IT 650 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview
The final project for this course is the design and proposal of a database management system (DBMS) solution. You will select a case study from those provided,
analyze the organizational issues and needs, and work your way through the conceptual, logical, and physical designs of a DBMS solution. This will require
substantial research of best practices in design, available products, and the legal and ethical standards to which you must adhere during design. The skills
required in this assessment will be valuable in the role of an IT manager or DBMS professional, as these individuals are often tasked with developing solutions to
various organization data problems while also adhering to legal, ethical, and financial considerations. The ability to craft and present professional and logical
proposals will also be expected of IT professionals, especially those at the management level.

You will use Visio or a comparable tool to illustrate design models and will also have access to Microsoft SQL for implementation of the DBMS design or solution.
While the length of the proposal will depend on many factors (including the type of organization, the scope of the identified challenge, and operational
requirement differences), it should be long enough to address all aspects of the prompt accurately and comprehensively without unnecessary detail.

The project is divided into four milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final
submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, Five, and Seven. The final submission will occur in Module Nine.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 Construct and refine conceptual and logical models that include the necessary entities, relationships, attributes, and business rules for solving database
management issues
 Evaluate and recommend database products that address requirements for given business scenarios
 Articulate the differences in data and database security needs for various organizational computing environments to align to organizational needs
 Develop enterprise database management system models that accurately reflect fundamental organizational operating rules
 Create physical designs that account for organizational application, hardware, network, operating system, and data communications requirements
 Determine best practices for ensuring ethical and legal compliance for data usage and storage based on established industry-wide information
technology standards and regulations
 Prompt
Based on the real-world case you selected, design and propose a DBMS solution that meets the organizational requirements while adhering to design best
practices, legal regulations, and ethical standards.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Organization
A. Problem: Analyze the organization to determine the problem/challenge, business requirements, and limitations of current system(s).
B. Departments and Operations: Explain how the various departments and operations within the organization are impacted by the issue or challenge

II. Analysis and Design

A. Conceptual Model: Based on the business problem or challenge, devise a conceptual model that would best address the problem. Your model
should include all necessary entities, relationships, attributes, and business rules.
B. Logical Model: Based on the conceptual model, illustrate a logical model for your DBMS that accurately represents all necessary aspects of the
DBMS to address the solution.
C. Physical Design: Create a physical database design that builds on the nonphysical (conceptual and logical) models you crafted.

III. DBMS
A. Research: Research the various DBMS products available for your scenario and compare the top contenders to highlight similarities and
differences.
B. Analysis: Analyze these database products for their appropriate uses, strengths, and weaknesses in comparison with the needs of your
organization.
C. Recommendation: Recommend and defend the best DBMS product(s) for fully addressing the broad, high-level technological and operational
needs of the organization.
D. Hardware, Software: Recommend and justify needed software and hardware to fully meet operational applications in various departments. These
will supplement the DBMS product you recommend to fully meet specific needs or requirements left open by the DBMS product.

IV. Data Model: For the three sections of this element, you will focus on a particular group or department within the organization (such as Sales or Customer
Service).
A. Enterprise Data Model: Develop and illustrate a comprehensive enterprise data model for the selected group.
B. Operating Rules: Articulate the operating rules within the group to allow for an applicable model.
C. Rule Reflection: Assess the extent to which your data model reflects the operating rules of the organization.
V. Law, Ethics, and Security
A. Standards: Articulate the relevant legal and ethical standards that need to be considered in your solution design and in future implementation.
B. Legal Compliance: Determine the best practices in design, data use, and storage to ensure legal compliance. The regulations in place and the best
practices for aligning operations will likely change depending on the type of industry in which your company resides. Support your conclusions with
research support.
C. Ethical Practices: Determine best practices in design, data use, and storage to ensure the ethical operation of your company. These best practices
will likely change depending on the industry in which your company resides. Support your conclusions with research support.
D. Security Needs of Solution: In consideration of the type of organization you selected, the data used, and your consideration of legal and ethical
standards, discuss the security needs of your DBMS solution. Considering the group/department for which you constructed your enterprise data
model, discuss the differences in security needs at this level in comparison with those of the company as a whole.
E. Database Security Plan: Given the comparisons and discussions above, recommend a comprehensive but high-level (pertaining to the solution as a
whole rather than the particular department) security management plan for your design that will align to organizational needs.

Milestones
Milestone One: Analysis of Organization
In Module Two, you will submit an analysis of the organization that will use the database developed for the final project. Select one of the scenarios provided
for the final project. Using the selected scenario, analyze the organization to determine the problem/challenge, business requirements, and limitations of the
current system(s). Explain how the problem or challenge impacts the various departments and operations within the organization. This milestone will be graded
with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Database Analysis and Design

In Module Four, you will submit the preliminary design of the database for the final project. Devise a conceptual model that will best address the scenario you
selected for the final project. Your model should include all necessary entities, relationships, attributes, and business rules. Based on the conceptual model,
illustrate a logical model for your DBMS that accurately represents all necessary aspects of the DBMS to address the solution. Create a physical database design
that builds on the nonphysical (conceptual and logical) models you crafted. This design includes the conceptual and logical models of the database, as well as the
physical design of the database. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: DBMS Research and Recommendation

In Module Five, you will submit research and analysis of available database management systems to host the database, as well as a recommendation for the
specific database management systems for the database. Research the various database management system (DBMS) products available for your scenario and
compare the top contenders to highlight similarities and differences. Analyze these database products for their appropriate uses, strengths, and weaknesses in
comparison with the needs of your organization. Recommend and defend the best DBMS product(s) for fully addressing the broad, high-level technological and
operational needs of the organization. Recommend and justify needed software and hardware to fully meet operational applications in various departments.
These will supplement the DBMS product you recommend to fully meet specific needs or requirements left open by the DBMS product. This milestone will be
graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.
Milestone Four: Database Data Model
In Module Seven, you will submit a detailed data model of the database with analysis and justification based on a specific group or department within the
organization. Select one particular group or department (such as Sales or Customer Service) within the organization in your chosen scenario from Hands-On
Database. Then develop and illustrate a comprehensive enterprise data model for the selected group. Articulate the operating rules within the group to allow for
an application model. Assess the extent to which your data model reflects the operating rules of the organization. This milestone will be graded with the
Milestone Four Rubric.

Final Project Submission: Law, Ethics, and Security Plan and Database Management System
In Module Nine, you will submit the legal and ethical considerations relative to the database and include a security plan that addresses the legal and ethical
considerations. Articulate the relevant legal and ethical standards that need to be considered in your solution design and in future implementation. Determine
the best practices in design, data use, and storage to ensure legal compliance. The regulations in place and the best practices for aligning operations will likely
change depending on the type of industry in which your company resides. Support your conclusions with research support. Determine best practices in design,
data use, and storage to ensure ethical operation of your company. These best practices will likely change depending on the industry in which your company
resides. Support your conclusions with research support. In consideration of the type of organization you selected, the data used, and your consideration of legal
and ethical standards, discuss the security needs of your DBMS solution. Considering the group/department for which you constructed your enterprise data
model (Milestone Four), discuss the differences in security needs at this level in comparison with those of the company as a whole. Given the comparisons and
discussions above, recommend a comprehensive but high-level (pertaining to the solution as a whole rather than the particular department) security
management plan for your design that will align to organizational needs.

You will submit this law, ethics and security plan as part of your completed database management system. This should be a complete, polished artifact
containing all of the critical elements of the final product. This will include the materials developed in all of the milestones, as well as the Law, Ethics, and
Security plan. Your final submission should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final
Project Rubric.
 Deliverables
Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading
1 Analysis of Organization Two Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric
2 Database Analysis and Design Four Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric
3 DBMS Research and Recommendation Five Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric
4 Database Data Model Seven Graded separately; Milestone Four Rubric
Final Submission: Law, Ethics, and Nine Graded separately; Final Project Rubric
Security Plan and Database
Management System

Final Project Rubric

Guidelines for Submission: Your final project submission should be a complete, polished artifact that incorporates all of the pertinent documents from each of
the four milestones. This is an opportunity for you to pull all of your work from the term together into one complete project. This database management system
design proposal should not only be an organized, neat compilation of your previous work, but it should also reflect the incorporation of any feedback gained
throughout the course. Please use 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and one-inch margins. Citations should be formatted according to APA style.

Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value

Organization: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Analyzes the organization to Analyzes the organization to Does not analyze the 5.28
Problem evidences keen insight into highlight the problem or highlight the problem or organization to highlight the
identifying key aspects of challenge, business challenge, business problem or challenge, business
complex, multifunctional data requirements, and limitations of requirements, and limitations of requirements, and limitations of
challenges (100%) current systems (90%) current systems, but lacks current systems (0%)
necessary detail (70%)
Organization: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Accurately explains the how the Explains the how the various Does not explain the how the 5.28
Departments and shows in depth knowledge of various departments and departments and operations various departments and
Operations the intricacies, operations within the within the organization are operations within the
interrelationships, or organization are impacted by impacted by the issue or organization are impacted by
interdependencies between the issue or challenge (90%) challenge, but with gaps in the issue or challenge (0%)
data challenges and accuracy or detail (70%)
departments and operations
(100%)
Analysis and Design: Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Devises a comprehensive Devises a conceptual model Does not devise a conceptual 5.28
Conceptual Model model evidences detailed conceptual model that would that does not attend to all model (0%)
attention or keen insight into logically address the identified necessary entities,
conceptual design needs and problem (90%) relationships, attributes, and
skills (100%) business rules or would not
logically address the identified
problem (70%)
Analysis and Design: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Illustrates an accurate logical Illustrates a logical model that Does not illustrate a logical 5.28
Logical Model evidences keen insight into model that details the lacks accuracy or necessary model (0%)
representation, communication, necessary aspects of the DBMS detail regarding aspects of the
or depiction of logical model needed to address the business DBMS needed to address the
design needs for business needs and identified problem business needs and identified
scenarios (100%) (90%) problem (70%)
Analysis and Design: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Creates a physical design that Creates a physical design that Does not create a physical 5.28
Physical Design exemplifies the knowledge and precisely builds on the builds on the nonphysical design that builds on the
skills necessary to extrapolate a nonphysical models with models with incorporation of nonphysical models with
physical design from incorporation of physical physical aspects, but with a lack incorporation of physical
nonphysical models for solving aspects (90%) of precision (70%) aspects (0%)
data challenges (100%)
DBMS: Research Meets “Proficient” criteria and Compares relevant and Compares DBMS products that Does not compare DBMS 5.28
evidences keen insight into the applicable DBMS products to are not relevant or applicable to products (0%)
wider business contexts and highlight similarities and the scenario, or does not base
needs during comparison differences based on research comparison on research (70%)
(100%) (90%)
DBMS: Analysis Meets “Proficient” criteria and Analyzes the database products Analyzes the database products Does not analyze the database 7.91
evidences systems-level for their appropriate uses, for their appropriate uses, products for their appropriate
perspective or analysis is of strengths, and weaknesses in strengths, and weaknesses but uses, strengths, and
quality to support or qualify comparison with the needs of not in comparison with the weaknesses (0%)
possible recommendations the organization (90%) needs of the organization (70%)
(100%)
DBMS: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Recommends and defends the Recommends and defends Does not recommend and 7.91
Recommendation evidences innovative, creative, best DBMS product(s) for fully product(s) for addressing the defend product(s) for
or exceptionally defended addressing the technological technological and operational addressing technological and
recommendations beyond the and operational needs of the needs of the organization, but operations needs of the
general approach for solving organization (90%) there are other, more organization (0%)
the type of challenge (100%) appropriate choices or
recommendation would not
fully address organizational
needs (70%)
DBMS: Hardware, Meets “Proficient” criteria and Recommends and justifies Recommends and justifies Does not recommend and 5.28
Software evidences organizational needed software and hardware software and hardware justify software and hardware
perspective to consider to complete physical design and additions that are not needed additions to the DBMS product
departments, operations, or fully meet operational or would not fully satisfy (0%)
future needs and growth applications in various operational applications in
(100%) departments (90%) various departments (70%)
Data Model: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Develops and illustrates a Develops and illustrates an Does not develop and illustrate 5.28
Enterprise Data evidences keen ability to comprehensive enterprise data enterprise data model that an enterprise data model for
Model narrow the model that meets the general would not meet the general the selected group (0%)
enterprise/organizational operational and technological operational and technological
perspective to the needs of key needs of the selected group needs of the selected group, or
operational groups to ensure (90%) lacks necessary detail (70%)
needs are met (100%)
Data Model: Articulates the operating rules Articulates operating rules Does not articulate operating 5.28
Operating Rules within the group to establish within the group but lacks rules within the group (0%)
basis for the model (100%) detail, full representation, or
clarity needed to establish basis
for the model (70%)
Data Model: Rule Meets “Proficient” criteria and Accurately assesses the extent Assesses the extent to which Does not assess the extent to 5.28
Reflection evidences keen insight into to which the data model the data model reflects the which the data model reflects
complexities, intricacies, and reflects the operating rules of operating rules of the the operating rules of the
nuances of departmental the organization (90%) organization with gaps in organization (0%)
operating rule applications accuracy or detail (70%)
(100%)
Law, Ethics, and Meets “Proficient” criteria and Accurately articulates the Articulates legal and ethical Does not articulate legal and 5.28
Security: Standards pays particular attention to the relevant legal and ethical standards inaccurately, or ethical standards for solution
product approaches to standards that need to be standards are not relevant for design and development (0%)
scalability (personal vs. mobile considered for solution design solution design and
vs. department vs. enterprise) and implementation (90%) development in this scenario
(100%) (70%)
Law, Ethics, and Meets “Proficient” criteria and Determines the best practices Determines best practices in Does not determine best 5.28
Security: Legal evidences keen insight into in design, data use, and storage design, data use, and storage practices in design, data use,
Compliance interpreting and applying legal needed to ensure legal for ensuring legal compliance, and storage for ensuring legal
standards to real-world cases compliance in this case with but without specificity to this compliance (0%)
(100%) support (90%) case or without support (70%)
Law, Ethics, and Meets “Proficient” criteria and Determines the best practices Determines best practices in Does not determine best 5.28
Security: Ethical evidences keen insight into in design, data use, and storage design, data use, and storage practices in design, data use,
Practices interpreting and applying legal needed to ensure ethical for ensuring ethical operations, and storage for ensuring ethical
standards to real-world cases operations within the company but without specificity to this operations (0%)
(100%) with support (90%) case or without support (70%)
 Law, Ethics, and Meets “Proficient” criteria and Accurately contrasts the Contrasts the security needs of Does not contrast the security 5.28
Security: Security evidences keen insight into the security needs of the solution at the solution at the department needs of the solution at the
Needs of Solution variable and nuanced nature or the department level versus the level versus the organizational department level versus the
operational or organizational organizational level (90%) level, with gaps in accuracy or organizational level (0%)
data security needs (100%) detail (70%)
Law, Ethics, and Meets “Proficient” criteria and Recommends a reasonable, Recommends a security Does not recommend a security 5.28
Security: Database evidences sophisticated high-level security management management plan for the management plan for the
Security Plan organizational perspective or plan for the solution that aligns solution but does not align to solution (0%)
long-term needs awareness to the organizational needs the organizational needs, is not
(100%) (90%) reasonable, or contains overly
specific or cursory detail (70%)
Articulation of Submission is free of errors Submission has no major errors Submission has major errors Submission has critical errors 4.98
Response related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and spelling, syntax, or organization spelling, syntax, or organization spelling, syntax, or organization
organization and is presented in (90%) that negatively impact that prevent understanding of
a professional and easy to read readability and articulation of ideas (0%)
format (100%) main ideas (70%)
Earned Total 100%