Unit 5 IP: Variations in Database Systems

 Description

Key Assignment

The case study retail store has expressed a desire to eventually be able to analyze the data that are collected from engaging in business, both in its brick-and-mortar store and in its online store. Because the system had to be redesigned from the ground up, the goal of taking the business online using a Web-based database was pushed back. Eventually, the company wants to be able to run statistical analyses against the data that it is collecting and to be able to drill down through the data to transform them into various desired formats. In addition, the company would like to acquire data sets from other providers to engage in decision-support initiatives. What recommendations can you propose to support these business intelligence goals?

Part 1

Future Database System Implementation Plan (4–5 pages)

• What fundamental differences exist between object-oriented and object-relational database systems and Web-based database systems?
  • Would these differences impact your retail store?
• Include details of what changes would need to be introduced to the database if it was used to build a data mart or a data warehouse.
• Include details of what considerations would need to be made if the database were to become a distributed database.
• What specific types of business intelligence could be gathered from the database?
  • How would this information assist in the decision-making process for your retail store?
• How would your retail store benefit from data warehousing in the following areas?
  • Return on investment on business intelligence initiatives (Provide a 3-year estimate.)
  • Competitive advantage (based on local or target area)
  • Increased productivity of decision-makers (related to business process decision-making)
• How would you address the following data warehousing problems if they occurred in your retail store?
  • Required data were never captured.
  • There is a high demand for disk space and other resources.
  • There are hidden problems with source systems.
• Provide your analysis as to how this part of the project fulfills the mission and 1 or more goals of the case study organization.

All sources should be cited both in-text and in References using APA format.

Part 2

Argumentation PowerPoint (5-slide PowerPoint excluding title slide and References)

An argument in problem solving is used to permit the problem solver the opportunity to offer a set of reasons or evidence in support of his or her solution and related conclusions from the inquiry and research process. The argument is not an opinion and is not the conclusion restated, but rather a demonstration of the intellectual inquiry that you have made during the problem-solving process. Naturally, for the argument to gain credibility, it must be reinforced with scholarly references because the support of the conclusion comes from the quality of evidence that has been gathered.

There are some different forms of arguments that could be made, as follows:

• Categorical Arguments: An assertion that there is 1 of 4 relationships between X and Y. You could show these 4 forms as follows:
  • All Xs are Ys.
    • Example: All mice are mammals.
  • No Xs are Ys.
    • Example: No mice are mammals.
  • Some Xs are Ys.
    • Example: Some mice are mammals.
  • Some Xs are not Ys.
    • Example: Some mice are not mammals.
• Predictive Arguments: A case is made for anticipating or predicting events based on the characteristics of a category (X or Y) or based on the relationship between X and Y. Some sample arguments are below (the combination of X and Y is not represented).
  • All Xs have this characteristic, behave this way, or are in this state. Therefore, I predict __ about X.
    • Example: All mice eat cheese. Therefore, the cheese on the table will be eaten by the mouse on the table.
  • All Ys have this characteristic, behave this way, or are in this state. Therefore, I predict __ about Y.
    • Example: All cheese will be eaten by mice. Therefore, the cheese on the table will be eaten by the mouse on the table.
  • Some Xs have this characteristic, behave this way, or are in this state. Therefore, I predict __ about X.
    • Example: Some gray mice eat cheese. Therefore, the cheese on the table may be eaten by the gray mouse on the table.
  • Some Ys have this characteristic, behave this way, or are in this state. Therefore, I predict __ about Y.
    • Example: Some yellow cheeses are desired by mice. Therefore, the yellow cheese on the table may eaten by the mouse on the table.
  • No Xs have this characteristic, behave this way, or are in this state. Therefore, I predict __ about X.
    • Example: No mice have been found to have 2 tails in this region. Therefore, the mouse in this region will have 1 tail.
  • No Ys have this characteristic, behave this way, or are in this state. Therefore, I predict __ about Y.
    • Example: No ballots were left uncounted. Therefore, the voting system should be fair and equitable.
• Change Arguments: A case can be made that something is different in the characteristics (or state) of X and/or Y between 2 or more observations made at different times. A change argument is simply a comparison of before and after and any differences that are noted from the first observation to the subsequent observations. When making a case for observed change, you would typically use a different form of argument (categorical or predictive) to explain why that change occurred.
  • Example:
    • At observation 1, all Xs had this characteristic (or were in this state).
    • At observation 2, all Xs do not have this characteristic (or were not in this state).
    • Therefore, X no longer possesses this characteristic (or is no longer in this state).

Envision that you now have to present your solution to your retail store client. You need to make a formal presentation to a group of stakeholders, and you need to be prepared to answer their questions. Create a PowerPoint presentation in which you provide the following:

• In the Notes pages of each slide and based on the context of the information on that slide, provide a narrative of 2–3 paragraphs of your rationale for the solution to the problem described in the IP.
• On each slide, identify the type(s) of argument(s) that you are making for the problem presented in the unit IP and the evidence that you have to support the argument(s)
• All sources used to support your argument and solution should be cited both in-text (on slide or in Notes page) and on a References slide using APA format.
• Name the documents "yourname_CS660_IP5.doc" and "yourname_CS660_IP5.ppt" respectively.