Lab Activity: Drawing ER Diagrams Using Microsoft Visio
Lab Activity Drawing E R Diagramsusing Microsoft Visio Create An
Create an entity-relationship (E-R) diagram for the scenario selected from Hands-On Database, based on the information produced during the “To Do” activities from Chapter 3. The scenario involves Wild Wood Apartments. The task includes analyzing the current system, identifying database requirements for stakeholders, defining business and security rules, listing nouns from various documents, setting up preliminary entities and attributes, and identifying candidate keys. All requirements and rules should be documented in your database notebook.
Paper For Above instruction
The development and design of an Effective Entity-Relationship (E-R) diagram are fundamental steps in creating a robust database system. For the scenario of Wild Wood Apartments, the process begins with a thorough analysis of the current system, uncovering issues and bottlenecks that hinder operational efficiency. Such analysis is crucial for identifying areas that require structural improvements and understanding the operational workflows that the database must support.
Following the initial assessment, the next step involves recognizing the database requirements of various stakeholders involved in the Wild Wood Apartments management system. Stakeholders typically include tenants, leasing agents, maintenance staff, and management executives. Each stakeholder group has specific data needs; for instance, tenants need records of rent payments and maintenance requests, whereas management might require reports on occupancy rates and financial transactions. Recognizing these requirements helps in designing a database that adequately meets organizational needs.
Subsequently, establishing business rules is essential for guiding data integrity and operational logic within the database. Business rules define the constraints and relationships among different data entities—such as a tenant being assigned to only one apartment at a time, or a maintenance request being linked to a specific tenant and apartment. These rules are instrumental in maintaining accurate and consistent data across the system.
Security rules are equally vital to safeguard sensitive information within the database. For Wild Wood Apartments, security protocols might include access controls that restrict tenant data to authorized personnel, encryption of sensitive financial information, and authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized database access. Clearly articulated security policies help mitigate risks and ensure data confidentiality.
Analyzing the forms, interview transcripts, questionnaires, and job shadow reports reveals various nouns—such as tenant, apartment, lease, maintenance request, billing, and staff—that serve as potential entities and attributes. These nouns form the groundwork for preliminary entities and attributes within the E-R diagram. For example, “Tenant” could be an entity with attributes like tenant ID, name, contact information, and rental history.
Candidate keys are identified among these attributes to uniquely distinguish each entity instance. For instance, tenant ID and apartment number could serve as candidate keys for the Tenant and Apartment entities respectively. Selecting appropriate keys is crucial for establishing relationships and ensuring data integrity in the relational schema derived from the E-R diagram.
All compiled requirements, business rules, security protocols, and candidate keys are documented thoughtfully in the database notebook, following best practices for database design documentation. This comprehensive documentation supports systematic development, future modifications, and effective communication among team members involved in managing or expanding the database system for Wild Wood Apartments.
References
- Conger, S. (2017). Hands-On Database (2nd ed.). Pearson.