ICT @ WARLINGHAM

PROJECT:
BUILD A LIBRARY BOOK LOAN SYSTEM

Name: _________________________________________ Form: _________

Teacher: _______________________________________

ICT PROJECT:

MAKE A LIBRARY LOAN

SYSTEM

The LRC needs a simple database system to record who has borrowed their books
and when they are due.
Specialist library database programs are available to buy, but they can be expensive.
You can make a simple database to help at the LRC and save lots of money, so that
it can be spent on books instead.
When you have finished this project, you will have made a functioning Book Loan
Database for the library.
There are a number of phases to complete the project:
Analysis

Finding out and understanding what you have to do

Design

Planning your solution

Implement

Making your solution

Test

Ensuring that your solution works

Evaluate

Comment on the effectiveness of your solution

User guide

An instruction book to show others how to use your

system

STAGE 1 ANALYSIS
Following is a list of requirements that the librarians want:
I.

The system must be easy to use.

II.

The system must clearly record all books by the following fields:
Book Field

Why it is needed

Barcode Number

It is the book number

Title

The book title

Author

Who wrote the book

Subject:

Fairytales and Legends

Fast Facts & General Knowledge
Religions & Festivals
Community & Sociology
Transport & Communication
Maths & Science
Space
Our Planet
Plants & Animals
Industry & Resources
Human Body
Hobbies/Sports/Music/Drama/Art
Poetry & Languages
History & Geography
Famous People
Fiction

To classify the book by

topic

III.

The system should be able to record loans of books to students.

IV.

When a book is loaned, the return date should be 2 weeks (14 days) from the
issue date.

V.

The following information should be gathered about the students:

Student Number
First Name
Surname
Form
School House

VI.

You are to make a clear input screen (a Form) for the library books.

VII.

You are to make clear input Forms for the loans and students.

VIII.

You should make a switchboard and action buttons so that it is easy to

move around the database.

IX.

It should be easy to run queries and reports from the database.

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Answer the following questions, to show your understanding:

1.

Why is it beneficial to have the book loan system on a computer rather than
use a manual card system?

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2.

Define the term computer database.

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3.

What are 3 things that a computer database should be able to do?

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4.

What is a field? Give 2 examples.

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5.

What is a key field? Give an example.

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6.

What is a record? Give 2 examples.

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7.

What is a table? Give 2 examples.

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8.

What is a validation rule? Why is useful to have validation rules?

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9.

What are the 3 tables that you will need for the Library database? State what
the purpose of each table is.

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10.

Why is the Loan table the most important?

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11.

The librarians have 9 requirements for the system. Why is it necessary for
them to clearly state what they want?

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12.

Which of their requirements do you think is the most important, and why?

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13.

Which program will you use to make the database?

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STAGE 2 DESIGN
You now have to think about the tables and the fields that will be within them.
An effective design is a complete set of plans. A good set of plans should be able to
be followed by anybody.
You will have to have some validation rules to make sure that only valid data is
accepted into the data tables.
You will have to have some input forms. A form is used to display the records in a
table in a user friendly way. By using a form you can enter and edit records more
easily.
The following data on books is available for you to input into your tables to test the
system.

You will have to modify the subject entry field to match the new field options that the
Librarians want.
In reality the database would store details on thousands of books.

The following is a list of students that can be used for test data:

In reality the database would store details on 1200 students in Years 7-11.
Use the following planning grids to think abut the three tables that you will require:

Book table

Student table

Loan table

Your teacher will help you make validation rules and list boxes for some of the fields.

(There is a spare in case you mess one up.)

DATABASE CONSTRUCTION / PLANNING SHEET

Database name:
Database purpose:
Table name:
Field Name

Linked tables:
Data type

Field Length

Primary key:

Example data

Validation Rule / Notes

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DATABASE CONSTRUCTION / PLANNING SHEET

Database name:
Database purpose:
Table name:
Field Name

Linked tables:
Data type

Field Length

Primary key:

Example data

Validation Rule / Notes

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DATABASE CONSTRUCTION / PLANNING SHEET

Database name:
Database purpose:
Table name:
Field Name

Linked tables:
Data type

Field Length

Primary key:

Example data

Validation Rule / Notes

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DATABASE CONSTRUCTION / PLANNING SHEET

Database name:
Database purpose:
Table name:
Field Name

Linked tables:
Data type

Field Length

Primary key:

Example data

Validation Rule / Notes

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Think of at least 5 queries that the librarians would want to run on the database. List
the fields that will be required and what tables they will come from.

Name of query

What it will do

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Tables and fields required

to make the query

The tables in the database will be related to each other.

The Loan table will be the link table.
This diagram shows which fields will join the tables together:

Book table
Book ISBN

Loan table
Book ISBN
Student Number

Student table

Student Number

A book can be loaned many times, so it is a one-to-many relationship.

A student can have many loans, so it is a one-to-many relationship.
The infinity symbol is used to show which field in the relationship has many
events.

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STAGE 3 IMPLEMENT
Now you are ready to commence making the database.
You should be able to set up the database tables and enter in the fields to construct
the tables.

Use the 3 database planning sheets to make the 3 tables.

Make sure that you have good validation rules, with appropriate error
messages

Have some list boxes in some of the fields, to reduce errors.

Relate the tables together by joining the appropriate fields through the loan
table.

Input the student data and book data into your database.

When you are making the database, you should learn how to do these things (of
course your teacher will help you):

How to make input forms

How to insert action and command buttons into the forms

How to set parameter values in query design

How to automatically fill fields

To show that you have made your database, you must have screenshots printed for
each of the following:

Design views for each of the 3 data tables

3 Forms, one for each table

5 Queries that you have built, using the query builder

3 Reports that have been made

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STAGE 4 TEST
After you have made your database, it is important to test it to see if it works properly.
You can use the test data provided earlier in the book to populate your Book table
and Student table with data.
There are a number of purposes of testing:

To make sure that correct (normal) data can be entered.

To check whether the database will reject any data that does not fit the
validation rules.

To make sure that queries can be generated and return correct results.

To make sure that command and navigation buttons work.

A testing table must be made as evidence that you have carried out effective tests of
the system. Errors should be recorded and notes made about what things you did to
correct the system.
Description of test
Test
number

Test data used

Evidence of
test

Passed test
or corrective
action

(eg screenshot)

You will have to think up some data for the testing of the loan table.
Make a list of 10 loans that you can use to put into your system to see if it works.

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STAGE 5 EVALUATE
An evaluation is a report on the effectiveness and completeness of the solution
compared to what was originally intended.
You will need to refer back to the original requirements of the system from the
Librarians.
Word process answers to the following questions, in complete sentences. Leave out
the question numbers.

1.

State the purpose of the database.

2.

Make the table and complete it:

User requirement

How it was fulfilled

List the 9 user requirements from the

analysis.

State how your system matched each of

these requirements.

3.

State how parts of the database could be improved.

4.

State some things that the database will not do.

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STAGE 6 USER GUIDE

Your User Guide should do exactly as it says show the user how to use your
system. It is in a booklet format and is a set of instructions.

Outline of the purpose of the database

Screenshots of the system and outlines of what the different buttons do
How to put data into the system
How to make queries
How to save or print out reports
Common problems with amending data, and how to fix them

You will have plenty of SCREENSHOTS to illustrate your user guide.

DO YOU HAVE THESE THINGS IN YOUR USER GUIDE?

It is in a booklet format, and looks professional.

It outlines the purpose of the system.
There are screenshots of the system and clear reference to what each
of the parts of the system are.
It shows people how to put information into the system.
It talks about the validation rules and list boxes used in the data tables,
and the error messages.

It shows how to make queries.

It shows how to print and see the reports.

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Completed

FOR YOUR NOTES

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