Proposal for Kudler Fine Foods

Proposal for Kudler Fine Foods

Our team was charged with the task of selecting a small business for which to implement database forms and reports requirements. We selected an upscale specialty food store located in the San Diego metropolitan area, named Kudler Fine Foods, as our business model. As do many organizations, Kudler utilizes a database system to improve their operational environment. However, they were still manually creating their forms and reports. Each store location uses standardized paper forms, which are then mailed or faxed to the main office to be entered into the database. The inventory system and forecasting for future purchases are done via extrapolations and working knowledge of the company, rather than queried data from their database system. Once we researched the company and gathered all of the necessary data, we were able to determine what type of forms and reports were needed.

Kudler Fine Foods has locations in La Jolla, Del Mar and Encinitas. The stores carry the very best in imported and domestic products, including bakery products, meat and seafood, produce, cheese and dairy, and wine. The departments in each store include: Fresh Bakery & Pastries, Fresh Produce, Fresh Meat & Seafood, Condiments & Packaged Foods, and Cheese's & Specialty Dairy Products. We learned that the company uses their database to catalog data about their customers, inventory, items, orders, order line, stores, suppliers, tax and tender. Demographic data is collected for each customer and used to access the name and address of customers for order processing and for special mailings for anniversaries and/or birthdays, etc. Further, the database contains information on each position available in the organization, as well as specific data on each employee. Without the use of the forms and reports features, Kudler's database did not have much functionality.

Databases are made to be used to add and review data, quickly and effectively. "You can enhance the value and performance of your database by adding forms created and customized for entering and viewing data." (Microsoft). Most database applications provide the tools to make working with forms quick and easy. Forms allow people to view data in a more visually pleasing way and enter or retrieve data in a design that fits their situation. Forms help people find the data they need fast. They are convenient and adaptable. We will use these forms to track Kudler's inventory, add new customer data and update employee information. Our team was concerned with keeping the design simple and consistent to help users focus on what they need when entering or viewing data. When creating the forms, we wanted to limit the data viewed by each user. For instance, a cashier only needs basic information about the products to get their job done. However, the manager may need more detailed information. We standardized all data entered into the database by using features such as constraints. "A form is nothing more than a graphical representation of a table." (Microsoft). By adding forms to their database, Kudler's staff are able to view multiple fields easier than scrolling through tables of data.

One of the main areas of concern with Kudler Fine Foods was entering data into the database. Entering and updating the employee and customer data is facilitated by the use of forms. These forms have constraints on each field to ensure that the data being entered follows set guidelines and is uniform. For employee data entry, there is one form for both the entering of new employees, as well as for record maintenance. The Employee Form renders the following fields: 'First_Name', 'Last_Name', 'SSN', 'Address1', 'Address2', 'City', 'State', 'Zip', 'dependants', 'DOB', 'Phone_Number', and 'Cell_Number'. The form used for customer data entry is one form for both entering first time customers, as well as updating their information. This form is accessible through both a stand alone link and on the Order Form. The Customer Form renders the following fields: 'Customer_ID', 'Last_Name', 'First_Name', 'Middle_Initial', 'Address', 'City', 'State', 'Zip_Code', 'Phone_Number', 'Fax_Number', 'Birth_Date', 'Anniversary_Date', and 'Email_Address'. The use of the employee and customer forms will be mandated to all employees and there will be training provided to them for this new process.

Data entry by the use of forms is one aspect of using a database. Another powerful tool is the use of reports. By creating their own reports, Kudler's staff would have control over every aspect of the report. Also, reports are a great way to organize and summarize the data in the database. To help with business analysis and planning, Kudler could use reports from the database to look at customers, profit, income, and supplies. Kudler Fine Foods has a wonderful customer base, members of which have provided their information that is entered into the database via the forms. To show their appreciation for these customers, Kudler wants to send out quarterly mailings promoting new products and specials, as well as coupons to customers one month before their birthday. For the quarterly mailings, we created a report based on a query that allows them to separate customers that they have e-mail address from those that do not. To save on mailing costs, only those without an e-mail address will be sent a flyer in the mail, those with an e-mail address will receive the flyer electronically. When the report is run, the end user is prompted to select which list it should generate, e-mail address or home address, before generating the report. The query uses the following fields in the customer table: "Last_Name", "First_Name", "Middle_Initial", "Address", "City", "State", "Zip_Code", and "Email_Address". The birthday mailing the report is similar to the previous report, but only includes those employees and customers whose birthday is within the following month. Again, to save on mailing costs, only those without an e-mail address will be sent a flyer in the mail and the others will receive the birthday coupon electronically. When the report is run, the end user is prompted to select which list it should generate, e-mail address or home address, before generating the report. The query will use the following fields in the customer table: "Last_Name", "First_Name", "Middle_Initial", "Address", "City", "State", "Zip_Code",