Kaplan University IT 510
IT510-Unit6-Joyner_Demetrius_Proposal.
Proposal to Improve Testing Center Database
Client: Buddy's Computer Training and
... [Show More] Testing Center
System Analyst: Demetrius Joyner
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The aim of this proposal is to improve the database of Buddy's Computer Training and Testing Center.
The need to update the database has become clear in recent months due to the fact that they are receiving
an unusual amount of data redundancy. The current system has redundancy that may result in data
inconsistency, which can contribute to unreliable and sometimes obsolete information for your business.
My name is Demetrius Joyner, I am the system analyst that was hired to evaluate the current system of
Buddy’s Computer Training and Testing Center. I have 10 years of professional experience as a system
analyst and graduated with my master’s in information technology from Purdue Global University. Upon
graduating, I received various certifications that include the Comptia Security+ and the CISSP.
SYSTEM EVALUATION
Upon evaluating the Buddy's Computer Training and Testing Center, the problem that has been discovered
is that there is duplicate information of testers. This may have been caused by accident when the database
designer created the system. The current design allows users information to be entered repeatedly. In the
illustration provided below, the testers are assigned an exam ID which pulls up their personal information.
The problem is that one tester should be assigned multiple Exam_Numbers’, depending on if they take
more than one test. This needs to be corrected because by creating duplicate information of the Tester, the
database creates multiple identical profiles for each individual test, rather than assigning the multiple tests
to one test taker.
SOLUTION 1
One solution to this issue would be to normalize the data, which would simplify the design of the
database. It does not seem like an issue currently, but as more data builds up on your devices, consuming
gigabytes of disk space, it may become an even larger problem. My suggestion would be to normalize the
data. By normalizing the data, it would reduce the amount of duplicate data and would better organize the
information in the database to free up disk space allowing workflow to continue seamlessly.
Depending on the budget you have and the amount of data that needs to be normalized, the cost of
normalization can range from $100 to $2,000. By normalizing the database, this would benefit the
services provided to the customer. Your data would be considerably easier to search through if you
normalize it and use organizational approaches with correct naming conventions. Not to mention that the
staff will save time because they will not have to sort the information.
SOLUTION 2
Another alternative for resolving this issue is to delete data that is no longer needed. Holding data that is
no longer used on the servers is one factor that leads to data redundancy. While it is practically free to
remove unnecessary data, there is a chance of human error, in which an employee can delete critical
information. Employees will have to expend more time reviewing data and confirming if there is
redundant data in the system, despite the fact that this process is virtually free. This may cause a
slowdown in the services provided to customers, but it will also result in a cheaper resolution.
SOLUTION 3
A few potential consequences could occur if you continue to use your current database without
normalizing it. Excessive disk I/O and poor system performance could be a result of not normalizing the
database and tables, producing inconsistent information. By doing nothing, this will lead to significant
data replication which will put a strain on all programs that have access to the information and pull the
data.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
My final piece of advice is to normalize the data. Given that the data is for your small business, it is
reasonably priced. As the company grows, we can consider reevaluating the system design or adding
additional primary and foreign keys to ensure the data is properly registered with minimal redundancy.
This is the chosen approach since it frees up storage space and reduces the risk of accidentally losing
sensitive data. Since the system will not be burdened by extraneous information, normalization will
improve the system's workflow. [Show Less]