chapter two gathering information copyright © 2012 pearson education, inc. publishing as prentice...

Chapter TwoChapter Two

Gathering Information

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter2.1

Ways to Gather Information

• Initial Interviews• Review Business Documents• Interviews with Stakeholders• Questionnaires• Work Shadowing


Initial Interviews

• The initial interviews should provide an overall picture of the purpose of the database.

• What you want at this point is to gather the goals and broad requirements of the database.

• Avoid too many specifics.


Reviewing Business Documents

• Reviewing Business documents can reveal many things relevant to development of the database:– Insight into daily business processes.– How information is gathered and used.– What information is gathered.– The sequences used for gathering and passing

information.


Database Domain

• The domain is the focus of the database.• If the database is to track inventory, then the

inventory content and processes within the company would form the domain of the database.

• For instance, if the database were for tracking clinical work in a dentist’s office, then the dental procedures and how they are captured would be the database domain.


Requirements

• Requirements are things the database must do.

• For instance, an inventory database must:– store all the relevant data about inventory

items.– be able to both add and remove items from

the inventory.– allow for the details about items to be

modified.


Forms

• Forms are documents used to capture business information.

• They represent the “input” to a system.• They can be paper based or on-line.• The fields filled in by users on the forms

are a good first guide to what fields the database will need to contain.


Sample Form

Tutor Session Report Form

Tutor Name

Session Date

Session Time

StudentID

Student Name (NA if no student signed up)

Materials covered (NS if no show)


Reports

• Reports present “output” from the data.• Typically they summarize the data,

providing things like totals and averages.• These too are a good guide to the content

of the potential database since it will need to store any information needed to create the reports.

• Reports often contain graphs and charts.


Sample Report


Other Documents• Manuals and procedures can be useful for

understanding work processes.• Memos and letters can provide insights into

how the data is used and who the major stakeholders are.

• Annual reports offer insights into the directions and plans of a company in which the database will play a part.

• Even Mission Statements and goals can be valuable, since the database should support the mission of the company.


Things to Watch for When Reviewing Documents

• Make sure you understand all the abbreviations and terms.

• Make sure you understand the purpose of the document within the context of the data with which you are working.

• Make sure you understand where in the process the document belongs.


Types of Database

• There are several different functions a database can serve.

• Three of them are:– Transaction database– Management Information System– Business Intelligence.


Transaction Databases

• These are databases that are optimized to collect and process business transactions such as sales.

• They need to be fast and efficient.• They often need to be available 24 hours a

day, 7 days a week.


Information Management Systems

• Information management systems are optimized to process the transaction information, creating summaries and reports that are useful to business managers.

• They often work with a copy of the transaction data so as not to slow down the transaction database.


Business Intelligence

• Business Intelligence moves beyond management systems.

• It provides tools for “mining” data to look for patterns and trends that might help the business improve its offerings or service.


Identifying stakeholders

• One should first identify all the relevant stakeholders.

• A stakeholder is anyone who has a “stake” in the database project.

• This includes not only management, but anyone who will have to work with the database.

• It may also include customers.


Interviews

• Interviews are especially good for asking “open ended” questions.

• An open ended question is one that doesn’t have a set answer, such as “What is the aspect of the current database that gives you the most trouble?”

• It is important to make sure you interview all the stakeholders to get their perspectives, not just the management.


Preparing for an Interview

• It is important to always prepare for an interview.

• Prepare questions ahead of time.• Be aware of how much total time you

have for the interview.• Allot a certain amount of time to each

question.• Allot some time to follow up questions.


Example Interview Preparation FormTutor Interview

Total time: 45 minutes. Allow 5 minutes for introductions.

Question For Time AllottedHow do you set your schedule? Tutors 5 minutesHow do you sign up for a tutoring session? What would make the process easier?

Students 3 minutes

What do you typically put in the section of the tutor report labeled “Materials Covered?”

Tutors 2 minutes

How do you check to see if a student is in the class they are being tutored for?

Tutors 3 minutes

Why do you sometimes not get the studentID number

Tutors 2 minutes

How do you cancel a session? Tutors ,Students 5 minutesWould you be willing to enter your demographic information to get tutoring?

Students 2 minute

What is the number one thing you would like to see changed in the current system?

Tutors, Students 8 minutes

What part of the current system do you like?

Tutors, Students 5 minutes

Time for follow up questions Tutors, students 5 minutes


Conducting the Interview• Lay out the rules and the time constraints

from the beginning.• Facilitate the interview making sure everyone

has a chance to respond.• Politely cut off overly long responses or

responses that stray from the subject at hand.

• If possible record the interview or have someone you trust take notes. It is almost impossible to facilitate the interview and take good notes.


Follow Up for Interviews

• Transcribe the notes while they are still fresh in your mind, ideally within 24 hours.

• Think of any follow up questions to ask in person or in questionnaires.


Questionnaires

• Questionnaires are useful for asking “closed questions.”

• Closed questions are questions that have a specific answer such as yes/no or multiple choice.


Preparing Questionnaires

• Make sure your questions are not ambiguous.

• Make sure you get a representative sample back.

• Too small of a return or a return that is not balanced among the appropriate stakeholders may not give you valid information.


Sample Questionnaire1. Would you be willing to enter demographic information

such as gender and ethnicity to sign up for tutoring?YesNo

2. Would you be willing to list the classes in which you are currently enrolled?

YesNo

3. Which is the most important factor when you are looking for a tutoring session to sign up for?

The particular tutorThe time slotNeither of the above


Comparing Questionnaires and Interviews

Interviews• Good for open-ended

questions• More time intensive

and more costly• Better for complex

issues and views

Questionnaires• Good for closed ended

questions• Less time intensive and

less expensive• Capture a wider variety

of views• Harder to judge the

accuracy


Work Shadowing• Work shadowing consists of observing

stakeholder as they work with the current database.

• This allows the developer to:– see how the data is actually processed in a day

by day routine.– see “exceptions” to the rule, that may not be

documented.• It also may uncover other undocumented

processes that are important to the function of the database.


Documentation

• It is important to keep samples of all the business documents you have reviewed.

• Keep all notes about the abbreviations and field contents.

• Keep summaries and transcripts of interviews.

• Keep summaries of questionnaire results.• Keep summaries of work shadowing

reports.


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mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

chapter two gathering information copyright © 2012 pearson education, inc. publishing as prentice...

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