Topic Selection amp; Getting Started As you think about the database you will create for your project, consider areas of your life where you have...

Topic Selection & Getting Started

As you think about the database you will create for your project, consider areas of your life where you have data that may need tracking. Understand that in this project, you will make a small database of just a couple of tables, so you can keep it simple.

Choosing Your Topic:

Consider the type of data utilized in your field or industry and how it might be tracked in a database.

·        Data relating to your personal life:

o  Tracking gift ideas for Christmas/birthdays

o  Tracking your child's milestone events

o  Keeping track of valuable items in your home

o  Tracking home or vehicle maintenance

o  Maintaining contact information for your friends and family

o  Recording charitable donations

o  Roster for team sports

·        Data used in a professional capacity:

o  Hair salon appointment tracker

o  Doctor's office appointment tracker

o  Restaurant inventory management

o  Hotel management

o  Registration database for an event (conference, convention, workshop, etc.)

o  Karaoke

How to begin:

1.     Write down a list of all of the fields related to your topic that could be included in the database.

2.     Divide the data into "buckets" of related information. For example: customer demographics may be one table, while appointments made by those customers need to be housed in a separate, but related table. A real-life database could include many more tables, but you will focus on just 2-3 tables for this project.

3.     Design your tables based on the fields identified above in steps 1-2. Apply appropriate data types and consider what information will join the tables together using a relationship.

4.     There must be at least 50 records added to the database and they must be distributed appropriately in each table.

5.     Be sure to include a description to your instructor of the purpose of your database in the comments area of your Blackboard submission. This provided rationale will assist your instructor with the grading of your project.