Running head: PUBLISHING SYSTEM

Publishing System Database Design

Group A
Aaron Hall
Walden University

PUBLISHING SYSTEM

Publishing System Database Design

Computer Publishing Inc. (CPI) publishes books and learning materials in various
formats. In order to manage content and support the different outputs, CPI decided to implement
an information system and software to reengineer the way the company produces content. This
paper documents a preliminary class diagram for the new system; the data types needed to store
information in the database, and the controls and security needed to ensure protection of the
companys data.
System Domain Class Diagram Details
CPI provides a variety of content types for learning purposes. The software needs the
ability to produce the different products from the same database with as little redundancy as
possible. Since different products all represent types of media, a Media class serves as a
superclass for all the other Classes that produce the different objects. The media class holds the
common attributes which are a mediaID, revisionDate, and author. These attributes distinctly
identify every media object in the system. The second super class in the diagram, which is a
subclass of the Media class, is the Book class. The company produces three types of books, (1)
eBooks, (2) print books, and (3) PDFs. All three of the subclasses inherit the same attributes of
the book class. The other two media types are PowerPoint, and TestBank. The Book class
represents the most objects in the system, and other classes combine to form the complete book
object. The book object has chapters and an index as attributes. The Chapter is comprised of
other classes as well. Many of the Chapter classs attributes are reference variables to the other
objects contained in the finished chapter derived from classes such as Figures, ReviewQuestions,
ProblemsAndExercises, CaseStudies, KeyTerms, and ChapterSummary. The figures class

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represents the different diagrams that appear in the book regardless of format; a figure is a table,
diagram, picture, or chart. The Section class contains a figureReference attribute in addition to
other identifying factors that may be linked directly to a diagram in an eBook or PDF, or a
specially formatted reference (bold or colored) in printed books. Nearly all of the objects in the
system have a revisionDate as an attribute to help track the latest version of the books elements.
The domain class diagram appears below with associations and multiplicity.
Domain Class Diagram

System Data Types

The objects created by the system will be stored in the database with each class receiving
its own table. The attributes for each class will become columns in the table, and each object
instantiated stored one per row. Some attributes of the classes are files or objects themselves.
Our design team decided to implement a dual approach for storing these objects. One approach

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is to store the objects directly in the database using BLOB types. The data type CLOB may also
be used to store large text-based objects if they exceed the 4k limit of varchar2. The second
approach is to implement a file server and use XML objects in the database that reference the
storage location of a particular object required. XML reference objects could be useful for
objects that exceed 2 GB such as a completed book object and the other media types. The table
below lists the data types needed.
Data Type
BLOB
XML
Varchar2
Date
Number
CLOB

Description
Binary Large Object 4 gigabyte block size up to 8 TB
A system-defined type for storing binary XML data
Variable length string maximum length 4000 bytes
Valid date range
For numbers including precision and scale
Character Large Object 4 gigabyte block size up to 8 TB

Note. From Oracle Datatypes, by SS64.com, 2014, Online Content.

Integrity and Security Controls
A primary security concern for the CPI system is access to and integrity of data. In order
to protect the companys assets, strict integrity controls need to be implemented. Independent
contractors, such as authors and editors, work with critical business assets and must be monitored
and controlled carefully. Access controls are necessary to restrict which persons or programs
can add, modify, or view information resources (Satzinger, Jackson, and Burd, 2012, p. 394).
Transaction logging is also paramount to ensuring the protection of the data. Clear policies of
regular audits, as well as a recovery mechanism, must be used to deter misuse and loss of data.
The system also requires complex update controls in order to prevent errors that can occur when
multiple programs try to update the same data at the same time (Satzinger et. al., 2012, p. 394).
An additional area of concern is output controls. Because the majority of the products and
content the company produces is digital, strict controls on when and who may produce outputs
are paramount to protecting the companys assets. Security controls are a necessity since some

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employees will be accessing content remotely. Remote connections by any employ require SSL
via Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS). The company will need to register a digital
certificate with a certifying authority for the purposes of data encryption between the internal
system and outside connections by independent contractors. Finally, the massive amount of
digital data stored in the database mandates a strong redundancy, backup, and recovery plan.
Group Contributions
Three members of group A contributed to the assignment for this weeks class, (1) Ervin
Windham, (2) Lee Wendel, and (3) Aaron Hall. I provided the initial post for the group outlining
work for the week. I also created two versions of the Domain Class Diagram, one preliminary
rough diagram and the final diagram for the group. Included in the creation of the diagram was
multiple posts to discuss classes, attributes, and how to store the data in the database. Lee posted
the first response to the questions for the group. Lees suggestion of a Media superclass became
part of the final diagram as well as his thoughts about treating each portion of the book as its
own class. Lee also suggested the use of the XML data type to help manage the content and the
use of a file server for larger objects. He also outlined the primary controls needed for integrity
and security which became the core of the final plan. Ervin provided feedback and suggestions
at every step of the process for classes and the creation of the diagram. Both Lee and Ervin
provided integral support for all aspects of the project this week.

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References
Satzinger, J., Jackson, R., & Burd, S. (2012). Systems analysis and design in a changing world
(6th ed.). Boston, MA: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.
SS64.com. (2014). Oracle Datatypes. Retrieved from http://ss64.com/ora/syntax-datatypes.html.