Database Reference
In-Depth Information
cases, you may just get a long “I haven't had my first espresso yet” type of stare. Experi-
ment with different types of phrasing and determine which type works best for you. Your
method of constructing and posing questions may be different from someone else's, but it
doesn't matter so long as you have a method that suits you.
Case Study: Defining a Mission Statement for Mike's Bikes
Now you need to define a mission statement for Mike's Bikes. Before you can define the
mission statement, you must conduct an interview with the owner to gather information
about his business. Assume you have an assistant named Zachary who is conducting the
interview for you. The interview may go something like this:
Z
ACHARY
: “Can you tell me why you believe you need a database?”
M
IKE
: “I think we need a database just to keep track of all our inventory. I'd
also like to keep track of all our sales as well.”
Z
ACHARY
: “I'm sure the database will address those issues. Now, what would you
say is the single most important function of your business?”
M
IKE
: “To provide a wide array of bicycle products and bicycle-related ser-
vices to our customers. We have a lot of great customers. And regular
ones too! They're our biggest asset.”
(The interview continues until Zachary has finished asking all the questions on his list.)
After the interview, review the information you've gathered and define the mission state-
ment. You can ascertain a few points from the previous dialogue with Mike, such as the
fact that he'll need to be able to track products, customers, and customer sales. But the
most valuable point is provided by his reply to the second question. You can use the first
sentence in that reply to formulate the mission statement. Taking into account some of the
other points you've identified in the interview, you can rewrite Mike's reply to create the
following mission statement:
The purpose of the Mike's Bikes database is to maintain the data
we need to support our retail sales business and our customer ser-
vice operations.
When you believe you have a good mission statement, review it with Mike and make sure
that he understands and agrees with the declared purpose of the database. When you and
Mike are satisfied with the mission statement, you can go on to the next step, which is to
define the mission objectives.
