Database Reference
In-Depth Information
The Well-Written Mission Statement
A good mission statement is succinct and to the point. Verbose statements have a tendency
to be confusing, ambiguous, or vague; they do more to obscure the purpose of the database
than to clarify it. Here is an example of a typical mission statement:
The purpose of the New Starz Talent Agency database is to main-
tain the data we generate, and to supply information that supports
the engagement services we provide to our clients and the man-
agement services we provide to our entertainers.
This mission statement is well defined and uncluttered by unnecessary statements or de-
tails. It is a very general statement, just as it should be. Think of a mission statement as
the flame of a candle located at the end of a dark tunnel. The light produced by the flame
guides you to the end of the tunnel, so long as you focus on it. In the same manner, the
mission statement guides you to the end of the database design process. Guided by your
mission statement, you can focus on designing a database structure that will support the
declared purpose of the database.
A well-written mission statement is free of phrases or sentences that explicitly describe
specific tasks.
If your mission statement contains these types of phrases or sentences, re-
movethemandrewritethestatement. Besuretokeepthediscardedphraseshandy,though,
because you may be able to use them to formulate mission objectives. (You'll learn about
mission objectives in the next section.) Here's an example of a poorly worded mission
statement:
The purpose of the Whatcom County Hearing Examiner's data-
baseistokeeptrackofapplications forlanduse,maintain dataon
applicants, keep a record of all hearings, keep a record of all de-
cisions, keep a record of all appeals, maintain data on department
employees, and maintain data for general office use.
Itshouldbeimmediatelyapparentthatthereareafewthingswrongwiththismissionstate-
ment.
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It's slightly verbose.
Remember that the ideal mission statement should be succinct
and to the point.
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The specific purpose of the database is unclear.
This mission statement is written
in such a way that it is difficult for you to ascertain the specific purpose of the
database.
•
It describes several specific tasks.
Two issues arise when a mission statement is
written in this manner. First, the description of the tasks does nothing to define the
specific purpose of the database. Second, the statement somehow appears to be in-
