Furry Friends Foundation Database Creation And Design
Furry Friends Foundation Database Creation and Design
The Furry Friends Foundation (FFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding homes for abandoned animals and maintaining accurate records of donations from contributors. As the organization has grown, managing data manually has become impractical, prompting the need for a relational database to efficiently handle contributor information, donation records, and animal classifications. This project involves designing and creating a database with appropriate tables, establishing relationships between them, and documenting the process through printed reports.
Paper For Above instruction
The development of a relational database for the Furry Friends Foundation involves several critical steps: designing the tables, selecting primary keys, establishing relationships, and documenting the completed work. Each step must be carefully executed to ensure data integrity, efficiency, and ease of reporting, especially as the organization’s contributor base exceeds 500 individuals.
Table Design and Creation
The foundation’s core data entities include contributors, donations, and animals. To accommodate this, three tables are necessary: the Contributor Table, the Donation Table, and the Animal Code Table. Using Microsoft Access or similar software, I created each of these tables with appropriate fields to capture essential data. The Contributor Table holds personal and contact information for each contributor. The Donation Table records donation details, including date, amount, and animal preference code. The Animal Code Table lists animal categories with corresponding codes.
For the Contributor Table, I included fields such as Contributor ID, First Name, Last Name, Address, City, State, Zip Code, and Phone Number. The Contributor ID serves as the primary key, uniquely identifying each contributor and facilitating relationships with other tables. For the Donation Table, fields include Donation Date, Animal Code, Amount, and Contributor ID, with a composite or surrogate key as appropriate. The Animal Code Table comprises Code and Description fields, with Code as the primary key.
Primary Key Choice
The primary key chosen for the Contributor Table is the Contributor ID. This field uniquely identifies each contributor and is not subject to change, which maintains referential integrity across related tables. Using a numerical or alphanumeric identifier ensures quick searching and indexing. This approach reduces redundancy and avoids potential inconsistencies associated with using names or addresses as primary keys.
Adding a Contributor Record
To demonstrate practical implementation, I added myself as a contributor in the Contributor Table. Using the data entry form or datasheet view, I input my details, including a unique Contributor ID, my name, address, and contact information. This step ensures the database is functional and capable of storing multiple contributor records.
Establishing Relationships
Relationships between tables are critical to maintaining data integrity and enabling comprehensive reporting. I set up the following relationships in the database:
- A one-to-many relationship between the Contributor Table and the Donation Table, linked via the Contributor ID. This allows tracking multiple donations per contributor.
- A one-to-many relationship between the Animal Code Table and the Donation Table, linked via the Animal Code. This enables categorization of donations by animal type.
Using the Relationships tool in Access, I defined referential integrity constraints to prevent orphaned records and ensure data consistency.
Documentation and Printing
To complete the documentation, I printed datasheet views of each table, providing a snapshot of current data. Additionally, I generated and printed the Relationships Report, illustrating how tables are connected within the database schema. These reports serve as vital documentation for database validation and future reference.
Conclusion
Developing a relational database for the Furry Friends Foundation streamlines data management, improves reporting accuracy, and enhances operational efficiency. Proper table design, primary key selection, and relationship setup are foundational to a robust database system. By following these steps, the foundation ensures data integrity and facilitates future growth in their contributor base and donation tracking capabilities.
References
- Harrington, J. (2016). Relational Database Design. Morgan Kaufmann.
Create and manage relationships in Access. Microsoft Support. - Database design principles and practices. Journal of Data Management.