E-commerce Application System Analysis

Chapter 4

SYSTEM ANALYSIS

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4.1 STUDY OF CURRENT SYSTEM

Our project is an E-Commerce Application. As you all know E-Commerce is

one of the fastest growing fields in Internet nowadays. In E-Commerce Application
there are four types, which are as follows:

 B2C (Business to Consumer)

 B2B (Business to Business)
 C2B (Consumer to Business)
 C2C (Consumer to Consumer)

Our E-Commerce Application is of the type B2C (Business to Consumer).

Here in our application the administrator will put the products to sell on our
application. The administrator will work here as B of B2C. The Customers will
browse the products and then if they like the product they will buy it. So, here
customers will work as C of B2C.

In our E-Commerce application the administrator selected by the company

will put all the products to sell on website. The administrator will select which
products to display and which not. The Administrator has all the rights of the System.
If administrator wants he can cancel the order at any time, he can add, update or
delete products. The administrator will track all the orders placed on the System.

Here the Customer is of two types, which are guest and registered customers.
The guest can only browse products and watch them but he don’t have any right to
buy the product. If the guest wants to buy any product he must register himself on our
System. The registered user can browse the products, watch them, buy them and can
manage his personal details. The entire customers who are registered have their own
Personal account. The customers can access their account anytime and they have a
right to change the account settings and can update their personal information.

Our project is divided in two parts, which are Admin Side and User Side. The
application has mainly seven modules which are as listed below:

 Customer Tools
 Easy Navigation and Silent Features
 Administrative Control Center
 Product Management
 Shipping and Packing
 Payment Gateway
 Reports

The Admin side contains the modules, which are Administrative Control
Center, Product Management, Shipping and Packing and Reports. While the User Side
contains the modules, which are Customer Tools, Easy Navigation and Silent Features
and Payment Gateway. By combining all these seven modules our E-Commerce
Application will be perfect to use for anyone. For the detailed discussion of all these
modules please refer to section 4.9.

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4.2 PROBLEMS AND WEAKNESS OF CURRENT SYSTEM

In this world as you all know nothing is there which is perfect. Each and every
thing of this world has some problems and weakness of itself. So, in this section we
are going to discuss the problems and weakness of our system. It is a good practice in
software engineering to study the problems and weakness of the system on which you
are working. By studying the problems and weakness of the system you will get to
know what you have to take care of in that system. So let’s study the problems and
weakness of our E-Commerce Application.

The E-Commerce Application, which we are building, can be used to sell the
products online. In our E-Commerce Application the administrator of the store will
put the products to be sold on the website. The customer can only buy the products
from our website. Now the main problem of the system comes that is customer cannot
watch the demonstration of the product. The customer can only see image of the
product. That’s why some of the customer would not take interest to buy the product.

Now consider that our customer has decided to buy some product and he
added that product to his/her shopping cart. To buy the product online one should
have to pay through credit card or Pay Pal. Now this method of online payment
creates a problem. What happens here is that our customer thinks that if he/she gives
the information of credit card or Pay Pal then that information can be theft by hackers.
So our customer will have doubt for the Information security. Because of this problem
it may happen that selling of products will decrease.

There can be some non-technical problems for our E-Commerce Application.

The non-technical problems are not easily solvable. Technical problems can be solved
easily. Consider the problem of data being hacked; providing some strong security
measures like, Encryption can solve this problem. But the non-technical problems are
very difficult to solve. The non-technical problems are some times related to
government, location or people. And as you all know to change government rules,
location and mind of people is very hard to achieve.

Let’s discuss some of the non-technical problems here in this section. Consider
the problem related to locations. Here in this problem we can say there are some
locations, which are not easily accessible. Even sometime it may happen that some
location does not have a facility for transportation. And sometimes the place is located
at very much distance that we can’t take their orders. Consider the rules of
governments of different countries. Here consider that customer of India wants to buy
a product from American website. For that customer has to pay custom duty and all
this things, so it will make the product very expensive. And at last there is problem of
people’s mind. Nowadays the Internet is not fully available to everyone. And most of
the people think that Internet is an industry where all the information is easily
accessible and can be hacked easily by hackers. So almost all people will not even try
to buy a product online.

So, all these are the problems and weakness of our E-Commerce Application.
From which some of the problems can be overcome by providing high security and
some of the problems are there which can’t be solved.

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4.3 REQUIREMENTS OF NEW SYSTEM

System Requirements

As large number of people is going to use this application, the application

should serve the purpose of each customer according to his requirements. The project,
which we have developed, is the software that manages the entire shopping mall along
with its security system. It deals with a lot of work starting from the managing the
users and their access rights, managing all the master files like User master, Product
master, Cart master, Order master etc and managing the details and other actions of
the customers.

The system should eliminate data redundancy and make the required products
readily available to the customer. The system should authenticate the user who will
use the system. The system should provide central login facility for all the modules so
that user is not required to login repeatedly. When the customer logs in for the first
time his account should be activated by filling in the registration form. And after the
account is activated, he must be able to access all the facilities provided by the
system.

The system should enable viewing of the website at any point of time and
interact user to it. In short the system is required to perform the following basic
functions:

 Open website based on request.

 User Registration.
 Process user information.
 Enable user login.
 Maintain and update database.
 Provide the required information to the user.

The database should maintain following records:

 New user details.
 Existing user details.
 Product details
 Cart details
 Order details
 Payment details
 Shipping details

Finally, this project is an attempt to satisfy almost all the functional

requirements that the client requires to accomplish and keep it flexible enough to
accommodate all the changes and the new requirements of the client.

User Requirements

As we have decided to develop a new system, now it is a time to determine the

new requirements for the new system. As the user is the most important part of any

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system it is required to find the user requirements to develop a user-friendly system

rather than having develop a developer friendly system.

The requirements of the user in the proposed system are as follows:

 The details of the particular user must be personalized.

 The product information must be entered in such a way that it is easier for the
user to understand.
 The user must also be able to retrieve the information conveniently for future
references.
 The bills any invoices are printed as in required order.
 The user must be provided ease if he wants to switch from one application to
other at a time.

4.4 FEASIBILITY STUDY

Feasibility study of the system is a very important stage during system design.
Feasibility study is a test of the system proposal according to its workability, impact
on the organization, ability to meet user needs and effective use of resources.
Feasibility study decides where the system is properly developed or not and weather
the system is affordable or not.

Following aspects are taken into account during feasibility study:

Technical Feasibility

Technical analysis evaluates technical merits of the system, at the same time
collecting additional information about performance, reliability, maintainability and
productivity. In some cases this system analysis step also includes a limited amount of
research and design.

As far as the management scheme of the mall is concerned, the project should
be made in such a way that the administrator of the shopping mall who is actually
managing the product and arranging all the database record could perform his/her
work in an easier manner. So the best choice is to make Windows based software that
can be easily implemented on any operating system. And hence the ASP.NET
platform is the most appropriate option. So both the client and we find it technically
feasible. Hence technical feasibility of this system is very sound. It requires only one
computer operator (administrator) to maintain the whole system.

Economic Feasibility

Implementation of a system is a lifetime investment, which will ensure returns

to the organization in terms of good services and market value throughout the future.
Here the customers will get better service and this strategy will also benefit the
organization. Aditech Infosys has a licensed copy of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
2005 and has Microsoft Office 2003 already installed. All hardware support required

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for the development of the system was preexisting with Aditech. So, economically the
development of the system was feasible.

Operational Feasibility

The system is very easy to learn and it will require a very short time to
understand the operation of the system even for a person having very little knowledge
in computers. So the system is operationally feasible. As after the system is
computerized only one person will be maintaining the whole system so the chances of
data leakage are minimized. Also the customers won’t have any problems in accessing
any facility provides by the application. And as computer is more accurate than the
human being, the reliability of the system will be enhanced.

4.5 REQUIREMENT VALIDATION

It means to check whether the developed software is as per requirement or

not? Or simply stating whatever we are doing is right or wrong as per requirements?
Here we checked each and every requirement and compared it with our developed
system and we found that it satisfies the user need.

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4.6 FUNCTION OF SYSTEM

4.6.1 Use Case Diagram

The following diagram shows the Use Case of our E-Commerce Application.

Fig. 4.1 Use Case Diagram for E-Commerce System

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The following diagram shows the Use Case for the administration of our E-
Commerce Application.

Fig. 4.2 Use Case for Administration of E-Commerce Application

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The following diagram shows the Use Case for the Customer of our E-
Commerce Application.

Fig. 4.3 Use Case for Customer of E-Commerce Application

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4.7 DATA MODELING

4.7.1 Class Diagram

The following diagram is the class diagram for the E-commerce application.

Fig. 4.4 Class Diagram for E-Commerce Application

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Entity Relationship Diagram

The figure given below is the Entity Relationship Diagram for E-commerce
application.

Fig. 4.5 Entity Relationship Diagram for E-Commerce Application

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4.7.2 System Activity Diagram

The figure shown below is the Activity Diagram for the E-Commerce
application.

Fig. 4.6 System Activity Diagram for E-Commerce Application

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4.7.3 Data Dictionary

As a system data model is derived, many named entities, relationships and so

forth will be identified. The names given to the entities should be chosen to give the
reader some clues to their meaning. However, further description of the named
entities is usually needed to make the model understandable. The description can be
informal or formal. Whatever approach is used, it is always worth collecting all
descriptions in a single repository or data dictionary.A data dictionary is,
simplistically, a list of names used by the system, arranged alphabetically. As well as
the name, the dictionary should include a description of the named entity and, if the
name represents a composite object, there may be a description of the composition.
Other information such as the date of creation, the creator, and the representation of
the entity may also be included depending on the type of model which is being
developed.

Advantages of using a data dictionary are:

 It is a mechanism for name management. Many different people who have

to invent names for entities and relationships may develop a large system
model. These names should be used consistently and should not clash with
their meanings. The data dictionary software can check for name
uniqueness and tell requirements analysts of name duplications.
 It serves as a store of organizational information, which can link analysis,
design, implementation and evolution. As the system is developed,
information is taken to inform the development. New information is added
to it. All information about an entity is in one place.
 Examples of fragments of data dictionary entities are shown in the coming
pages, which are dataflow, process element, and database, attribute
elements. It is possible tabular form entry of data dictionary. This can be
extended with number of other entries, each of which has name, type,
description, creation date and a status, and many other details.

The following Data Dictionary describes the data structures used in the various
modules of the Project.

1) Category Master

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2) Product Master

3) Cart Master

4) Featured Product Master

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5) Login Master

6) User Master

7) Message Master

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8) Feedback Master

9) Discount Master

10) Hot Product Master

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11) Favorite Search Master

12) Ordered Product Master

13) Payment Master

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4.8 FUNCTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL MODELING

4.8.1 Context Diagram

The figure given below shows the context level diagram for E-commerce
system.

Fig. 4.7 Context Diagram for E-Commerce Application

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4.8.2 Data Flow Diagram

The figure given below is of the Data Flow Level 0 diagram for E-commerce
application.

Fig. 4.8 DFD Level 0 Diagram for E-Commerce Application

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The figure given below is of the Data Flow Level 1 diagram for E-commerce
application:

Fig. 4.9 DFD Level 1 Diagram for E-Commerce Application

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4.9 MAIN MODULES OF NEW SYSTEM

The entire E-commerce application is divided into seven modules as follows:

 Customer Tools
 Easy Navigation and Silent Features
 Administrative Control Center
 Product Management
 Shipping and Packing
 Payment Gateway
 Reports

The modules, which are currently covered, are:

 Customer Tools

This module deals with all the customer side controls. The customer
can log in to their account by providing the User-id and Password. The
customer can update their billing/shipping address, their personal information,
change passwords, view all the orders placed, view order status, update the
orders placed, view their personalized messages, send feedback to the
administrator etc. In short, the customer gets the complete freedom of
managing his own account without any interference by anyone.

 Easy Navigation and Silent Features

This module consists of the all the navigational features, which makes
shopping very easy and efficient for the customer. The customer can browse
any product according to its category. A total of 9 categories like Mobiles,
Computers, Jewelry, Watches, and Toys/Games etc. are placed here. The
customer is free to select any product of his choice from these categories.
Clicking the name of any product opens a new page, which shows the detailed
description that product. The user can add that product to the cart or directly
buy that product using the “Buy Now” button.

The search capability allows the user to search exactly what they
desire. The user can search directly through the categories or by entering the
keywords. The shopping cart summary serves as a reference for the customer
as they continue to browse for more products.

 Administrative Control Center

All the admin related controls are presented in this module. The web-
based Administration Area allows the admin to configure every aspect of the
e-store.

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The admin can view and process the orders online. He can also edit all
aspects of an order after it has been placed. He can also check the inventory
system with the controls present in this module. The total vendor management
also rests with him. He can enable or disable any feature of the e-store. In fact,
he has total control over each and every functionality of the system.

 Product Management

This module manages all the facilities featuring the products. It allows
the admin to create a whole new category of products with descriptions,
keywords and images. New products along with their descriptions and images
can be added very easily into it. The prices of the products can also be stated
from here.

All the products having special sales offer during the festivals and
occasions are configurable from the controls found in this module. Adding
discounts in percentage and re-calculating the discounted price is managed
here. This module also manages other features like putting a product as “Hot
Product”, “Inactive Product” etc.

 Payment Gateways

Once the customer completes shopping and checks out, the controls are
transferred to the payment module. All the payment related this module
handles functions. It offers different modes of payment and the customer can
select anyone preferable to him. He can either send a cheque or a DD to the
mentioned address to complete the payment or pay online using the credit
cards like Master card, Visa card, American express etc. The Pay Pal facility
can also be accessed for payment purpose.

4.10 SELECTION OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE AND

JUSTIFICATION

We have used Visual Studio 2005 as Front End and Microsoft SQL Server
2000 as backend to develop our E-Commerce Application. The Visual Studio 2005
uses the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. It provides so many facilities to developers.
It is very easy to use and have some of the rich controls, which are very helpful to
develop our application. The Visual Studio 2005 supports ASP.NET and C# language.
We have used ASP.NET as front end to design our pages and for coding purpose we
have used C# language which is both supported by Visual Studio 2005.

In the back end we have used Microsoft SQL Server 2000 for storing our
database. The Microsoft SQL Server 2000 is very easy to use and provides good data
security. It is very much compatible with Visual Studio 2005. As our application has
so many users the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 is best tool to maintain the database of
our application.

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The E-Commerce Application requires the following minimum hardware

configuration:

 Personal Computer with keyboard and mouse

 256 MB RAM
 500 MB Hard Disk
 Dot Matrix Printer
 Processor with 2.4GHz
 MS Windows XP or later versions

For the installation of the above software there must be minimum hardware
requirements as mentioned above. And as you can see the above hardware is easily
available in the market and is very cheap. The cost of above hardware is so less that
anyone can buy it in fewer budgets.

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