 'Convertible', 2024);
- -- Record a sale linked to a customer and vehicle
INSERT INTO Sale (SaleID, CustomerID, VIN, SaleDate, Price) VALUES (1, 101, '1HGBH41JXMN109186', '2024-04-15', 50000);
- -- Schedule maintenance for a vehicle
INSERT INTO Maintenance (MaintenanceID, VIN, Date, Details, TechnicianID) VALUES (1, '1HGBH41JXMN109186', '2024-05-01', 'Oil Change', 201);
- -- Assign technician based on specialization
UPDATE Technician SET Availability = 'Available' WHERE TechnicianID = 201;
References
- Elmasri, R., & Navathe, S. B. (2015). Fundamentals of Database Systems. Pearson.
- Connolly, T., & Begg, C. (2014). Database Systems. Pearson.