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Database Progress Presentation

A Database for the Red-Tailed Hawk District, Boy Scouts of America, Heart of America Council: District Committee Member Biographical Information Prepared by Cindy Sickendick. Database Progress Presentation LI844 Database Design & Solutions for Libraries and Information Organizations

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Database Progress Presentation

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  1. A Database for the Red-Tailed Hawk District, Boy Scouts of America, Heart of America Council: District Committee Member Biographical Information Prepared by Cindy Sickendick Database Progress Presentation LI844 Database Design & Solutions for Libraries and Information Organizations Emporia State University, SLIM Fall 2008 Gemma Blackburn, Instructor

  2. Introduction • The assignment The goals of this course are to learn “the principles and procedures of relational data organization for the purposes of information storage and customizable data retrieval…apply theories and tools of the SLIM curriculum… and learn to design and create databases, starting with the proper organization of data tables, data fields, and relationships between data sets…. Students will then implement their design into a functioning electronic database that responds to an information need.” To that end, the semester project is to design a database for a non-profit organization or small business. I chose to work with a committee of Boy Scout adult volunteers, who have a need for more organized, accessible and usable member information. I conducted interviews with my clients and analyzed their information needs. Following the design process described in class lectures, and in the course textbook, Database Design for Mere Mortals, by Michael Hernandez, I designed tables that will function in the final working database to transform the data into usable information. This is a summary of progress to date, including information gathered, rationale behind design decisions, and a description and diagram of the proposed database.

  3. The organization Red-Tailed Hawk District The mission of the Red-Talked Hawk District is to deliver the Boy Scout program on behalf of the Heart of America Council, Boy Scouts of America, to more than 2200 Scouts and 1900 volunteers in the district. The Advancement Committee Chair, Dan Kerling, ensures that the advancement program is delivered to all those Scouts and volunteers. The Nominating Committee Chair, Keith Sickendick, selects a committee of community leaders who assemble a slate of candidates to be elected as the District Committee. The RTH District Committee The District Committee is the leadership body, comprised of 30 to 60 members, elected by adult leaders throughout the district.

  4. The current database There are three basic types of database: a legacy database – electronic, existing and already in use; a paper-based database – a collection of forms, folders, written data; and the human mind. The RTH District Committee currently has a paper-based database. Unfortunately, even that is not well organized. Volunteers are required to fill out a biographical information form each December to ensure that their information is updated and correct. But some forget, some are late, some turn them in to committee leaders other than the Advancement Chair. The result is scattered forms and written information in the different homes and offices of committee leaders. The new database This database will be used by the Advancement Chair and Nominating Chair, to make sure committee members are recognized for service and considered for advancement and awards. It will be accessible only to them, making the members’ personal biographical information more confidential.

  5. Information Gathering • Interviews • Contacts • Keith Sickendick, RTH Dist. Nominating Chair • Dan Kerling, RTH Advancement Chair • Interview questions • Initial interview with Keith Sickendick was conducted on 09/25/08, with a lot of general information gathered. Questions at this time were mostly open-ended about the nature of the organization and its existing database, as well as goals for the new database, its information use and sharing. • A number of follow-up interviews have been conducted with Keith Sickendick in person, and with Dan Kerling by phone, to be sure of business rules and to further define table subjects and database goals.

  6. Interviews (cont.) Interview responses The nature of these interviews was very conversational. Responses have been incorporated into the information presented here, and into the proposed database design. Forms (artifacts) were shared. There was discussion about ways in which the forms were inadequate in certain areas. A great deal of clarification and follow-up was necessary to determine which fields might be open-ended and which might contain very specific data. One, it was decided, could be limited by a drop-down menu – or validation table.

  7. Artifacts Sample biography form Slides 8-9 Sample award nomination forms Slides 10-11

  8. Sample RTH District Committee Biography Form

  9. Sample, cont...

  10. District Award of Merit Nomination Form

  11. Silver Beaver Nomination Form

  12. Mission Statement (identifies a purpose for the database) Detailed biographical data on adult volunteer committee members is used for the purposes of awards, advancement, educational opportunities and officer nominations. The database will make adult volunteer records more accurate and confidential, as well as more accessible to the committee leadership.

  13. Mission Objectives(represent tasks to be performed against the database) • The database will allow District Committee leaders to evaluate and compare individuals for nomination to officer posts, awards and training opportunities. • The database will enable this information to be accessed readily and discretely, without the need to phone volunteers or their spouses and family members (ruining the surprise of some special awards). • The database will help ensure that qualified and deserving volunteers are not overlooked for recognition. • The database will provide information that will facilitate communications – phone trees, mailing lists, email lists, etc. • The database will record basic information such as name, date of birth, mailing address, phone numbers (home, work, cell), spouse name (phone and email), email address(es). • The database will record scouting registration information, including: primary registered position; other scouting registration(s).

  14. Mission Objectives (cont.) • The database will record scouting awards and recognitions, and the dates awarded, for: Basic Training, Wood Badge, Eagle Scout, Mic-O-Say, Order-of-the-Arrow, District Award of Merit, Silver Beaver, etc. • The database will record prior scout unit service, prior scout district service, and prior scout council service, if any. • The database will record church affiliation and service, if any. • The database will record civic/community/fraternal organization memberships/service/leadership/recognitions, if any. • The database will record professional/business/trade organization memberships/service/leadership/recognitions, if any. • The database will record other service to youth, including leadership and recognitions, if any. • If it proves helpful and is well-accepted, the database may be adapted or provide a model for use in other scouting units – packs and troops.

  15. Business Rules(limit certain aspects of the database, based on the ways an organization perceives and uses data) • Members must be registered with the national organization – Boy Scouts of America – as adult members. • Members must provide a mailing address. • Members must provide a phone number. • Dates will be expressed: mm/dd/yyyy, or mm/yyyy. • Phone numbers will be expressed: (xxx) xxx-xxxx. • Database information will be collected by the District Advancement Chair. • Members will review/update their personal information each December. • Scouting Awards/Recognitions listed are limited to eight specific choices, as listed on the form. • Information is to be shared only with the District Committee Chair and the District Nominating Committee for the purposes of advancement and awards.

  16. Design Process • Preliminary tables and fields list This began as a listing of “subjects,” which became tables; and a listing of “characteristics,” which became fields: Subjects Characteristics Members Address – Street, City, State, Zip Scout experience Home Phone/Work Phone/Cell Phone Other experience Email 1, Email 2 Spouse information Date of Birth Registration Positions Unit/Chartering Institution/District/Council From Date/To Date Church Civic/Community Professional/Business/Trade Awards/Recognitions

  17. Diagram of proposed database structure Following is a diagram of the database, with 14 tables One-to-one relationships exist between: the data table and linking table; the data table and subset table: “Spouse Information;” the data table and subset table: “Current Primary Scouting Registration;” and, the validation table and subset table: “Scouting Awards/Recognitions.” In all other cases, there is a one-to-many relationship between the data table and subset tables. Any one member, identified by “Vol Id,” may have many records in other tables, as they may serve or participate in a number of ways. Tables are labeled “data,” “linking,” “validation,” and “subset.” They are further defined by color. Following the diagram are representations of the proposed tables. In all cases, the first field (left-most) is the primary key for that table.

  18. VolID/VolName (Linking Table) Spouse Info (Subset Table) Current Primary Scouting Registr. (Subset Table) Church Affiliation/ Service (Subset Table) Other Current Scouting Positions (Subset Table) Volunteer Info (Data Table) Prior Scout Unit Service (Subset Table) Civic/Community/ Fraternal Orgs. (Subset Table) AwdID/AwdName (Validation Table) Prior Scout District Service (Subset Table) Professional/ Bus./Trade Orgs. (Subset Table) Scouting Awards/ Recognitions (Subset Table) Prior Scout Council Service (Subset Table) Other Service to Youth/Community (Subset Table)

  19. Summary to Date, and questions… • Proposed views, as described by clients: • Compiled mailing list/email list/phone list • Searching by specific awards, and by units • Compilation of the individual member and all information • Almost ready to begin building in Access… • However, a few questions remain: • Primary keys are the same value in 13 of the 14 tables. This is because “Volunteer ID” is the only key that is guaranteed to be unique in all of those subset tables, and it is possible that more than one member of a family (i.e. – husband and wife) could serve simultaneously on the District Committee. I’m unsure if this is acceptable, or if there is a better solution….or a necessary alternative….? • In the current diagram the data table: “Volunteer Information” is related to 12 other tables (all but the validation table). I wonder if it should be the “Vol Id/Vol Name” linking table that is connected in that way instead.

  20. References • Hernandez, Michael, J. (2003). Database Design for Mere Mortals, (2nd ed.). Boston: Addison-Wesley.

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