Talk:Database design

Design methodology
The ACT web database will include multiple tables which can be used for different purposes, including locating transporters, locating approved adoption homes, etc.

To gather user requirements, I will model web forms for input, and web maps and web reports or spreadsheets for output.

Information flow:
 * Web forms
 * --> web database
 * --> web reports, web maps, or spreadsheets

Requirements process:
 * Demo web reports/spreadsheets & demo web maps
 * --> demo web forms
 * --> web database design

A Gmail account can be used to collaborate on modelling a transporter web report using Google spreadsheets. The Gmail spreadsheets are very powerful. (The Yahoo! Groups database/tables are too restrictive for DB design purposes.)

We can model a web map using the spreadsheet for input:
 * Spreadsheet
 * --> CSV file
 * --> Web map (CommunityWalk.com)

Frappr is a good map server for collaborative mapping. CommunityWalk is a better map server for database driven mapping. CommunityWalk supports CSV data export/import, but Frappr does not. We should use both map servers for their strengths.

We can mockup web forms at http://act.wikia.com/wiki/Forms_demo and web reports or spreadsheets at http://act.wikia.com/wiki/Reports_demo

I will post snapshots of the database designs here http://act.wikia.com/wiki/Database_design

John Walling
 * --jwalling 20:21, 26 September 2006 (UTC)