EEN523 Third Assignment

Due Friday 12th March 1999

        Design a realistic, real-world database. Your next two assignments will be based on implementing this database under SQL, so do a good job on the design. This assignment is just to do the initial design. You should turn in ER or EER diagrams (on paper if you like, but keep a copy).

        The subject of the database is entirely up to you; it does not have to be so realistic that it becomes dull and mundane. However, if you choose some really peculiar topic, make sure that it is possible for a grader to form a clear idea of what it all means without too much effort.

        Make sure your design is not too simple. Try to think up some complex relationships between entities (such as relations between more than three tables). Make sure that your databases will be large enough to be worth existing (e.g. a database about planets of the solar system wouldn't be very impressive because there are only 9 data items (or is it 10?)). You won't need to type in thousands of data items, but it should be possible at least.

Some hints: These are only hints, to give you and idea of the expected magnitude of the assignment. Use your imagination. I don't want everybody doing the same thing. In fact I don't want any two people doing the same thing. All assignments are individual, not group projects.

A warehose's stock-keeping system: they need to know what they've got in stock, and how much of it. They need to know who supplies each item to them, and whom they have sold items to (for warranty coverage etc). They need to know which employees are responsible for each item, and all sorts of other things.
A video rental shop needs to know what videos they've got on the shelves, who their customers are, what their customers are renting at the moment and when they should be returned, what their customers have rented in the past (perhaps), etc. They would also want to cross reference their videos with the actors, directors, and even genres, so a customer could ask "Have you got that one that had Jodie Foster, Charlie Chaplin, and John Wayne, and involved a lot of nuns being eaten by mutant snails?"
A university's advising office needs to know which students took which courses, wjat grades they got, what courses they have to take to graduate with some particular major, and when those courses are usually offered. They might want to be able to inspect whole class lists to see if all professors give uniform grades.

Anyway, you get the idea I'm sure.