Designing An Essay On Video Rental Management System.

ABC Video operates all its administrations using hand written forms and slips stored in filing cabinets. The hand written information may also cause some clashes in the records such as missing a particular slip or maintaining the records in a large video rental. It is also difficult to search for a specific record from a large number of records of customers. Therefore to avoid the problems in future, ABC Video decides to automate their operations with a new Video Rental Management System.

Assume that you have been assigned to design the ABC Video Rental Management System which is designed to help users maintain and organizes their records.Followings are the main functions of the system

• Application for a video rental card
• Identity verification
• Renting videos
• Retrieval of video information
• Generation of receipt
• Creating record for each transaction
• Producing fine
• Ability to upload company policy
• Records are examined
• Generating reports.

Your task is to construct a context diagram, level 0 and level 1 diagram for the Video Rental System based on the main functions mentioned.

System Analysis and Design

The development of a system is considered to be a very systematic procedure that incorporates stages like planning, evaluation, design, implementation and maintenance. The system analysis and design are the two phases of the system/software development procedure. The system analysis is done for gathering and evaluating the business facts, recognizing the issues and decomposing the system into various units. The system analysis has a major part in identification of the objectives of the system through the recognition of the units of it. The system analysis is also refer as the problem solving method which can improve the overall quality of the system and ensure proper functioning of entire system. The analysis specifies the functions of the system.

On the other hand, the system design is known as the procedure to define the aspects of the system like modules, architecture and elements. The design also includes the system user interface. Through the implication of organized approach for designing various aspects of the system, the system design is completed. The system design can be completed through either bottom-up or top-down approach. No matter which approach is applied, the system design phase always consider all the variables of the proposed system to complete the development.

The data model is considered to be an abstract model which maintains the organized approach of modelling of data along with standardizing how they are associated with one another. The data model are used for visualizing inter-association along with flow of data among the various data elements taking involvement within the system. The data model clearly defines the way how the data are stored and retrieved to and from the data storage medium respectively. The components of the data model are data items, data types, event sources, data sources and links. The graphical representation of the data model is done through data modelling notation. The data model is done with the purpose of visualizing the definition and format of the various data involved in the system.

The data flow model is a part of data model. The data flow diagram or DFD is designed to map out the flow of data or information regarding any system or system process. It shows the input, output and flow of data from one data element to another. The data flow diagrams are categorized as context diagram, DFD level 0, level 1, level 2 and many more.

The report consist of representation of the ABC video operating organization system’s data model through context diagram, DFD level 0 and level 1. The organization is currently suffering from utilization of paper forms and storing the files into cabinet. The record maintenance is suffering from the loss of slips and video rental record management. The proposed system will be able to record the video rental application, record transaction for each rental, rent videos and record each rent, identify the users, applying fine, receipt creation and many more.

Data Model

1. Context Diagram:

The context diagram is considered to be a general tool for analysing and understanding the basics of a system entity. The analysts are generally use this tool. The context diagram is mainly used for showing the system functions under one high-level single process. The context diagram also shows the association among the system and external entities. The context diagram can also be referred as the context level data flow diagram. The context diagram is also referred to as the specialized data flow diagram. The context level diagram is used as the base of other data flow diagrams.

The context diagram does not offer any description or visualization of timing of information flow. It can be referred to a raw data transmission graphical representation that just concentrates on how the external elements store and retrieve data to and from system respectively. Three ways can be adopted for creating the context diagram. These context diagram categories are Gane-Sarson, Yourdon-DeMarco, and TOGAF. In this report, the TOGAF style has been adopted. This style has the elements like external actors, internal actors, functions, information flow and many more. In this style, the initial step is to put the process, the video rental management system, in the middle of the diagram. The entire focus of the system remains on this process, this means that every action taken in the next steps are always related to the system.

The proposed ABC video management system has been visualized as a single process in the context diagram. The diagram shows the process through the shape of a circle which is the conventional way of showing the processes in a context diagram. Three external entities has been chosen in the diagram. The management and accountant are the internal people of the organization. The customer is the external person of the organization. The diagram shows the customer will order the video and pay the charge for rental.

These two data flow is from the customer to the main process. From the main process to the customer data flow is the receipt. This means that the system will provide the customer a receipt for each video rental. The context diagram shows one data flow will be done from account to the process and another one vice versa. The accountant will update or enter the price for renting each video. The accountant will receive the sales report only. The management will receive all the reports for the operations done in the system. The management will upload the policy of the organization.

Data Flow Model

2. Level 1 Data Flow Diagram:

As the provided brief of context diagram in the above section, the context diagram visualizes the entire system as a single high-level process. On the other hand, the level 1 data flow diagram can describe the primary sub-processes of the system that can collaborative way represent the main process or entire system. The level 1 data flow diagram can be referred to as the exploded visualization of the context diagram. The level 1 data flow diagrams also include the external entities of the system like the context diagram. The external entities remain outside of the system boundary. Drawing the external entities outside of the system boundary is not mandatory but it can assists the people to recognize each element of the diagram properly.

There is a huge difference between the context diagram and level 1 data flow diagram and that is the use of data stores. Each process should have an input and an output. Each data store should have an input and an output. Check the system details so see if any process appears to be happening for no reason. The data stores are connected to the processes of the system. The processes store and retrieve data to the data stores. It is important to remember that the low level processes must refer the high level processes of the data model. Adding data-flows flowing between processes and data stores within the system. Each data store must have at least one input data-flow and one output data-flow (otherwise data may be stored, and never used, or a store of data must have come from nowhere). Ensure every data store has input and output data-flows to system processes.

Most processes are normally associated with at least one data store. The construction of the level 1 data flow model is initially done by the identifying the processes. The sub-processes will be the decomposition of the main process. Then the output and input of the process will be identified and drawn. This will make the analyst understand how the process will modify the data. Such as the link between the input and output data can portray the specification of the sub-process. It is important to notice that the same data-flows to and from the external entities appear on this level 1 diagram and the level 0 context diagram. Each time a process is expanded to a lower level, the lower level diagram must show all the same data-flows into, and out of the higher level process it expands.

Context Diagram

The level one diagram shows that the main process can be decomposed into four separate diagrams. These diagrams supports four basic operations of the ABC Video management system. The order sub-process can take order from customer, then ask for payment and finally provide the receipt for the order. There are two ways a customer can order the product. One is from online where each customer will have different account. The other one is from local store where customer will present physically.

Here each sub-process are connected to one or two data store. The reporting process is connected two data stores because the system will collect data from sales and customer both the data stores to generate reports. The policy management will be associated with only one data store because polices will have a different table. The number of the data flow shows how the data will flow from one process to another. The policy management process is not connected to other processes as it does not have any direct impact on other processes of the organization.

This level 2 diagram must balance with its “parent” process box the data-flows to and from the process on the level 1 diagram will all become data-flows across the system boundary on the level 2 diagram. The sources and recipients of data-flows across the level 2 system boundary are drawn outside the boundary and labelled exactly as they are on the level 1 diagram. It was remembered, every data store inside this boundary should have at least one input and one output date flow.

3. Level 2 Data Flow Diagram:

The level 2 data flow diagram shows the more decomposed level one processes. Each of the main sub processes, level one processes, are decomposed into level two processes. It is very essential to maintain the data integrity. The data input of the level one process must also input into the first sub process of level one process. The data will exit from the end sub process. The processes in between the start and end level two process will show how the process will change the data and store it into the data store. The data stores must be connected to the processes also. Taken as an example, if the customer purchase is a level one process then order placement, order confirmation and many more level two processes must follow the same data input and output pattern.

Level 1 Data Flow Diagram

The level two diagram focuses more on a main sub-process and provide accurate details of how the process is executed. The following things must be followed to create the level two data flow diagram from level one diagram. The process mentioned in the level one diagram will be represented as the boundary box in the level two diagram.  This way, all the sub-processes of the level one main sub process will be constructed within one block. Each of the processes with the level two process boundary will be directly decomposed from the level one process. For each of the process, the external entities and information flow will be drawn.

The level two diagram shows that the order management sub-process can be decomposed further into four sub-processes. Each of the sub-process properly define the main-sub process’s various aspects and Nature. Various data stores have been added to show the storing and retrieval of data. The numbering system has been used for the same reason as in the level one diagram. Here, it can be seen that all the processes are interconnected. This means that he proposed system sub process has linked process and following process can only be completed after completing the order placement process. The accountant has been added as the external entity to show that the receipt will be verified by the accountant before sharing.

Conclusion:

From the above report it can be concluded that the data flow diagrams including the context level diagram has provided proper description of the system processes and information flow between them. The system analysis provides cost effective, efficient and flexible solution to system development. If the system analysis is done properly then the correct way of developing the system can be identified.

The system analysis assists the project team to minimize the errors in the system development by identifying and analysing the units of the system before the development starts. The analysis also provide solution to fixing the issues in the system or the communication with the external entities. The report shows that the system requirement and communication flow has been identified and analysed properly. Because of that visualization of the data flow among the various entities has been proposed perfectly through context, level one and level two data flow diagram. The system analysis also provide better understanding of system insight. This advantage of system analysis has been accurately and perfectly adopted into the report.

The ABC Video is a small organization that has very few system requirements. Mainly the basics of a retail organization system has to be developed for the management system of ABC video. The proposed data models has perfectly captured how the system will communicate with the external entities.

As the context diagram was very accurate, understanding the needs for developing the level one and level two processes was not so difficult. The level one diagram properly visualizes how the system initiate a process or a group of interconnected processes and end it. The report has perfectly described the various aspects of the data flow diagrams including the context diagram. The most astonishing aspects of the report is the case analysis of the developed diagrams.  Each of the diagrams are evaluated for a single page.

In this analysis, the report very accurately describes the elements of the diagrams, the flow of the information, the possible modifications, connection with the ABC video. The described system through the data model allows the analysts to provide a proper idea of how the management system will communicate with the staff, employee and other external elements of ABC Video. The quality of the systems is ensured through the checking of the system constantly through system analysis.

The data flow diagrams have described the boundaries of the system accurately. It allowed the project team to understand the limit of the system. From the user’s perspective, the proposed data model project team to communicate to the end users and organization management about the system to be developed.

The biggest advantage of data flow diagram that has been recognized during the design of system is its very user friendly approach. During the development of the data models, the concentration was completely on the system units rather than conventions of the data flow models. Although System analysis offers an extensive range of benefits it might also have some disadvantages. One of the main disadvantages which is mostly overlooked is the risk of too much analysing which may be costly and time consuming. It is therefore part of the analyst’s job to find the right balance.

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