IT 330 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
Databases are increasingly important in the information age, as they provide a means to organize, track, manage, and use information easily and efficiently. Thousands of companies depend on databases to record and update data. Databases have a wide variety of uses, from tracking climate measurements worldwide to storing library research information to organizing user data for businesses and organizations.
For this assessment, you will solve an information storage problem. The owner of two local bookstores wants to consolidate individual store inventories. You will organize the store inventory data into workable tables and apply normalization techniques to create a single common SQL-based database that can be shared between the stores. In addition, you will submit a report explaining the choices you made in the creation of your database. The report will also include an entity-relationship diagram and other models as well as a description of the database design features.
Some components of this final project will have been developed earlier in the course and submitted for instructor feedback. You will submit them a second time as part of this final project, incorporating the feedback that you received from your instructor. This project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be due in Modules Two and Four. The final database and report will be submitted in Module Seven.
This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:
 Differentiate between database systems and file systems by comparing features and functions to determine benefits in data management
 Analyze business information storage problems for depicting suitable information model solutions using entity relation diagrams
 Apply database normalization theory to relational data models for defining relationships and minimizing redundancy
 Develop solutions to query and data update problems using a Structured Query Language interface to create, populate, maintain, and query databases
Scenario
Books’R’Us is a local bookstore that started in 1978 in a small New England town. Books’R’Us has been able to withstand the challenges of larger bookstore chains, as well as the internet giant Amazon.com, by offering new and used books and other products in a comfortable location that includes a café with free Wi-Fi. Books’R’Us recently purchased another local bookstore called Great Books, USA, from an owner who is retiring. Both businesses use a simple bookkeeping system that includes Microsoft Excel.
The owners of Books’R’Us, Tom and Sarah Smith, would like a more efficient way to store inventory data and report on the various business essentials. They are also preparing to offer e-commerce on their website. A consulting firm has recommended capturing information in a database and linking access to the database for each store. Tom and Sarah purchased Microsoft SQL Server to do this. The consulting firm has hired you to complete the database for Books’R’Us. In addition to creating the database, you will provide a report for your supervisor at the consulting firm; this report should describe the rationale for and proposed development of the database.