USING INTEGRATED SPREADSHEET MODELING

Using Integrated Spreadsheet Modeling For Solving Business Problem

Using Integrated Spreadsheet Modeling For Solving Business Problem

Introduction

This paper provides the idea of designing a database for a firm called EXIMP. This company is engaged in the business of import and export of used and new computer systems. A database is similar to a data file in that it is a storage place for data. Like a data file, a database does not present information directly to a user; the user runs an application that accesses data from the database and presents it to the user in an understandable format. In a well-designed database, there are no duplicate pieces of data that the user or application has to update at the same time. Related pieces of data are grouped together in a single structure or record, and relationships can be defined between these structures and records. There are different ways to organize data in a database but relational databases are one of the most effective. Relational database systems are an application of mathematical set theory to the problem of effectively organizing data. In a relational database, data is collected into tables.

1. Planning the Project

Planning has been an active research area since the early days of AI (Weld, 1999), and its applications have been extremely useful in cases when agents act in dynamic environments. Several formalisms for the representation of planning domains and problems have emerged over time, among which Planning Domain Definition Language (Visual Basic Database) (Ghallab et al., 1998) has dominated and become a standard. Over the same period of time, numerous algorithms, methods and techniques have been proposed (Hendler, Tate, & Drummond, 1990). During Phase I, initiating processes, the project objectives are defined. Details concerning the overall scope of the project are documented in order to keep the project manageable.

At this phase, qualitative researchers may determine the size of the project (regional or national focus) as well as general timelines (e.g., expected deliverables at the completion of a 3-year research grant). Phase II, the planning process, involves detailing all of the activities to be accomplished in order to successfully complete the project. Work breakdown structures are created to illustrate the hierarchy of all work units, subprojects, tasks, subtasks, and the interdependencies among these components. Time estimates and cost factors are carefully considered as well. During this phase, qualitative researchers plan all tasks, responsibilities, and time estimates associated with the project. Once finalized, this plan is considered the baseline plan.

During Phase III, the executing process, the activities detailed in the baseline plan are implemented. In Phase IV, the monitoring and controlling process, progress is compared with the baseline plan. Any problems that arise are dealt with by adding, deleting, or adjusting activities to work toward successful completion of the project. For example, the time estimated to transcribe and analyze the interviews may have been underestimated, so adjustments would be made to keep the project on track (e.g., reduce the number of interviews, or hire additional ...