Project 3 - The Music Store (MicroSoft Access User Interface)
Alternate: Web-Based Database requirements are found at the end of this document.
Assignment – Create User Interface for the data created in Project 2 using Microsoft
Access 97 or 2000. Be sure to reference the Entity Definitions and Business Rules /
Assumptions included in Project 1.
Grading –
60% Functionality (Does it work?)
20% User Friendly (Is it easy to understand?)
10% Esthetics (Does it look nice?)
10% Referential Integrity Justification (Under Other Requirements)
To allow for multiple programmers, screens do not have to be formatted identically to
achieve all Esthetics point. Buttons should be commonly located. Objects should be
aligned. No scroll bars should be required.
Special Note - It will be a deduction of 5 points for leaving test data in the
database. The only data in the database should be the sample data found
on Project 2.
Estimated Time – 15 – 20 hours
Transferring the Data –
In the Real World, we would attach the Access application to the SQL Server
database created in Project 2. For our purposes, this will not work. You can
either recreate the tables into Microsoft Access and type in the sample data from
Project 2. Or export the data out of SQL server and into either an Access
database (if Access resides on the same PC) or a Text File (if SQL Server and
MicroSoft Access are not located on the same PC).
Exporting Data out of SQL Server…
1) In SQL Server Enterprise Manager, click on the name of your database. On
the right side of the screen under the Database heading, select Export Data.
The Data Transformation Services Export Wizard will be launched. Click
Next.
2) The following information should be loaded for you. The Source should be
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server. The Server should be the name
of your computer. The Database should be your database name. Click Next.
3) The upper part of the wizard should say Select destination (this is in white).
From the Destination drop down list pick on of the following: Text File or
Microsoft Access. Use the browse button to the right of the File Name file to
locate the Microsoft Access database or type in a Text File name including
location. Click Next.
4) Copy Tables from the source Database should be selected. Click Next.
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5) If you are Exporting to Microsoft Access, Select the tables to be Exported by
clicking the check box to the left of each table name. Click Next. Run
Immediately should be selected. Click Next. You should get a Completing
the DTS Wizard screen. Click Finish. Your database has been exported to the
Microsoft Access database.
6) If you are Exporting to a Text File, you will be exporting one table at a time.
If you click the drop down list, you will see all 6 tables. Select the first table,
click the check box for column headings. Click Next. Run Immediately
should be selected. Click Next. Continue the process until all tables have
been exported. Open a MicroSoft Access database, from the File Menu select
Get External Data, Import Data. Locate the Text Files (be sure the File Type
is set to Text File). Import the Text Files one at a time.
User Interface Requirements –
1) The database needs to open on a Main Switchboard used for System
Navigation.
2) The Main Switchboard will have a command button for all necessary
operations. Command buttons used to generate reports should be either
separated off from the other buttons or put on their own switchboard.
3) There will be an Exit button on the Main Switchboard which closes the Entire
Application.
4) All screen except Reports in Print Preview mode, will have a close button. Do
not expect the user to use the X in the upper-right corner of all non-print
preview windows.
5) The user needs to be able to Add/Edit any Customer, Vendor, Item, or
ItemCategory. (These will all have their own form and will be launched from
the Main Switchboard. Screens should be divided among team members.)
6) The User needs to be able to create a Purchase from a command button on the
Main Switchboard. Assigning a Customer ID and Item ID to the Purchase
needs to be done via Combo Boxes which display Company and Item Name
respectively (not Customer ID and Item ID).
7) When creating an Item, the user MUST assign a Category via a combo box.
This Category MUST be found in the ItemCategory table. It should give the
user a MicroSoft Access error and not allow them to entry a value not in the
Combo Box list.
8) The user needs to be able to see all the items assigned to a vendor (as well as
all vendors assigned to an item). This will be shown on the Add/Edit Vendor
and Add/Edit Item screens via a SubForm which will allow changes to the
data. The subforms are base on the correlation table. The subforms will
display a combo box linked to the appropriate ID, but display useful
information.
Example – Item 1 Whale Noise is supplied by Vendor 2 and 4. The subform
will not display the Vendor ID, but Jones Records and Bee Music respectively.
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9) There are two kinds of forms Tabular (continuous) and Column (Single).
Some data is better represented in different forms. Use your judgement in
deciding which format to use when.
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Reporting Requirements –
1) Preview a list of all Customers in the database. Include all their information.
2) Preview a list of all Customers which purchased goods in August. Include
Customer Name, Contact, Phone Number, Item Name purchased, Quality, and
Total Cost.
3) Preview a Summary of the Total Quantity and Total Dollars of each Item that
has been sold. (If the Item has never been sold, it will NOT appear in the
report.) Include Item ID, Item Name, Total Quantity, and Total Dollars. (I
recommend using a Group By or Totals Query.)
4) By Item, preview a list of all the purchases. Include the Item ID, Item Name,
Purchase Date, Customer Name, Quantity, and Total Dollars. (Item ID and
Item Name should only appear once with a list of the purchases underneath. I
recommend using the Report Wizard with Grouping.)
*** Special Note – The Report Wizard can be used for creating the system
reports. For esthetic points, make sure the reports show clear names for the labels
and the column are formatted to provide easy reading.
Some of the reports can be built using a table as a Record Source while others will
require use of a Query.
Other Requirements –
Relationships with Referential Integrity MUST be defined using the Relationship
Window in MicroSoft Access. When assigning Referential Integrity, you are
given the chose of Cascade Update and/or Cascade Delete. As a team, you must
decide Yes or No and Why for each relationship. These decisions and
justification reasons will be submitted in writing with your project. Be sure all
team member names are on the justification sheet. Note – There is no right
answer, but your reason Why must show that you understand the implications of
Referential Integrity assignments.
Submission of Project for Grading –
Projects will be turned in based on the date found on your syllabus. All projects
will be turned in on a 3-1/2” diskette accompanied by a Referential Integrity
justification hardcopy. No Zip Disks will be excepted. If your project doesn’t
fit, it needs to be Compacted which is a system utility supplied by MicroSoft
Access. Do NOT use any other method/utility to reduce the size of your database.
Beware of using graphics on your project. They can require a lot of disk space.
Be sure to put all of your team member names on the disk label. Disks without
labels will not be graded. Sticky notes do NOT count as a label.
To Compact – Open your project in MicroSoft Access, select Menu Item – Tools,
select Database Utilities, select COMPACT. This command does not alter the
structure of your database.
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A test plan / evaluation form for Project 3 can be found on the Web. If you
choose to test your project using the data found on the test plan, you MUST clear
out the test data prior to submission of your project. It will be a deduction of 5
points for leaving test data in the database. The only data in the database
should be the sample data found on Project 2.
Special Note - Please print a clean copy of the Test Plan found on the Web.
Print your team member names at the bottom of the page in the provided
space and submit it with your project.
Alternate Web-Based Database Application Requirements
User-Interface Requirements –
1) The application opens on a Home Page. All operation launch from here. All
supporting windows will have a back and home button.
2) The user needs to be able to Add/Edit Item and Customer information ONLY.
(Each team member needs to do a page. If you have three team members, add
Vendor information to the requirements.)
3) Requirements 6, 7, and 8 are the same as found above. Subforms are not easy
on web pages. It is up to each team to decide how to handle the display of
multiple vendors for each item.
Reporting Requirements –
Create two web pages which display the information found in Reporting
Requirements 2 and 3 above.
Other Requirements –
The Referential Integrity Requirement found above is still required even if your
underlying database is NOT MicroSoft Access.
Submission of Project for Grading –
Download the Test Plan from my web-site. Though the requirements are different
than the MicroSoft Access Project, you will use the same Test Plan. Put your
team member names in the space provided. On the top of the Test Plan, write
Web-Base Database in big letter. Under that write the URL for your database. (If
you need a place to host your dynamic web-site, contact Bill Burrows via Email.
It will take about a week to get you site set up, so do this early.) Be sure to attach
your Referential Integrity Justification to the Test Plan.
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