8.

31 Discuss why some systems developers believe that a data model is one of the
most important parts of the statement of information system requirements.

Some systems developers believe that a data model is one of the most important parts of the
statement of information system requirements for four reasons: (1) completely representing data
requirements is crucial for the design of databases, programs, computer screens, and printed
reports--critical elements of any information system; (2) data rather than processes are the most
complex aspects of many information systems, and hence must be modeled with clarity; (3) data
characteristics and natural structures (as opposed to processing requirements) are reasonably
permanent, so designing information systems based on data yields more stable systems with longer
lives (and less maintenance); and (4) structural information about data is important for automatic
program generation.

8. 32 Distinguish between the data modeling done during information systems planning,
project initiation and planning, and the analysis phases of the SDLC.

Data modeling performed during information systems planning tends to be less detailed
than in the phases of the development of a system. Further, a data model prepared during
planning covers many systems, but usually shows only entities and relationships, not
attributes, and an entity in a planning data model may represent several entities and
relationships in other data models. The purpose of data modeling during project initiation
and planning is to show the scope of the proposed system in terms of data requirements.
Entities, attributes, and relationships represented are only those needed for the application
under study. Data modeling during the analysis phase adds details and validates the
earlier project data model, since systems analysts have now thoroughly studied specific
information requirements. Thus, the resulting data model is usually more extensive,
including more entities, attributes, or relationships, than earlier data models.

8. 33 What elements of a DFD should be analyzed as part of data modeling?

Data stores, data flows, and even processes all provide information for data modeling. A data store
often represents one or more data entities and their associated attributes. All data in data flows
must either be stored in some entity, be computed from data in entities, or in rare circumstances
pass through the system. The description of a process sheds light on business rules that must be
represented in the data model.
8. 46 Assume that at PVF each product (described by Product No., Description, and
Cost) is composed of at least three components (described by Component No.,
Description, and Unit of Measure), and components are used to make one or many
products (i.e., must be used in at least one product). In addition, assume that
components are used to make other components and that raw materials are also
considered to be components. In both cases of components being used to make
products and components being used to make other components, we need to keep
track of how many components go into making something else. Draw an E-R diagram
for this situation and place minimum and maximum cardinalities on the diagram.

This is a version of a bill-of-materials structure in which components are different entities

from products, but raw materials are considered components. This exercise also indicates
a minimum cardinality of 3 for the number of components composing a product, but no
such restriction is placed on components as part of other components. Associative entities
are used for the many-to-many relationships since quantity attributes are indicated.
Unique attribute names are used even though the exercise text involves homonyms. The
following E-R diagram depicts this situation.

C_Description

Component No
Product No Unit of Measure

PRODUCT COMPRISED 3 COMPONENT

OF

Cost
C_Quantity
P_Description

G_Quantity GOES INTO

8. 47 Much like PVF’s sale of products, stock brokerages sell stocks, and the prices are
continually changing. Draw an E-R diagram that takes into account the changing nature
of stock prices.

One interpretation of this exercise is not as complicated as the situation involving products at Pine
Valley Furniture. In its simplest terms, there are two prices implied in this exercise: the price at
the time of a transaction and the current price. This simply means two different price attributes,
one associated with the transaction gerund and one associated with the stock entity. The following
E-R diagram depicts this situation (only a few attributes have been added to clarify this example).

CUSTOMER Ticker Code

Current Price

BROKER TRANSACTION STOCK

Order No T_Price

Date No of Shares

8. 48 If you were going to develop a computer-based tool to help an analyst interview

users and quickly and easily create and edit E-R diagrams, what type of tool would you
build? What features would it have? How would it work?

Many CASE tools have facilities to help people create and edit E-R diagrams. Users use the mouse
to select drawing tools, such as for drawing entity symbols, from a tool palette and draw symbols
with a click and drag of the mouse. Some tools also let users link the elements of the E-R diagram
directly with elements of a data repository and other parts of the CASE tool. Such a tool might also
have a library of “generic” diagrams and relationships for common business processes (e.g., order
entry, manufacturing company, personnel management). Users could then choose the diagrams for
a corresponding process and quickly and easily edit them so that they fit the situation. A data
modeling CASE tool might translate verbal descriptions of business rules into semantically rich
data models. Such a feature allows more direct translation from requirements determination to
requirements structuring. Also, an E-R tool should seamlessly integrate with other requirements
structuring tools, so that all dimensions (data structure, data movement, processing logic, and
timing of events) of the same object are nonredundantly and consistently modeled.

8. 49 A software training program is divided into training modules, and each module is
described by module name and the approximate practice time. Each module sometimes
has prerequisite modules. Model this situation of training programs and modules with an
E-R diagram.

This exercise defines two entities--Training Program and Training Module--with a one-to-many
relationship (Composed of) between them, and a unary optional (since some modules do not have a
prerequisite, and some modules are not a prerequisite to other modules) many-to-many
relationship (Is Prerequisite for) on the Training Module entity.