Mgmt 3830
Final Exam
December 9, 2000
All questions must be answered in the exam booklets, not on this copy. If you write rough drafts
of answers, or decide to rewrite an answer, be sure you clearly indicate which answer you wish
to have marked. Please note that for all questions, full marks will only be given to answers that
are correct, complete, and clearly written.
1. Access Cablevision Data Model (40 marks)
Access Cablevision provides conventional cable service, similar to that received in Lethbridge,
to the mythical city of Redmond, Alberta, population 300,000. A basic description of its system
for residential service is provided below. (A separate system handles commercial installations
and apartments.) These requirements were written for this assignment and may not match those
of real cable operations. Your answer must match these specifications; arguments that the
description does not match the way things are really done will not be accepted. The description
may contain extraneous material, not relevant to data modeling.
Access Cablevision currently offers four packages. The first is called “Basic Service,” which
provides channels 2 through 13. These are mostly local channels plus some American network
channels. The second is “Extended Service.” This provides Basic Service plus some additional
channels, both Canadian and American, which are available only through cable. Third, the
“Movie” package offers basic service plus a recent release movie channel. Finally, “Premium
Service” offers all three services. These are the only packages available; customers cannot
choose from among the Extended Service channels and take only those they like. Currently, there
are about 70 channels and the system keeps track of each one and which package(s) contain it.
The system only needs to record the current package channels and monthly subscriber fees.
Access Cablevision obtains most of its revenue from monthly bills for package fees. In addition,
homes with additional outlets pay an extra fee (currently $1 per month) for each additional active
outlet. (Not all outlets in a house are necessarily active.) This $1 charge applies no matter what
service package is being provided. And each outlet must receive the same service.
The system keeps a history of customers, addresses, and services. Some customers have more
than one residence, but each residence cable is billed separately to a single customer. A separate
account number is set up for each customer-residence-service combination. When customers
cancel and then resubscribe at the same address, they retain their customer number but are given
a new account number. When the service type changes (e.g., Basic to Premium), the old account
still applies. Customer numbers are retained when customers move, when possible. But some
people are hard to track because names are not unique, so some customers have several customer
numbers (but they don’t know which ones). The customer number is not the same as the account
number.
Customers are billed monthly for services received and can pay for their cable service in
different ways. Some bring cash to the office and pay their bills in person. Others pay by cheque,
either in person or by mail. A drop box allows customers to leave cheques at the office after
normal business hours. All cheques are accepted without identification. Payment by credit cards
and bank cards is not currently supported. Note that some payments accompany more than one
bill. The system must record each payment and show the amount applicable to each bill. The
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Mgmt 3830
Final Exam
December 9, 2000
system also records which employee processed each payment. Basic contact data is maintained
about employees, including their home address and phone number.
The system also keeps track of residences that have cable. They know how many outlets each
residence has and where they are located within the home. They also know which ones are active
now, and have been active in the past. (This assumes customers are not making their own
changes to the installation.) Installation dates are recorded.
Draw a data model for Access Cablevision, based on the information provided here. If you need
to make assumptions, be sure to state them clearly.
2. Alberta Engineering Database (20 marks)
The exam has a relationship diagram for Alberta Engineering and a sample Access query format
on the final two pages. Both can be removed if you wish. They should be used to answer the next
two questions.
You have been asked to convert the Alberta Engineering data model into a set of Access tables.
Show what each table in their system should look like, assuming the model was converted
properly. Do not attempt to make any corrections to this model, even if you see features that you
believe are incorrect. Underline the fields that you would use as keys. Then draw relationships
between files to serve as the default set for this database. Your final diagram should closely
resemble the Access relationship screen format, while making the relationships as clear as
possible. (But you can draw curved relationship lines even though Access does not.)
Make a note of any features that cannot be properly represented and explain why.
3. Alberta Engineering Information (16 marks)
Assume Alberta Engineering has created a database from the model and that their design is
correct (even if yours is not). Some questions have come up about the preliminary version and
you have been asked to comment on them. While you do not have the database implementation
to work from, suggest some possible answers.
1. Some data, forms and reports have been provided with the database. One report shows all the
employees working on the ASM Project in Taber, but does not include Gerry Jones. This is
odd, because Gerry Jones happens to be shown as the Project Leader on another report
(which lists all current projects and leaders). Unfortunately, Gerry Jones is also an influential
member of the committee that oversees the new system and immediately spotted the
inconsistency. What is the most likely cause of this problem? If you believe the data model is
probably incorrect, suggest a change. If you think that the report query is at fault, describe
what has likely happened. You do not need to provide the full query for this report, although
you can if you wish.
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Mgmt 3830
Final Exam
December 9, 2000
2. Employees have always been assigned to one project at a time. However, two Project
Leaders have requested that a telecommunications specialist be assigned jointly to their
projects. He would spend the mornings with one team, the afternoons with the other. Senior
management believes that this kind of flexibility has been needed for some time and wants to
proceed. Can the system accommodate this? Specifically, you want to show that employee#
3452 is assigned to the BVX and TTH projects jointly for the month of April, 2001. If you
can do this, show how you would enter the necessary records into the ASSIGNMENT table.
(If any other data are needed, you can make them up yourself.) If not, show what changes
you would make to the data model so that joint assignments could be accommodated and
then show the data records.
4. Alberta Engineering Reports (24 marks)
Each of these questions should ideally be answered using a single Access query, using the
Access query format. (A copy is provided on the final page of the exam.) But there is no
guarantee that all questions can be answered with just one query. A correct answer using two or
more queries is better than an incorrect answer using only one.
More importantly, there is no guarantee that all questions can even be answered. If you believe
the database cannot answer the question, explain why. This could include suggested changes to
the data model that would be needed before the question can be answered. But you should also
do the best you can to provide some useful information with the current data structure.
Therefore, every question should have a query as part of the answer even if it does not fully
answer the question.
1. Several project leaders have complained about incomplete shipments from the warehouse
and want to ensure that reports can be generated to document these problems. As a minimum,
they want to be able to list every requisition line item for which the required amount was not
fully delivered within five days.
2. An IBM ThinkPad, bearing the Alberta Engineering logo, was recently found by a
remarkably honest individual who returned it to the company. The computer has a company
sticker identifying it as item# ME1567. The computer serial number is 00234952. Assuming
this computer has been requisitioned by a project team, can the system show which team it
belongs to? If so, show the query. If not, can the system be of some help in tracing the
owner? If so, show the query you would use. If the system cannot be of any help in this
situation, explain what changes would be needed to the data model to answer this type of
question.
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Mgmt 3830
Final Exam
December 9, 2000
3. A proposed Detailed Project Material Costing Report will show the details of materials
received from the warehouse. The ASM Project Leader wants to print a summary of 2000
activity, listing all the requisitions, items received on each, the quantity received, the cost, an
extended total (quantity times cost) for each item, and a grand total for the project. In Access,
Reports calculate the desired grand total, but a query would be needed to supply the
remaining data.
Assuming all the 2000 data has been entered into the system, can the system provide the
desired report? If so, show the query you would use to obtain the data. If not, explain why
and provide a query that would provide the most useful data possible even if it is not exactly
what has been requested.
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Mgmt 3830
Final Exam
DEPARTMENT
December 9, 2000
JOB
DeptID
DeptName
CurrentYearBudget
JobID
JobTitle
AuthorizedPositions
PROJECT
ASSIGNMENT
ProjectID
ProjectName
ProjectLocation
ProjectCompletionDate
ProjectTotalCost
AssignStartDateTime
AssignEndDateTime
Project Leader
REQUISITION
EMPLOYEE
EmpID
EmpFirstName
EmpLastName
EmpStreet
EmpCity
EmpProvince
EmpPostalCode
EmpSIN
EmpHomePhone
EmpDateHired
EmpEMail
EmpPicture
RequisitionID
ReqSubmittedDate
GoodsReceivedDate
ITEM
REQLINEITEM
ReqQuantity
ReceivedQuantity
ItemID
ItemDescription
ItemCost
ItemQuantityOnHand
JOB – AuthorizedPositions is the maximum number of people with this skill that the department
is authorized to hire.
The warehouse is an internal operation that buys goods from external suppliers, from computers
to pencils, and provides them as needed to projects. This system shows the cost to the project
(ItemCost), not necessarily what the warehouse actually paid for the items. The warehouse has
its own system that keeps track of purchase orders, inventory levels, etc. This system supplies the
necessary data for the ITEM table, updated every night.
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Mgmt 3830
Final Exam
December 9, 2000
This Access Query format is provided as a guide only. Please put any answers you want marked
into the exam booklet.
Field:
Table:
Total:
Sort:
Show:





Criteria:
or:
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