Advanced Database Systems

Laboratory Exercise #9 *Property of STI

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Laboratory Exercise 9
Requirements Analysis

Objectives



At the end of this exercise, the students are
expected to:
Create user requirements and specification.


Computer Terminal
Software installed on the terminal:
- Sybase SQL Anywhere 9
- Opening documents/reading i.e. MS Word,
Acrobat Reader, etc.
Software installed on the terminal
Printer and Paper (as necessary)

Activity 1 FurniPointe Case Study

1. Read and analyze the FurniPointe case study presented below.
2. Using this case study acquire the following:
a. Create the mission statement for the FurniPointe database system.
b. Create the mission objective for the FurniPointe database system.
c. Define the system boundary for the FurniPointe database system.
d. Create a users requirements specification that describes in detail the data to be held in
the database and how the data is to be used. To accomplish this, you need to:
Gather more information on the user views of the FurniPointe database system.
Gather information on the system requirements of the FurniPointe database system.

FurniPointe Case Study

The first branch office of FurniPointe was opened in 2001 in Taguig City. Since then, the Company has
grown steadily and now has acquired several offices in Metro Manila. However, the Company is
becoming large that more and more administrative staffs are being employed to cope with the ever-
increasing amount of paperwork. Furthermore, the communication and sharing of information
between offices, even in the same city, is poor. The Director of the Company, Erika Dela Cruz feels
that too many mistakes are being made and the success of the Company will be short-lived if she does
not do something to address the issue. She knows that a database could be of help to solve the
problem. She then requests that a database application should be developed to support the
operations of FurniPointe. The Director has provided the following brief descriptions of how
FurniPointe currently operates.

FurniPointe specializes in property management, by taking an intermediate role between owners who
wish to rent out their furnished property and clients who wanted to rent the furnished property for a
fixed period of time. FurniPointe currently has an estimate of 1000 staff working in 50 branches.
Each branch has a specified number and types of staff including the Manager, Supervisors, and
Assistants. The Manager is responsible for the daily operation of a branch and each Supervisor
supervises a group of staff assigned as Assistants.

Each branch office offers a range of properties for rent. In order to offer property through
FurniPointe, a property owner normally contacts the FurniPointe branch office nearest to the property
for rent. Then, the owner provides the details of the property and agrees to a written contract for
the property with the branch Manager.


Advanced Database Systems


Laboratory Exercise #9 *Property of STI
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Once a property is registered, FurniPointe provides services to ensure that the property is rented out
for maximum return for both the property owner and of course, FurniPointe. These services include
interviewing prospective renters (called clients), organizing visits to the property, advertising the
property in the local or national newspapers (when necessary), and negotiating the lease. Once a
property is rented, FurniPointe assumes responsibility for the property including the collection of
rentals.

Anyone interested in renting out property must first contact their nearest FurniPointe branch office to
register as clients of FurniPointe. However, before registration is accepted, a prospective client is
normally interviewed to record personal details and preferences of the client in terms of property
requirements. Once registration is complete, clients are provided with weekly reports that list the
properties currently available for rent.

Clients may request to view one or more properties from the list and after the visit a comment is
normally provided regarding the suitability of the property. Properties that are proven difficult to
rent out are normally advertised in local and national newspapers.

Once a client has identified a suitable property, a member of staff draws up a lease. At the end of a
rental period a client may request to continue the rental, however this requires a new lease to be
drawn up. Alternatively, a client may also request to view alternative properties for the purposes of
renting.