Lori Schmalz

CTEC 205 MIS

Chapter 5 Homework
So What? Questions (Page 171)

1.

Do you want to be Jeremy or Neil?

Neil

Neil put effort into acquiring real data that they could use to make an
educated decision. Neil found what sales data they had available, and used it
to produce quality queries to identify where their business had grown and
other needed data around those sales growths. This provided the team with
concrete information regarding the effectiveness of their recent promotional
campaign.
2.

What skills and abilities will you need to be Neil?

Analytical skills
Define criteria for data needed.
Define where/how you can access the available data.
Define processes to compile and run data information.
Documentation skills
Develop Report content and design
Communications
Understand full concept of report content to communicate findings
effectively to audience.

3.

List specific sales data you need to provide answers as Neil does.
a) Multi-year sales amounts by month, by customer.
b) Customer information: new or continuing, purchases with items and
costs, and did they purchase under the promotional campaign.

4.
In words, describe how that data needs to be processed in order to produce
Neils responses.
First, the data needs to be reviewed for any duplicates or errors. Then a
completeness review of the data to be sure there no gaps in data exist in
areas of needed data. Verify that the data is reliable and relevant to the
audience and is timely.
Once you are sure that the data is clean, and reliable, you can move forward
to identify the reports structures for data sets. The following reports will offer
the listed information:
Annual Sales for past 5 years with amounts and percentage amounts
as year-to-year and monthly over the five-year period.
Customer listing with purchases made, date, purchased items, costs,
new or returning customer.
Monthly Sales in comparison to same months over the five years gives
the data to analyze the percentages of growth or decline. (Shelly)

Lori Schmalz
CTEC 205 MIS
Chapter 5 Homework
5.

Clark Colleges course catalog shows a course that would help me learn
about the server-side of database programming language. It is CTEC 127,
PHP WITH SQL I. It is a 5 credits class with 55 hours of lecture. The course,
designed to provide an introduction of programming language, a functional
knowledge of database design, SQL statements, dynamic web applications,
and methods implemented in PHP for manipulating MySQL databases. I will
likely not take this course in the near future, but as I continue my
education, this course could be very beneficial in analyzing data for
business purposes. (Clark)

References
Shelly, Gary B., Pratt, Philip J., Last, Mary Z. Microsoft Access 2010 Complete.
Boston: Shelly Cashman Series, 2011.
Stair's, Ralph M. Principles of Information Systems. n.d.
unknown. Clark College 2015-2016 Catelog. 2015. 31 July 2015.
<http://www.clark.edu/academics/catalog/2015/?id=87>.