A New Methodology for Database Requirements Analysis

This article presents a systematic methodology for requirements analysis in database design. The procedure begins with an interview with the user/decision maker. The responses collected during the interview are analyzed to represent, by means of a diagram, the data and processing requirements for the activity under consideration. The diagram uses two fundamental constructs, events and states, as building blocks. It depicts any temporal or causal relationships, as well as logical operators, that maybe present in the process underlying the activity. The representation is compact and easy to follow. An experimental study is described to illustrate the applicability of the methodology.