Unit 4: Database design and development
Assignment Brief
Student Name/ID Number
Unit Number and Title
Unit 4: Database design and development
Academic Year
2025
Unit Tutor
Ms. Nishani Ranpatabendi
Assignment Title
Database Design and Development - Library
Management System
Issue Date
21/03/2025
Submission Date
23/05/2025
Submission Format
The assignment submission is in the form of the following.
A formal 10-minute viva session: In the viva session, as a student, you'll need to
effectively communicate an evaluation of your system to a non-technical audience,
emphasizing the effectiveness of the database design and solution in meeting user and
system requirements.
A written report: The report must adhere to formal written structure, utilizing Times
New Roman font size 12 with 1.5 line spacing. It must adhere strictly to the Harvard
citation referencing style and include a comprehensive bibliography. The
recommended word limit for the report is between 2000 to 2500 words; however,
exceeding this limit will not result in penalization.
Unit Learning Outcomes
LO1: Use an appropriate design tool to design a relational database system for a
substantial problem
LO2: Develop a fully functional relational database system, based on an existing
system design
LO3: Test the system against user and system requirements
LO4: Produce technical and user documentation.
Assignment Brief and guidance
Assignment
Brief Case Study
As a database developer at CENTURA, a software company, your goal is to design
reliable software for a library that seeks to effectively manage its book collection,
member data, and borrowing information. The system will monitor books, member
details, borrowing schedules, and borrowing logs.
By centralizing book information, the system makes it easier to manage and search
information. It automates the borrowing process, ensuring accurate tracking of borrow
dates, return dates, and overdue books. Member data is organized, improving
communication and personalized service, while detailed borrowing logs track the
condition of returned books. This system reduces errors, saves time for staff, provides
valuable insights for better decision-making, and enhances the overall library
experience for both staff and members.
Task 01
Before starting the development process, your manager has asked you to prepare a
comprehensive report for the company's CEO which includes the following:
Clearly define both the user requirements and the technical requirements of the system.
Produce a comprehensive design for a fully functional relational database system using
appropriate methodologies and tools.
● Design an Entity-Relationship (ER) Model with a minimum of four example
tables. It is necessary to explain any assumptions made for the user and
system requirements.
● Convert the ER Model into a relational model.
● Refine the relational model by normalizing up to the Third Normal Form to
ensure data integrity and efficiency.
Create basic user interfaces (wireframes) that represent the user / system’s
requirements.
Compare your database design against user and system requirements, and suggest
any possible enhancements.
Task 02
Design and develop the visual interfaces (front-end) for the above described scenario,
using a chosen front-end tool. Integrate the database with the front-end and generate
meaningful outputs. (Example: Display a list of borrowed books, overdue books, or
borrowing history of a specific member) from the database. Also implement database side data validations to prevent incorrect data entry. Also, you need to write SQL
queries that retrieve data from multiple related tables using JOINs.
You are required to use a visual tool to showcase the output or the retrieval of
meaningful data through query language implementation. To justify the use of SQL,
include screenshots of both the SQL queries and their results.
Implementing security ensures the protection of sensitive data, while maintenance
keeps the database optimized, efficient, and reliable.You need to incorporate security
and maintenance features into your database system, ensuring alignment with both
user and system requirements. Provide a detailed explanation supported by evidence
(screenshots) on how you've implemented security measures.
Discuss the effectiveness of the database solution in maintaining integrity, ensuring
user accessibility, and optimizing efficiency. Furthermore, outline strategies to enhance
performance of the implemented database solution.
Recommend specific modifications to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of the system.
Task 03
Clearly define the test cases based on user and system requirements.
● Identify test scenarios covering functional testing (such as data retrieval, data
manipulation), non-functional testing (such as security and backup), data
validation and data integrity testing.
● Choose appropriate test data. (valid data, invalid data and edge cases)
Justify the test data used (valid, invalid, edge cases) and explain how these choices
ensure thorough validation.
Task 04
Create comprehensive technical and user documentation for the implemented system
based on the scenario provided. Incorporate relevant technical diagrams (class
diagram, flowcharts, DFD level 0 and 1) to illustrate system architecture. Discuss future
improvements focused on optimizing system performance, addressing emerging user
requirements, and ensuring scalability as the system grows.