Questions:
San Juan Sailboat Charters: Entities, Identifying Primary and Foreign Keys
San Juan Sailboat Charters is an agent that leases sailboats to customers for a fee. San Juan does not own any sailboats; it leases boats on behalf of the owners who wish to earn income when they are not using their boats. San Juan charges a fee for its service. San Juan specializes in boats that can be used for multi-day or weekly charters? the smallest sailboat in its inventory is 28 feet and the largest is 51 feet.
Each sailboat is fully equipped at the time it is leased. Most of the equipment is provided by the owners, but some is added by San Juan. The owner-provided equipment includes what is fixed on the boat, such as radios, compasses, depth indicators and other instrumentation, stoves, and refrigerators. Other owner-provided equipment is not installed as part of the boat. Such equipment includes sails; lines; anchors; dinghies; life preservers; and (in the cabin) dishes, silverware, cooking utensils, bedding, and the like. San Juan provides consumable equipment, (which can also be considered supplies) such as charts, navigation books, tide and current tables, soap, dishtowels, toilet paper, and similar items.
An important part of San Juan's responsibilities is keeping track of the equipment on the boat. Much of it is expensive, and some of it, particularly what is not attached to the boat, can easily be lost or stolen. Customers are responsible for all equipment during the period of their charter. San Juan likes to keep accurate records of its customers and the charters, not only for marketing but also for recording the trips that customers have taken. Some itineraries and weather conditions are more dangerous than others, so San Juan likes to know which customers have what experience.
Most of San Juan's business is bare-boat chartering, which means that no skip-per or other crew is provided. In some cases, however, customers request the services of a skipper or other crew member, so San Juan hires such personnel on a part-time basis.
Sailboats often need maintenance. San Juan is required by its contracts with the boat owners to keep accurate records of all maintenance activities and costs, including normal activities (for example, cleaning or engine-oil changes) and unscheduled repairs. In some cases, repairs are necessary during a charter.
A boat engine, for example, might fail while the boat is far away from San Juan's facility. In this case, the customers radio the San Juan dispatcher, who determines the best facility to make the repair and sends the facility's personnel to the disabled boat. To make these decisions, the dispatchers need information about repair facilities as well as past histories of repair quality and costs.
1. Identify all the entities and their attributes listed in the case study above.
2. Suggest some primary keys for each entity (Primary and Foreign).