1
MBAA 609—Management Information Systems
Spring 2015
RF Walrus Case
A long time friend of yours, Henry Orbison, started a book wholesaler company in 2010 in Portland, Oregon. The
company, RF Walrus Company buys books from publishers and sells them to bookstores in the Western states.
Henry’s company uses a manual process to record and process the orders from the bookstores. Due to the
inefficiencies and problems in the current order entry process, a total of 17 handwritten order slips were lost or
misplaced during the last six months. Also, at least 26 orders were shipped to the wrong bookstores and had to be
returned and re-shipped. These problems have resulted in many unhappy customers and substantial losses in
revenue. To rectify this situation, Henry decided to computerize his current order entry system. Your cousin, "big
mouth" Bertha, who works for Henry, mentioned to him that you are taking MBAA 609 this semester. Bertha told
him that you are very good with computers and you would be happy to develop an order entry database for him.
The current ordering process is managed using a number of paper forms and cards. When a bookstore places an
order (by phone, email, or fax), Bertha records all relevant order information on an order card. If the bookstore
provides incomplete information (e.g. it does not provide a complete shipping address or the complete book titles),
Bertha must look up the missing information. Information about each bookstore is kept in a bookstore binder and
information about each book is kept in a book binder. The bookstore binder contains bookstore cards with
complete contact and shipping information. When an order is received from a new bookstore, a bookstore card is
completed and inserted in the bookstore binder before the order is logged on the order form. In addition to
providing the needed information for completing the order cards, the bookstore cards are used to create mailing
lists for the quarterly catalog mailings. In the book binder there is a card for each book that is sold by RF Walrus.
Each book card contains information about the book itself and its current inventory level.
Completed order cards are sorted by shipping date. Every day, Bertha or another clerk prepares packing slips
(using a word-processing software package) for each order that will be shipped on that date. At the end of each
month, the accountant goes through the stack of the shipped orders' cards and creates a monthly "Account
Statement" for each customer using a spreadsheet program. 1 At the same time, he creates a monthly sales report
listing all books, the quantity sold, and the cost of goods sold, gross sales, and gross profit amounts for each book.
This paper-based order entry and report generation process is inefficient and prone to error. You and Henry
conclude that a carefully designed ACCESS application can automate and improve this process. To do this, the
ACCESS application must allow Henry to easily maintain the bookstore and book information and record the
bookstores' orders using simple interfaces. Also, it must automatically generate the needed reports.
To ensure that the system is as user friendly as possible, you, Bertha and Henry make several design decisions.
First, you agree that the interfaces must simplify data entry by including pull-down menus (for example when they
enter a new order in the database, they should be able to easily select the bookstore name, books, and the
preferred shipping method from drop down menus). Second, the system must ensure that wrong information is not
accepted by the database (a six digit telephone number or a negative order quantity, for example). Third, the
database must be able to store information without unnecessary duplication. Fourth, it must easily generate the
required outputs in professional reports. Finally, it must allow Bertha and Henry to easily navigate between the
different tasks using a simple menu.
To properly design the needed tables in the ACCESS database, you are encouraged to use the following E-R
diagram:
1
You may assume that the sales price for each book includes all applicable taxes and shipping costs.
2
To implement the above design and satisfy the users' requirements, you will need to develop four ACCESS tables,
three forms, four reports, and a main menu (using a form). The bookstore table will store all bookstore-related
information (which is currently stored on the bookstore cards). The book table will store the information that is
currently maintained on the book cards. The information stored on the order cards will be split into two tables: the
order table (containing information related to each order) and the details table (containing book-specific information
for each order).
The forms will be used to enter and update the data stored in the above tables. The bookstore information form will
be used to enter and modify data in the bookstore table. The book information form will be used to enter and
modify data in the book table. The order information form will be used to simultaneously update both the order
table and the details table.
The reports include (1) mailing labels (to be used for mailing catalogs), (2) the packing slips (that must be
generated daily), (3) the monthly account statement, and (4) a book sales report. Finally the system will use an
additional form as a main menu to navigate between the various forms and reports.
REQUIRED TABLES
The following four tables are required. See Tables 1 – 4 on the next page, page 3, for the specification of the file
structures (field names, whether a field is a primary key or not, field type, and whether a field is required or not).
Bookstore Table
The bookstore table must store all relevant information about each bookstore. This information includes the
bookstore's name, address and phone, fax, e-mail, contact person, etc. The primary key of each bookstore is the
bookstore's telephone number.
Book Table
This table will maintain information about each book and its inventory level. The table must include a unique key
identifier for each book -- its ISBN number. Besides this field, the table will contain a number of other fields
describing the attributes of the various books.
Order Table
The order table is somewhat more complicated than the preceding two tables. It contains a primary key for each
order (order number, which must be automatically assigned by Access), the bookstore's telephone number (to
indicate which orders are placed by which stores), and other order-specific information. The order table must be
linked to the bookstore table in a one:many relationship. Also, the order table must be linked to the "details" table in
a one:many relationship.
Details Table (the intersection table)
The details table is required to establish the many-to-many relationship between orders and books (i.e., an order
can include multiple books; a book can be included in multiple orders). This table will have two fields as its primary
key: both the order number and ISBN number. The details table will be linked to the order table (using the order
number field) and to the book table (using the ISBN number field). This will allow the system to handle multiple
products in each order.
3
TABLE STRUCTURES
Table 1: Bookstore
Field Name
Telephone (primary key)
Bookstore Name
Address
City
State
Zip
Fax
Email
Contact Person
Note
Field Type
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text
Memo
Required?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Table 2: Book
Field Name
ISBN Number (primary key)
Book Title
Units in Inventory
Unit Cost
Unit Price
Publisher
Edition
Publication Year
Reorder Point
Next Delivery Date
Note
Field Type
Text
Text
Number
Currency
Currency
Text
Text
Text
Number
Date
Memo
Required?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Table 3: Order
Field Name
Order Number (primary key)
Telephone
Order Date
Shipping Date
Shipping Carrier
Note
Field Type
Autonumber
Text
Date
Date
Text
Memo
Required?
N/A
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Table 4: Details
Field Name
Order Number (primary key)
ISBN Number (primary key)
Quantity Ordered
Field Type
Number
Text
Number
Required?
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
REQUIRED FORMS:
Bookstore Information Form
The bookstore information form will simply include all the fields listed in the customer table. It will allow the user to
enter new bookstores in the database and modify the data of existing ones. This form must not accept improperly
formatted bookstore information (e.g., a three digit zip code or a new bookstore record without the bookstore's
name or complete address).
Book Information Form
The book information form will simply include all the fields listed in the book table. It will allow the user to enter new
books in the database and modify the data of existing ones. This form must not accept improperly formatted book
information.
Order Information Form
This form will be used to enter new orders in the database. This form is more complicated than the simple forms
used to manage bookstores and books because the data entered in it will update two tables at once (order and
details tables). To do this, you need to use a sub-form (to update the details table) within the main order
information form (that will update the order table). The sub-form adds a dynamic element to the form and enables
the orders to contain multiple books. As with the previous forms, it is important that the order form is as user
friendly as possible and must validate the user's input before accepting it. The form must provide pull-down menus
to enable the user to easily select the bookstore, ordered books, and the shipping method. An illustration of the
order information form is shown next.
5
REQUIRED REPORTS
Mailing Labels
To expedite the creation of mailing lists for sending the catalogues to the customers, ACCESS should automatically
create mailing labels for all of the bookstores RF Walrus is associated with. Please ensure that the mailing labels
are sorted in alphabetical order by bookstore name.
Packing Slips
A packing slip is included in each shipment so the bookstore can validate the correctness of the order upon its
arrival. Henry would like the application to create all packing slips for all orders to be shipped on a specific date.
The user should specify the date and ACCESS should generate all slips for that date. Each slip must be printed on
a separate page and must include RF Walrus' letterhead and contact information, the bookstore shipping
information and method, and list each book and ordered quantity in the shipment (assume that all books in an order
are shipped together). The books should be listed in alphabetical order. See sample report on p. 6.
Account Statements
At the end of each month, ACCESS should generate an account statement for each bookstore listing all orders that
were shipped during the month. Each statement should be printed on a separate page and should list RF Walrus'
letterhead, the bookstore information and list all of its orders that were billed during the month. The orders should
be sorted by order number. For each order, ACCESS should list all ordered items and must calculate the cost for
each one (i.e. book price x quantity ordered). A subtotal for each order and the total amount due for the whole
billing period should be printed on each account statement. Before generating the statements, the ACCESS
application should ask the user to identify the first and last date of the billing cycle (which should be printed on the
statement as well). All relevant information must be clearly formatted on the statements. A sample report is shown
on the next page. See sample report on p. 7.
Book Sales
A book sales report will list all the books that have been purchased to date. Henry would like to be able to quickly
look up sales data by book title. This report should display book information (both book title and ISBN number) as
well as order information (order number, order date, shipping date, and quantity ordered). Please ensure that the
sales data is displayed in book title alphabetical order, and within book titles, the orders are displayed in ascending
order (from lowest order number to highest order number). You will need to calculate the total number of books for
each book. You should display current date and time at the top of this report. See sample report on p. 8.
Please note that all forms and reports must be clearly labeled and easy to use. All forms must include exit and new
record buttons. You should create a main menu (using a form) to enable the user to activate each form and report
by clicking on the main menu buttons. When creating your application, please pay attention to both the
functionality and appearance of all tables, forms, and reports.
INSTRUCTIONS
To complete your assignment, you must do the following:
(1) Create the tables in the following order: bookstore, order, book, and details. Format all fields as indicated in the
lab notes and checkpoints. Establish the relationships between the tables.
(2) Design the forms. Navigation in the forms should be facilitated by easy and consistent use of the tab key
(make sure the data entry sequence for each form is user-friendly). If not, go to Form Design View, click on the
Arrange tab, and select Tab Order to change the tab key order.
(3) Use the forms to enter data in the database. You are required to input the sample data on the last page of this
handout. In addition, you must enter additional (“made up”) sample data for 4 new bookstores, 5 new books
and 5 more orders (with 2-4 books in each one).
(4) Create the necessary queries for the reports and design the reports (your name should appear on the header of
each report).
(5) Create a main menu (using a form) to easily access all the forms and reports. Don’t forget the exit button on
the main menu. Set up ACCESS to automatically display the main menu when your database is opened.
(6) Modify the layouts of your forms and reports to give them a professional, consistent look. Test your application.
6
7
Sample Montly Account Statement:
RF Walrus Book Distributors
327 Willesden Lane, Portland, OR 97205
phone 503-547-7389 – fax 503-555-8888
Email: rfwalrus@gmail.com
ACCOUNT STATEMENT
For:
Order
Number
Book Mega City
25 Bailey Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 84106
Attn: Danny Faye
ISBN
Billing period: 9/1/12 – 9/30/12
ORDER INFORMATION
Book Title
Units
shipped
Unit
Price
Amount
213 (Order placed on 8/12/07 and shipped on 9/3/12 by UPS)
0-356-8837-551
0-357-4747-444
Red Rover
NightFlyer
10
$15.90
100
$43.50
Sub-total for this order
$150.90
$4350.00
$4500.90
259 (Order placed on 8/27/07 and shipped on 9/10/12 by DHL)
0-356-8837-551
0-836-5385-651
Red Rover
Who’s Afraid?
100
$15.90
10
$85.00
Sub-total for this order
$159.00
$850.00
$1009.00
Total due for this billing period:
$5509.90
We thank you in advance for your prompt payment.
If you have any question, please contact Henry Orbison.
8
9
DELIVERABLES:
The following items should be submitted in an envelope:
(1) Your Access file on a USB flash drive or CD. The name of the file will be your last name followed by
“Assignment 1”. This file should contain your entire Access application (all tables, queries, forms, reports,
menu, and sample data).
(2) A sample printout of each of your reports (e.g. a sample packing slip for one order; not for all orders). For the
Account Statement Report, I would like to see the report for shipping dates between 12/15/2014 and
12/20/2014. I would like to see an Account Statement printout containing multiple orders under a single
bookstore.
(3) A short memo (optional) describing any problems of the application. You can use this memo to describe any
problem areas or incomplete features of the application, and suggestions for improvement and future
development.
Please note that you are required to design and implement the specific tables, queries, forms, reports and
additional sample data required for this assignment on your own.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with ACCESS, the completion of this assignment may require a significant
investment in time. Plan your assignment completion tasks early and always keep at least two backups of your
database file. I strongly recommend that you save at least one copy to the cloud (i.e., dropbox.com, google drive,
or some other cloud-based storage).
Your assignment grade will be based on the following components:
1. Appropriateness of database design/structure (all tables are set up correctly and all relationships between
tables are correctly specified).
2. Correct formatting of all forms, including the Main Menu
3. Inclusion of all sample data, as specified in the instructions above
4. Neat and correct formatting of all reports
5. Correct execution of your application—e.g., the queries retrieve the correct data
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. USE THE CHECKPOINTS to complete the assignment. Don’t try to figure it out on your own.
2. Start the assignment early and come see me if you run into problems with your assignment.
3. Perform the steps of the assignment in the proper order (as specified in the checkpoints). If you skip around,
you do so at your own risk.
GOOD LUCK!!
10
Sample data
Bookstore data
Phone
Bookstore name
702-565-6767
Book Lover’s Paradise
512-344-4444
214-444-3323
805-897-5757
916-676-3333
214-878-4499
916-873-8857
Book data
ISBN number
0-133-8568-451
0-159-9938-382
0-235-7835-751
0-356-8837-551
0-367-4747-444
0-378-4784-663
0-469-7874-551
0-836-5385-651
Address ,City, State, Zip
25 Reardon Lane
Las Vegas, NV 84106
Arts Book Store
378 Pendleton Dr.
Seattle, WA 78726
Books Galore
34 Sammy St
Corpus Christi, TX 75231
Bookstore For All
27 Main St
Palmdale, CA 93590
Hollywood Book Palace 666 Connecticut Drive
Malibu, CA 90264
Book Worm
34 Buffalo Avenue
Dallas, TX 75231
Golden State Books
666 35th Street
Malibu, CA 90264
Fax
Email
702-565-6768
BLP@gmail.com
512-344-5555
ABCBooks@gmail.c
om
Zeke@ABC.wiz
214-878-4488
Book@Palace.biz
Peter Dealy
916-872-8856
Tommy@gmail.com
Tommy Black
Unit
Price
$28.99
Publisher
Edition
Year
Howard Publishers
3
172
$18.70
$44.00
Johnston Publishing
New Perspectives
on the Civil War
Ordinary Families
Petty Thieves &
Strange Bedfellows
Cooking for Idiots
A Guide to
Forensics
Househunting Tips
for Senior Citizens
108
$20.98
$33.95
220
175
$9.54
$20.75
199
927
106
3
214-878-4499
4
702-565-6767
5
6
7
916-873-8857
916-873-8857
805-897-5757
Very
personable.
Check out the
games
Only deal with
Zeke
Billy Grace
Unit
cost
$19.00
214-878-4499
Annie White
916-676-3333
Items in
inventory
203
2
Stan Smith
Note
Steve Steven
Book
Title
Maya Angelou: A
Life
The Swiss Alps
Order data
Order Number Bookstore Tel. Number
1
916-676-3333
Contact
person
Julie Harris
Never pays on
time
Reorder
point
20
Notes
2004
Next delivery
date
1/10/2011
2
1998
1/30/2011
30
Johnston Publishing
4
2007
1/19/2011
30
Out of date and not
very informative.
Highly engrossing.
$15.90
$43.50
New Wave Publishing
Asterick Publishing
2
3
2007
1977
1/29/2011
1/1/2011
10
20
$29.00
$12.00
$41.00
$23.95
2
1
1992
2007
1/21/2011
1/27/2011
20
100
$43.99
$85.00
Johnston Printing
San Francisco
Publishing
New Wave Publishing
1
2000
1/2/2011
30
A thrilling novel for
young adults
Informative but a
very dull read.
Not an informative
book.
ISBN number and (quantity)
0-133-8568-451 (20)
0-356-8837-551 (25)
Order date
12/5/2014
Shipping date
12/6/2014
Shipping carrier
FedEx
Note
0-836-5385-651 (32)
0-356-8837-551 (25)
0-159-9938-382 (30)
0-378-4784-663 (55)
0-133-8568-451 (20)
0-133-8568-451 (36)
0-469-7874-551 (18)
0-469-7874-551 (150)
0-133-8568-451 (100)
0-378-4784-663 (80)
12/9/2014
12/19/2014
DHL
12/10/2014
12/11/2014
UPS
12/12/2014
12/15/2014
USPS
This order must be
delivered before
Christmas
Please deliver
directly to the door.
Do not deliver to
the doorstep.
1/15/2015
1/2/2015
1/3/2015
1/15/2015
1/14/2015
1/8/2015
FedEx
DHL
UPS
11