Your Business Spreadsheet: Review and Database Creation

Introduction

Your Business is a spreadsheet from a poorly organized database/business that requires restructuring and normalization. As a database consultant, you have been hired to review the data and create a new database based on the existing information in the spreadsheet.

Tasks Overview

The tasks involve finding all dependencies, normalizing to 2NF, specifying primary and foreign keys for each table in 3NF, and writing a set of business rules to accompany the normalized tables.

1. Find all Dependencies

In order to find dependencies in the spreadsheet, examine relationships and logical connections between columns. Look for patterns where the value of one column is dependent on the value of another column.

2. Normalize to 2NF

To normalize to 2NF, split the data into multiple tables to eliminate redundancy and minimize data anomalies. Provide structural answers in DBDL format with functionalities and tables listed.

3. Specify Primary and Foreign Keys

Specify primary and foreign keys for each table in 3NF based on unique identifiers and references. Provide structural answers in DBDL format with functionalities and tables listed.

4. Write Business Rules

Write a set of business rules that reflect the relational constraints and relationships of the normalized tables.

Final Answer:

To find dependencies in the spreadsheet, examine relationships and logical connections between columns. For normalization to 2NF, split data into multiple tables, eliminating redundancy and minimizing data anomalies. Specify primary and foreign keys for each table based on unique identifiers and references. Write business rules based on relational constraints and relationships.

Explanation:

1. In order to find all the dependencies in the spreadsheet, you would need to examine the relationships between the different columns and make logical connections. For example, if two columns have the same value for every row, it indicates a dependency. Another way to find dependencies is to identify functional dependencies, where the value of one column is dependent on the value of another column.

2. To normalize the spreadsheet to 2NF (Second Normal Form), you would split the data into multiple tables, each with its own set of attributes. The tables should be structured in a way that eliminates redundant data and minimizes data anomalies. For example, you may have a table called 'Customers' with attributes like 'CustomerID', 'Name', and 'Email', and a table called 'Orders' with attributes like 'OrderID', 'CustomerID', and 'ProductID'.

3. In order to specify primary and foreign keys for each table, you would need to determine the unique identifier for each table (primary key) and the reference to the primary key in another table (foreign key). For example, in the 'Customers' table, the 'CustomerID' attribute can be the primary key, while in the 'Orders' table, the 'CustomerID' attribute would be a foreign key referring to the 'CustomerID' in the 'Customers' table.

4. To write a set of business rules for the normalized tables, you would need to identify the relationships and constraints between the tables. For example, a business rule could be that a customer cannot place an order without having a valid customer ID in the 'Customers' table.