Designing an Efficient Database for The Food Specialist Ltd

The core of every successful restaurant business is a functional and efficient database system. After designing the database, the user should be able to navigate the system with ease, customers can offer reviews, make payments, get a receipt and display the sales data, business trends, among other functions.  The TFS system will employ a combination of relational and multi-dimensional database approach. This database provides functionality for the power-use administrators Moreover, it will be available for other stakeholders such as the employees and customers. The case study provides a detailed analysis of the design of an efficient database for The Food Specialist ltd.  

            By using a graphical interface, the management system allows administrators to manage the menu presented to the customer in a web-ordering system, track supplier’s information, improve delivery options, create define departments and project business trends. Principally, the system will automatically add, update or delete a food category, food item in the menu, employee info, and product descriptions. Moreover, the system will automatically update prices and additional information for given food items. Before the clients make use of this system, functionality will be assured and configured (Andersen, Kim and Roland 17). Once configuration is done, and order retrieval system is put in place. Essentially, the retrieval system will display and retrieve orders from the database in a rather readable and graphical manner.

The database will contain a number of set descriptions:

Entity Set Description

Product Type and Departments

            In the system, categories such as corporate catering, premium breakfast, afternoon delight, wedding catering, among others will have their interface whereby employees and managers can track the performance of each department. The departments include production, Procurement, Marketing, Accounting, Customer service department, HR and Information systems department. Each database set-up will store the name, address, phone numbers and prices of each event. The same interface entails the list of suppliers of fresh food, cutlery, glassware, linen, among other supplies.

Employee

            This data set will contain all the personal information of all the employees (part-time and full time). Among the details include name, address, phone numbers, residence, pay and their participation in the different events graced by the company. A new entry will be inserted in the system if a new employee is hired.

Customer

            Information from this data set keeps track of who ordered by using their name, contact and order number. Once information is entered, it cannot be deleted in order to ensure future improvements in serving that specific customer (Hoffer, Ramesh, and Heikki 10)

Order

            The order set stores information on the customer’s preferences. Entries inserted to this section include order ID, list of items that customer wants, time and date as well as the amount.

Business projections and Trends

            The system will examine business projection and trends in order to track employee performance as well as providing key performance indicators and SWOT analysis of the company. The databank will use sales and inventory data to develop reports of what is sold and how much it is old. The report will then be sent to the headquarters for logging and generate improvement strategies. More importantly, the system will ensure ease in enhancing professionalism between clients and suppliers.

The TFS database is elaborated in the following diagram:

                        To solve the issue of inaccuracy due to overburdening emails, phone call and manual recordings, the employee will capture information and feed them in the database and this info can detect any repetitions, inaccuracies or misappropriations (Hoffer, Ramesh, and Heikki 12). More so, the 20 percent quote will be reflex and the system will automatically generate the invoice within two weeks after completion of an event. The system will also incorporate the use of mobile applications integrated to touch screen order services. During implementation of the database system, a number of facilities will be required. The requirements include software and hardware interfaces. Software include an operating system, web browsers, drivers such as Java Runtine and an integrated development environment (Andersen, Kim, and Roland 18).

Works Cited

Andersen, Kim V, John Debenham, and Roland Wagner. Database and Expert Systems Applications: Proceedings. Berlin: Springer, 2015. Print.

Hoffer, Jeff, Ramesh Venkataraman, and Heikki Topi. Modern Database Management, Global Edition. , 2016. Internet resource.