Working on basic database design homework and ERD drawing in Visio, and can’t wrap my head around this problem.
United Helpers is a nonprofit organization that provides aid to people after natural disasters. Based on the following brief
description of operations, create the appropriate fully labeled Crow’s
Foot ERD.•Individuals volunteer their time to carry out the tasks of the organization. The name, address, and telephone number for each
volunteer are tracked. Each volunteer may be assigned to several tasks
during the time that he or she is doing volunteer work, and some tasks
require many volunteers. It is possible for a volunteer to be in the
system without having been assigned a task yet. It is possible to have
tasks that no one has been assigned. When a volunteer is assigned to a
task, the system should track the start time and end time of that
assignment.•For each task, there is a task code, task description, task type, and task status. For example, there may be a task with task code
“101,” a description of “answer the telephone,” a type of “recurring,”
and a status of “ongoing.” There could be another task with a code of
“102,” a description of “prepare 5000 packages of basic medical
supplies,” a type of “packing,” and a status of “open.”•For all tasks of type “packing,” there is a packing list that specifies the contents of the packages. There are many different
packing lists to produce different packages, such as basic medical
packages, child-care packages, food packages, etc. Each packing list
has a packing list ID number, a packing list name, and a packing list
description, which describes the items that ideally go into making
that type of package. Every packing task is associated with only one
packing list. A packing list may not be associated with any tasks, or
may be associated with many tasks. Tasks that are not packing tasks
are not associated with any packing list.•Packing tasks result in the creation of packages. Each individual package of supplies that is produced by the organization is tracked.
Each package is assigned an ID number. The date the package was
created and the total weight of the package are recorded. A given
package is associated with only one task. Some tasks (e.g., “answer
the phones”) will not have produced any packages, while other tasks
(e.g., “prepare 5000 packages of basic medical supplies”) will be
associated with many packages.•The packing list describes the ideal contents of each package, but it is not always possible to include the ideal number of each item.
Therefore, the actual items included in each package should be
tracked. A package can contain many different items, and a given item
can be used in many different packages.•For each item that the organization provides, there is an item ID number, item description, item value, and item quantity on hand stored
in the system. Along with tracking the actual items that are placed in
each package, the quantity of each item placed in the package must be
tracked too. For example, a packing list may state that basic medical
packages should include 100 bandages, 4 bottles of iodine, and 4
bottles of hydrogen peroxide. However, because of the limited supply
of items, a given package may include only 10 bandages, 1 bottle of
iodine, and no hydrogen peroxide. The fact that this package includes
bandages and iodine needs to be recorded along with the quantity of
each that is included.It is possible for the organization to have
items donated that have not been included in any package yet, but
every package will contain at least one item.
My thought would be entity VOLUNTEER & TASK creating the composite entity ASSIGNMENT which could generate the task PACKING. That task uses PACKING LIST & ITEMS which generates PACKAGE.
However my confidence in this solution is zero. Wondering if it’s remotely correct? Or am I completely going about this the wrong way?
Thanks
You’re going about it in the right way, or at least heading in the right direction, but the end result is wrong (although the entities in the top row of your diagram are more or less correct)
Pay attention to the phrases “For each task, there is a … task type” and “For all tasks of type “packing,” there is a packing list“. This would suggest that a “packing task” is a type of task, not a type of assignment.