Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Maintain information on our service teams.
Maintain information on our mechanics.
Maintain information on our customers.
Three of these objectives are derived directly from the response. They're easy for you to
determine because their subjects are explicitly stated in the response itself. The last two
missionobjectivesarederivedfrom
assumptions
basedontheresponse.Thisisatechnique
(which you can think of as “reading between the lines”) that experienced database design-
ers use quite often, and it is one that you should use when you're defining mission object-
ives.Thetechniquereliesonyourabilitytodeterminewhatinformationaresponseconveys
implicitly,
as well as what it conveys
explicitly.
So pay attention. Listen for implications.
Without good assumptions, your overall set of mission objectives could be incomplete.
Review the following response and determine whether there is implicit information hidden
within the response itself:
“I book entertainment for our clientele, which consists of com-
mercial and noncommercial clients. Our noncommercial clients
are typically individuals or small groups who book weddings,
birthdays, anniversaries, and the like. Our commercial clients, on
the other hand, consist of businesses such as nightclubs and cor-
porations. The nightclubs book entertainment in six-week slots;
the corporations book things such as corporate parties, product
rollouts, and various types of promotional functions.”
Asidefromtheexplicitinformationthatthisresponseconveys,thereareatleasttwopieces
of implicit information that you can uncover in this response. The first piece of implicit
information concerns the need to maintain information on the entertainers booked for the
engagements. An agent needs to know things such as the entertainer's name, phone num-
ber, mailing address, availability, and whether he will travel to out-of-town locations. The
second piece of implicit information concerns the need to maintain information on the en-
gagements themselves. An agent must know all the details concerning the engagement in
order to ensure that the engagement runs smoothly.
Now that you know how important it is to look for implicit information, keep it in mind
when you're defining mission objectives.
Here are the “final words” regarding mission objectives: Make sure that your mission ob-
jectives are both properly defined and well defined, that each objective makes sense to you
and to those for whom you are designing the database, and that you look for any implicit
information hidden within every participant's response.
