IT 210 Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric In the final project for this course,

Question

IT 210 Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric

In the final project for this course, you will imagine that you are an IT business analyst intern at Sharpe Style in the scenario provided and have been asked by the owner to research options for improving the business’s performance through the use of technology. Specifically, the owner wants to expand the business’s retail presence into online sales and ensure a positive customer experience by incorporating intelligent systems into the website. You will create a business report for business owner Mary Sharpe that analyzes the business’s stated and anticipated technology and information system requirements, compares and contrasts different technology solutions available, and provides suggestions on technology opportunities that would support the business venture. You should explain in detail how the different options could help grow the business and/or improve operational efficiency and client satisfaction, using real-world examples and references to support the suggestions. You should also keep in mind that the business owner is not a technology specialist. Consequently, you should use nontechnical language in crafting the business report and remember that the owner may not always know what technology is needed to carry out a particular option or how much it costs.

Prompt: For Milestone Two, you will be assessing the database needs and options for Sharpe Style. After looking at how the SDLC applies to your final project, a good next step is looking at the data. Think small and see where your requirements take you. Remember that Mary is worried about how she will keep track of her inventory when she migrates into online sales. You will be using the Milestone Two section of the template to complete this assignment. Refer to the Sharpe Style scenario for details on the current state of the company and the business owner’s goals.

Based on what you have learned in Module Three, assess the type of database technology the company will need to support new online services.

Once you have established the company’s needs, you should research the available options. Present a minimum of two. Keep in mind that Mary Sharpe is looking for an inexpensive and easy-to-implement solution. What are the pros and cons of each option?

For this assignment, find a real-world example of what has or has not worked for another company. Talk about how this example informs the options you will present to Mary Sharpe. Make sure you site your source(s) appropriately.

Remember that you are an intern and are not expected to make suggestions that encompass a deep level of technical detail. You are expected to provide a high-level view of what would be required to help your business owner make an informed decision regarding database needs for online services.

Use the Milestone Two section of the template and submit the template to your instructor for feedback and grading. Remember to incorporate instructor feedback before your final submission in Module Seven.

Specifically ,the following critical elements must be addressed:

II. Database Needs and Options: Use this section of your report to assess the business’s database needs with respect to the proposed expansion into online sales, and lay out possible solutions for meeting the needs you identified. Specifically, you should address the following:

A. What type of database technology will the company need to support the new online services? Explain your answer. For example, how will the company keep track of inventory and customer information for sales in the retail versus the online store? Will two separate databases be needed? Will the company need to integrate its database(s) with other software to serve intelligent functions such as inventory tracking, order tracking, or payments?

B. Weigh the pros and cons of different solutions for addressing database needs in general terms. Justify your response. For example, will the option require migrating data to a new system? Will it require a different server setup? Is the cost of the solution outweighed by the potential benefits in terms of improving efficiency and increasing sales? To illustrate your point(s), you may want to include real-world examples of what has or has not worked for other companies

Explanation / Answer

A.) Database Technology

most companies collected data that were a part of their daily transactions and stored them in a database. This data was used primarily to keep track of operations or forecast needs. Today, both the sources and volume of data collected have exploded. It is now possible to collect click-stream data about every potential customer interaction with your web site. Marketers can also collect information about every conversation people are having about their brand. These sources of data have created modern-day treasure troves that can be mined to glean insights into products, services and customers. While this is conceptually possible, it requires the implementation of new processes, technology and governance mechanisms that are collectively being referred to as big data. Today, big data is big business.

In our work we have developed a framework (Figure 1) to understand big data strategies and the techniques used with each strategy. The first dimension that we consider is labeled business objective. When developing big data capabilities, companies try to measure or experiment. When measuring, organizations know exactly what they are looking for and look to see what the values of the measures are. When the objective is to experiment, companies treat questions as a hypothesis and use scientific methods to verify them.

The second dimension that we consider is labeled data type. In their normal course of functioning, companies collect data on their operations and capture it in their database that has a structure or schema. We call this transactional data. In other instances, companies deal with data that come from sources other than transactions and are typically unstructured. This combination results in four quadrants, each representing a different strategy: performance management, data exploration, social analytics, and decision science.

Whereas other database models can only store conventional data, the object-oriented database management system (OODBMS) is far more abstract. In an OODBMS, you can store pretty much any kind of data you desire, along with the methods to be used with that data. To retrieve this more complex and varied data, the user sends queries written in object query languagewhich is an object-oriented version of SQL. OODBMSs are becoming increasingly prevalent because of the higher demands of computer users today. However, as is the case with any new technology, there is some resistance because of the downsides of OODBMSs.

This is very time consuming and that means a lot of money has to be spent on making changes to the object-oriented database management system. Many companies in the business world have certain budgets set aside for the information department, which includes the database system used for the company, and the OODBMS is very costly. Another disadvantage for the OODBMS is the lack of support for security and views. The user of an OOBDMS cannot grant individuals’ access to certain objects or classes within the system, which either means the individual wouldn’t be allowed to see the system at all or that they would get access to everything within the system, something businesses might not like. Also, the OOBDMSs do not contain a view mechanism, which is a disadvantage for employees who like to see their work and also to make sure everything they put in is correct. Two more disadvantages of OOBDMSs that go hand in hand is the lack of standards for the system and the fact that there is no universal data model. Without standards for the system, the cleanliness of the system can be dragged down and it could be hard to use. Many people like when something is universal because then they know what is right and wrong, something that cannot see with the OODBMS.

Company keep track of inventory and customer information for sales in the retail versus the online store

Inventory management is the set of activities involved in ensuring that items needed for the business to run are always available in optimal quantities. This means that there should neither be too much purchased nor too little, but just the amount required with adequate backup.Inventory management is the process of ordering, storing and utilization of the raw materials needed during manufacturing and the process of monitoring and controlling the final product that is ready for sale. This inventory is one of the company’s major assets and represents an investment that will not reap returns until the goods are finally sold. For this reason, inventory management is a serious concern for any business, whether it is small scale or large or whether it is an online store or a bricks-and-mortar setup.

As ways of doing business and the channels to reach the customer evolve, so too do the challenges associated with managing inventory. Especially for e-commerce stores, the need to juggle customers across multiple channels and provide service and updated websites 24 hours a day is a constant challenge. Increasingly businesses feel the need to optimize inventory in order to ensure that no critical sales are missed out.

     Improve Forecasting: As mentioned above, accurate forecasting is the key to successful inventory     management. When a retailer knows that the customer needs, where it is needed and in what quantity, they will be in a better position to meet the customer’s expectation without needing to stockpile beyond a certain point. To achieve better forecasting, the business needs to be able to conduct market research, observe market demand models, analyze demand patterns and understand required stock levels.

There are many technology based inventory management solutions available to online business owners these days. It can be overwhelming for someone to select the best amongst these for their business. To make sure that the right solution is selected, it is important to have a clear understanding of the key things that are important for the business. For example, a certain e-commerce seller may want to rely predominantly on email marketing while another may want to offer the best experience on a mobile device. Still another may want to ensure that ordered products are shipped at exactly the time that is specified.

Some important features that all e-retailers should consider before selecting a software solution include:

B) Weigh the pros and cons of different solutions for addressing database needs

Pros:

Cons:

Business logic of Database

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