Project Specification
Your task is to design a database to keep track of information for an art museum. The necessary information is contained within the specification of the Universe of Discourse that appears below.
A complete ER diagram, and documented steps of the mapping processes (i.e., what ER construct got mapped to what relational database construct) should accompany the database that you develop.
Universe of Discourse
The museum has a collection of ART_OBJECTS. Each ART_OBJECT has a unique Id_no, an Artist (if known), a Year (when it was created, if known), a Title, and a Description. The art objects are categorized in several ways, as discussed below.
- ART_OBJECTS are categorized based on their type. There are three main types: PAINTING, SCULPTURE, and STATUE, plus another type called OTHER to accommodate objects that do not fall into one of the three main types.
- A PAINTING has a Paint_type (oil, watercolor, etc.), material on which it is Drawn_on (paper, canvas, wood, etc.), and Style (modern, abstract, etc.).
- A SCULPTURE or a statue has a Material from which it was created (wood, stone, etc.), Height, Weight, and Style.
- An art object in the OTHER category has a Type (print, photo, etc.) and Style.
- ART_OBJECTs are categorized as either PERMANENT_COLLECTION (objects that are owned by the museum) and BORROWED. Information captured about objects in the PERMANENT_COLLECTION includes Date_acquired, Status (on display, on loan, or stored), and Cost. Information captured about BORROWED objects includes the Collection from which it was borrowed, Date_borrowed, and Date_returned.
- Information describing the country or culture of Origin (Italian, Egyptian, American, Indian, and so forth) and Epoch (Renaissance, Modern, Ancient, and so forth) is captured for each ART_OBJECT.
- The museum keeps track of ARTIST information, if known: Name, DateBorn (if known), Date_died (if not living), Country_of_origin, Epoch, Main_style, and Description. The Name is assumed to be unique.
- Different EXHIBITIONS occur, each having a Name, Start_date, and End_date. EXHIBITIONS are related to all the art objects that were on display during the exhibition.
- Information is kept on other COLLECTIONS with which the museum interacts, including Name (unique), Type (museum, personal, etc.), Description, Address, Phone, and current Contact_person.
Constraints: The system should enforce basic constraints, such as:
- Referential integrity. Multiple referential integrity constraints can be extracted from the specification.
- Domain. For example, observe that in some cases attributes are restricted in the data types allowed.
- Key and Entity.
Sample Data: Populate the database with enough meaningful sample data to allow us to test the functionality offered by your database. No table should contain more than 15 rows.
PART I:
Schema Design: Quality and correctness of schema design is a significant part of this assessment. The tables should be designed using the ER-to-Relational mapping process. Do not simply put all data in one large table. There is no need to create "indices" for the database tables that you create for this assignment. The database will be very small hence performance will not be dramatically improved.
The following describe what is expected in the design part of the project.
1. ER/EER Diagram - Create an ER/EER diagram to represent the conceptual schema described by the above Universe of Discourse. For structural (cardinality and participation) constraints you may use standard notation, and the alternate (min, max) notation.
- State clearly any assumptions you make regarding your design approach. Please note that you cannot make assumptions to simplify or compromise the completeness of the Universe of Discourse. If there are any points that need clarification, in the specification of the Universe of Discourse as given above, you must clarify them with your instructor.
2. Mapping - Map the ER/EER diagram created in the above to a relational schema. Document the mapping steps (Note: need to use the Step1, Step2, etc., provided in the notes). The final schema should be given in the form of a schema diagram as given in the lectures. (Recall that a schema diagram lists the relational schema for all relations, and also identifies referential integrity constraints through arrows.)
3. Mapping steps - You must supply a brief description of the steps for mapping the ER/EER diagram to the relational schema, including:
- How the cardinality or min-max constraints are handled.
- How did you handle ternary relationships, if there exist.
You can use MS Word to draw the Entity Relationship diagram, and then use it for mapping step. (Note: MS Access provides the graphical visualization of the Entity Relationship model.)
PART II:
Implementation
The following describes the scope, requirements and functionalities of the information system to be developed, (e.g. if you are using Access, you can use the forms in Access application).
Forms & Reports
Forms: The system should include forms/screens that allow the museum admin to add, remove and modify the details of the art-objects and artist, and so on.
Reports: The system should include reports to provide a summary of art-objects, artist, and so. To generate such reports, you can use some of the tasks given to produce the Forms above.
User Interface: You can use very few (if any) pieces of clip art or fancy images to keep your resulting MS Access database file as small as possible. Basic graphical user interface (GUI) constructs, e.g., buttons, are fine. Do not spend very much time on improving the screen layout,
., the positioning of fields on the screen. For this assignment, it is only necessary to ensure that the label and data of all fields is completely displayed on the screen.
External User Interface (Optional): You need to develop an External User Interface using one of the modern languages (such as Java) and then connect it to the database (by using appropriate open database connectivity. Any GUI platform is acceptable like VB, Java,
.NET etc. Then your system should include at least the followings which allow the museum admin to add, remove and modify the details of museum contents. The data entry form should include 3 command buttons: "Add Record", "Delete Record", and "Find Record".