iSelfSchooling - Case Studies (FORMS I)

The FORM section consists of 16 user requirements that we will call Hands-On Oracle Form Builder. In these Hands-On, your client is a company that keeps track of its customers’ orders. You have been assigned to develop a customer order data entry application based on their requirements.

These are designed to challenge your skills in developing user’s friendly applications.

Assuming, you as a developer gathered the requirements during prototyping sessions with the client, using the Rapid Application Development (RAD) model.

Hands-On Form Builder (Internet Applications Tool)

Hands-On 01(Forms) - Manuscripts

Having performed Fact Finding, and determine the user's initial requirements, you are ready to create a data entry form based on those requirements. Keeping in mind that this is an iterative process, and the User is closely involved in the design. During your interviews, you have identified that tables Customer, Ord, and Items will be required, and you have an idea of the "Look-and-Feel" of the Form.

Your client asks you to create an easy to use data entry Form for their “Customer Order” data entry application.

See Figure 1, 2, and 3 for screen layout requirements.

Your tasks are:

1- Create a Form that contains three tabs for each Entity. The tabs should be labeled as "Customer", "Orders", and "Items
2- Develop a "Master-Detail" relationship using the "Tab Canvas" to establish a relationship between "Customer to Order" and "Order to Items."
3- Review your iterations with the User as prototypes of the final product.
4- Enhance your prototype. Working with you, the User has requested a more robust application.
5- Run and test all user functional requirements.

FIn this Hands-On, you will learn how to use: tab canvas, “object navigator,” “Data Blocks,” “Layout Editor,” “Property Palette,” “Run Form,” “Execute Query,” “Auto-Join data blocks,” and Master-Detail relationship.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Hands-On 02(Forms) - Manuscript

During your prototyping iterations, the User thought it would be useful to have a Help option on the Form. A Help function will enable them to view descriptions of Form items as they move from item to item, and see helpful hints for each item.

They also want to have multi-lines on their “comments” item with word wrap; and apply their display format mask requirements.

See Figure 4.

Your tasks are:

1- Build Help functionality on the data entry Form at the items' level. The Figure 4 is an example of tool tip for the “CUSTID” item.
2- Provide “Display Format Mask” for all currency and date items based on your client’s layout requirements and content. For example, date should be keyed in the format MM-DD-YY, or currency amounts displayed with the dollar '$' sign, with format mask $99,999.99.
3- Provide a multi-lines “comments” box for comments and make sure the text is word wrapped.
4- Run and test all user functional requirements.

FIn this Hands-ON, you will learn how to use: Help, Hint, Format mask of properties, tab canvas, “object navigator,” “Data Blocks,” “Layout Editor,” “Property Palette,” “Run Form,” and “Execute Query.”

Figure 4

Hands-On 03(Forms) - Manuscript

Your client needs more robust customer’s information retrieval.

You are going to provide them with a list of customer names by adding a List Of Values (LOV) to the Form. This will help the data entry clerks to find a customer quickly without knowing the customer’s ID. The list should contain at a minimum, the customer's name and ID.

This will provide a fast and quick way to access customer information and increase the accuracy of the data entry.

See Figure 5.

Your tasks are:

1- Add a List Of Values (LOV) to the Form.
2- Retrieve customer ID by using customer name.
3- Query specific customer information using customer name.
4- Run and test all user functional requirements.

FIn this Hands-On, you will learn how to: use the List of Values (LOV), and group records, use tab canvas, use “object navigator,” use “Data Blocks,” use “Layout Editor,” use “Property Palette,” use “Run Form,” and “Execute Query.”

Figure 5

Hands-On 04(Forms) - Manuscript

Your users have indicated that they keep track of their salesmen's commission plans. The company has commission plans "A," "B," "C," and Blank. The “Blank” commission plan means that this is not applicable to salesman. Middle Management would like to stream line their salesmen contract assignment process. The company assigns salesmen, based on their commission performance. Those salesmen with higher than average commission will be rewarded and assigned to lucrative contracts.

To accommodate Management's need for tracking high performing salesmen, they ask you to change the commission plan item to the radio button style.

See Figure 6.

Your tasks are:

1- Change the commission plan column to the Radio Buttons.
2- Change the "order tab page" to implement the Radio Buttons.
3- Run and test all user functional requirements.

Note: The Radio Buttons are useful when there are two or more possible values but only one value can be true.

FIn this Hands-On, you will learn how to: add and use Radio Buttons, use tab canvas, use “object navigator,” use “Data Blocks,” use “Layout Editor,” use “Property Palette,” use “Run Form,” and “Execute Query.”

Figure 6

Hands-On 05(Forms) - Manuscript

While designing the tables, you have identified a derived field in one of the tables (Item). There should not be a column in a table that is calculated or generated by two other columns. This is the Third Normal form rule. It should be rectified for good database design. Their DBA will remove any columns whose contents are depended on the other columns. In the "Item" table the "itemtot" column is a column depended on quantity * actualprice.

See Figure 7.

Your tasks are:

1- Modify the "Items" tab canvas layout to generate a new item called "itemtotal". This field will be populated from other “Item” table’s column during order entry (quantity * actualprice).
2- Avoid populating the “itemtotal” from the table’s column.
3- Add a display field to calculate the grand total of all calculated field call "itemtotal" for each customer's order.
4- Run and test all user functional requirements.

FYou will learn how to: display fields, summary and formula functions, use tab canvas, use “object navigator,” use “Data Blocks,” use “Layout Editor,” use “Property Palette,” use “Run Form,” and “Execute Query.”

Figure 7

Hands-On 06(Forms) - Manuscript

Now the user’s DBA removed the “itemtot” column whose content was depended on the other columns. Your client wants you to remove the “itemtot” item from layout screen.

Also, your application only shows products' ID. Your client wants to see product's description since product's ID does not tell them what the product is.

They want you to remove duplicate item information from "Items" tab canvas; and add a new item to display product's description in the "Items" tab canvas.

See Figure 8.

Your tasks are:

1- Remove duplicate item information from "Items" tab canvas.
2- Add a new item to display product's description “Product Description” in the "Items" tab canvas.
3- Run and test all user functional requirements.

FIn this Hands-On, you will learn how to: use the post-query trigger, Compile Triggers, use tab canvas, use “object navigator,” use “Data Blocks,” use “Layout Editor,” use “Property Palette,” use “Run Form,” and “Execute Query.”

Figure 8