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Lecturers Dr. Terhemen Aboiyar Prof. Alfred Schultz Eberswalde Germany March, 2013
Acknowledgment
Special thanks to Dr. Terhemen Aboiyar for taking time out of his busy schedule to guide me and also Prof. Alfred Schultz for his support who provided useful information on methods and approach, not forgetting Mehrdad Nezamdoost for all his support.
Table of Content
Acknowledgment ............................................................................................................................... i Table of Content ................................................................................................................................ ii Table of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iii Aim ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Materials and Tools ........................................................................................................................... 2 Analysis ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Design ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Development/Implementation .......................................................................................................... 3 Login Interface: ...................................................................................................................... 4 Data Entry Interface: .............................................................................................................. 5 Query Design: ........................................................................................................................ 5 Query Results: ....................................................................................................................... 5
Crystal Reporting: .......................................................................................................................... 7 Testing: ......................................................................................................................................... 7 USER MANUAL: ................................................................................................................................. 9 Add New Record: ........................................................................................................................... 9 Search and Update: ....................................................................................................................... 9 AllRecords: .............................................................................................................................. 10 BirthDay Search: ...................................................................................................................... 10 Search Special: ......................................................................................................................... 10 SearchByNationID: ................................................................................................................... 10 Search By Matric No. :.............................................................................................................. 10 Conclusion:...................................................................................................................................... 10 Works Cited....................................................................................................................................... a
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Table of Figures
Figure 1: Software Development Life Cycle ........................................................................................ 2 Figure 2: Database Design View ......................................................................................................... 4 Figure 3: Visual Basic Code and Form ................................................................................................. 5 Figure 4: Datagrid Control report ....................................................................................................... 6 Figure 5: Graph View report .............................................................................................................. 6 Figure 6: Search and Update Form ..................................................................................................... 7 Figure 7: Crystal Report Form ............................................................................................................ 7 Figure 8: Login GUI ............................................................................................................................ 8 Figure 9: Database Form view............................................................................................................ 8 Figure 10: Crystal Report ................................................................................................................... 9
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Aim
To develop a prototype standalone application for the collection, storage and some level processing of student personal information. A conscious attempt was made to design a simple and easy to use application meant for data handling in community schools. This is intended to serve as a decision support tool for the local government authorities for management plan formulation and bursary disbursement in the future.
Abstract
Software development could refer to the activity of Computer Programming includes all from conception of the desired software to the finial manifestation of the product (Wikimedia Foundation), research, development, prototyping, modifications, reengineering, coding and maintenance forms and integral part of the process (Hohmann 2003). Software can be loosely classified into Custom Software, Commercial Software and Open Source Software (Wysocki 2006). The engineering approach common in engineering Paradigm is employed in software development as an attempt to standardize the development process (Reiss 2001) This Project entails the development of a School Record System (SRS) meant for the Computerization and management of Personal data in schools. The collection, input and storage and retrieval of data rely on recent technologies cutting across two platforms Database, VB.net. The final product was a standalone Personal record System for school. Time restriction made it impossible to test run this application long enough to give it a desired rating, however, this research will go long way to improve the present record systems deployed in schools across the country.
Introduction
A National Database system is one of the greatest problems facing the Nigerian society, in the past several attempts were made to capture all Nigerians in a single database but this was to say the least unsuccessful. This has affected in no small measure the planning and development within the Nigerian society. Prudent management of resources has continually eluded the Nigerian Government and practices are often characterized by colossal waste of scarce resources. With the School record system we intend to help achieve consistency, prudence, integrity and boost confidence in the academic system. Development of the School Records system for schools in Makurdi Benue State. The School record System was designed to run as a desktop application on a windows platform. All the information managed by the School records system is stored in an Access database. The development
rich Visual Studio with enhanced user experience was exploited in the development of this very application. Materials and Tools Microsoft Access database was used as the backend database system while Visual Studio 2010 was used in developing a user friendly application.
Coding
Testing
Deployment
The model represented in the diagram above is generally described as waterfall because the output of a particular stage serves as input for the next stage (Application Development (AppDev) Defined and Explained n.d.)
In addition to information from preceding stage which acts as input for subsequent stage, additional information is developed or gathered (Application Development (AppDev) Defined and Explained". Bestpricecomputers.co.uk. 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2012-08-05. Ref)
Analysis
During the Analysis stage we try to ascertain the minimum requirement necessary to initiate design of the desire application system. This was achieved by: Reading publications on software design architecture Interviewing Academic officers
The outcome of this stage was a consensus on the core components of the application in question. These components include, Login Interface, Data Entry Interface, Customized queries and a Reporting module.
Design
The desired features for the application were captured in details by the design elements. The design elements made coding relatively easier to realize. Very critical to the stage is the identification of consistency in the requirements of the application to be developed. This is further improved to ensure that all possible flaws and removed. Critical flaws if identified are addressed at this point before proceeding to the next stage of development in the SDLC (Wikimedia Foundation n.d.). It was this stage the decision to use access as the backend database and Microsoft Visual Studio for its enhanced user experience was taken. Generally speaking the Application is divided into; Authentication Interface, Navigation Switch Board, backend database system and reporting components. At the design phase consideration was also giving to expansion, improvement while maintaining some level of consistency with the application. Generally speaking, a conscious attempt is made to bring together flexibility and consistency in critical aspects of Coding and GUI (Graphical User Interface) design.
Development/Implementation
The Design stage forms the primary input to this stage, wide attempt was made to consult with online forums and leading application developers at this level. Once the design phase was successfully accomplished, coding proper is achieved at the development/implementation stage. Software artifacts such as Menus, Data Input forms, reporting Formats, specialized Procedures and functions are considered a5t this stage
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Design of backend database: Access was deployed as the backend database for the prototype. Tables were created to hold User accounts and Personal Information. Adequate consideration was giving to data type as contained in individual columns.
Login Interface: This was introduced to provide reasonable restriction the application login and hence ensure some level of access control and data integrity. The Login Interface was designed to connect to the backend database system, check if user exists in user table and finial verify if login data entered matches what is stored in the user table. A decision whether to allow user access or deny user access is based on this protocol. (image)
Data Entry Interface: there was conscious attempt to create a user friendly interface for the input of personal data. The Microsoft visual basic rich control library made realization of this relatively easy. (image) Query Design: it is almost practically impossible to design all the possible queries needed to address the users need at a time. Updates and upgrades makes it possible for modifications and additional queries as the need arises. Visual basic controls such as Buttons were graphic interface used to run SQL statements embedded in their click events.
Query Results: The results from queries are either displayed by the Datagrid control, Crystal report system or using an instance of the same form used for the data entry .
Crystal Reporting: This module was downloaded and integrated with the windows application for the purpose of displaying query results in report form and giving it a more professional look.
Testing: Upon completion of the coding process and a first level code optimization procedure, an attempt was made to test the general functionality of the application in terms of its effectiveness and efficacy. The login interface was also tested to see if successfully exclude non authorized users from login unto the application and this was successfully.
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Dummy data was generated for students personal data, this was captured using the VB interface designed for data entry and successfully saved to the Access backend database.
Exporting report in various forms such as PDF, XML,Excel and word was succesfully tested . This makes handling report more user friendly and portable.
USER MANUAL: Login ID: admin Password: admin *Errors: Please ensure that SAP Crystal Reports, Version for Visual Studio 2010 is installed on your computer to use the crystal report module of the application*
Note: All images captured, including photos and fingerprint are in .jpg file format and saved in the Application path directory in the folder MyImahes (C:\school_Records\school_Records\bin\Debug\MyImages). Each pair of image identifying an individual is assigned a name reflecting it unique Primary key to avoid repetition (e.g. 102.jpg and 102_f.jpg representing images for matric_no 102
The Software starts with a login screen and by default the Username is admin and the Password is admin. Upon successful login you are directed to the switchboard which has 3 main buttons and the functions and usage of these individual button which connects you to various modular component of the software are explained below Add New Record: This button is used to insert new record into the database fields marked with * in red must be provided to avoid any errors. Search and Update: This button can be used to query the database applying different criteria that best addresses individual needs. Some of the expected results, when these parameters are applied are mentioned below.
AllRecords: This extracts all the records contained in the database and displays this on the datagridview control. BirthDay Search: This is used to extract records from the database based on the inputted date of birth Search Special: In some special cases where the first 3 letter of an individuals surname is known to the user, this can be used to query the database in other to narrow down the search for that individual. Usually you are expected to enter the first 3 letters of the individuals name followed by % into the SearchBox before clicking on the Searc h Special Button. SearchByNationID: This is a very unique kind of search that will only return one individual and also provides user with the option to update the record. Search By Matric No. : There is also the option to search and update using the surname but this might create complication if there are more than one similar surnames. It also provides user with the option to search and Update. Note: users are advised to use the Search By Matric No. to perform search and update because this option returns a unique value. Important: All fingerprints and passport photos are to be saved in folder named debug using unique names to avoid repetition Conclusion: An attempt was made to develop prototypes for screens, reports and processes; in achieving this, a minimum amount of codes needed to clarify the application design in question was generated. Compliance with available coding standards is not particularly of relevance at this stage. The scope of this research was defined by the requirements as stated by the supervisor. To prevent scope creep and avoid application failure we tried to adhere to the predefined scope. The use of SDLC (Software Development Life cycle) model makes it easy for progressive enhancement of application. This work is actually an introductory stage of a more comprehensive application meant for school records. This application runs on .NET 3.5 and 4.0 framework please consider updating your system library if it runs a lower version.
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Works Cited
"Application Development (AppDev) Defined and Explained." n.d. http://www.pelicaneng.com/DevDocs/sdlc.pdf (accessed August 05, 2012). Hohmann, Luke. "Beyond Software Architecture: Creating and Sustaining Winning Solutions." 2003. Reiss, Steven P. Consistent Software Evolution Mandatory. Department of Computer Science Brown University, 2001. Wikimedia Foundation. Software Development . n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_development (accessed 3 25, 2013). Wysocki, Robert K. Effective Software Project Management. 2006.