Comments on Project #2

CSCI 5931A
Advanced Database Development
Comments on Grading Project #2

I check Questions (1) to (3) using the following relations:

Account(AccountID, Password, PersonID, AccountType)

Key: AccountID, Foreign: PersonID, AccountType

Course(CourseNumber, CourseCredit, CourseTitle, CourseDescription, CourseHour, EFID)

Key: CourseNumber, Foreign: EFID

Note(NoteID, Date, Description, EnrollmentID, CourseOfferingID)

Key: NoteID, Foreign: EnrollmentID, CourseOfferingID
May be split into two relations.

Prerequisites(CoureseNumber, PrerequisiteCourseNumber)

Key:both, Foreign: both.

Evaluation(EvaluationID, Date, EnrollmentID, Comments, EFID)

Key: EvaluationID
Foreign: EnrollmentID, EFID (optional)

Choices(ChoiceID, ChoiceValue, ChoiceDescription, QuestionID)

Key: ChoiceID,
Foreign: QuestionID

Answer(AnwerID, EvaluationID, QuestionItemID, ChoiceID)

Key: AnswerID
Foreign: EvaluationID, QuestionItemID, ChoiceID

There are some confusion in implementing many-to-many relationships and many-to-one relationship in Question (1). Also, many of you don't use surrogate keys when they are needed. For example,

Notes(EnrollmentId, Date, Description)

is in general incorrect as that means you cannot make more than one note per date on a particular enrollment, not a reasonable assumption. Instead, you should use:

Notes(NoteID, EnrollmentId, Date, Description)

Questions (2) and (3) are generally ok. Probably everybody learns from the previous homework assignment.

Question (4) is hard to grade. There are many possible improvements to make your forms more sturdy. I encountered many errors in insertion as most GUI designs are not that intuitive. For example, a good GUI for form #1 is not to use any master-detail blocks. Instead, show the necessary fields (Last Name, First Name, Phone, etc). Do not show fields that are generated by the database (e.g. PersonID, StaffID, etc). Include a button to save the work by executing the several insert into the appropriate relations. For form #2, use a back end database view instead of several level of master-detail blocks. There are also many minor problems too detailed to mention.

In general, the project you turn in show that you are beginning to grasp the basics of Form, which is the intention of the course. I don't expect you to become an expert in Form in such a short time.

Anyway, I have been quite lenient in grading the entire project. A few of you have turned in work of very good quality and I am delighted.

Some of you turned in work that is not well documented. For one student, I spent 10 minutes just to find the right forms to test run. Needless to say, if you make me work unnecessarily hard, I will not be impressed. A simple rule of documentation is to make sure your user can use your work in the minimum amount of time.