In this article Case study based on a Library Management System we covers various aspects like Functional Requirements, Functional Dependencies, ER Diagram, Normalization etc. It is useful for DBMS, software engineering and system analysis.
Case study based on a Library Management System:
Which covers various aspects like Functional Requirements, Functional Dependencies, ER Diagram, Normalization etc. It is useful for DBMS, software engineering and system analysis.
Library Management System – Case Study
- Problem Statement:
A college or university wants to digitally manage its library so that:
- Book information should be properly maintained.
- Membership can be managed.
- Record of book issue / return can be maintained.
- Fine and late returns can be tracked.
- Stakeholders:
- Librarian – Add, issue, track returns of books.
- Students/Faculty – search, issue books.
- Admin – Create user accounts, generate reports.
- Functional Requirements:
- Adding/deleting new books.
- Issuance and return of Kitab.
- User Registration and Login.
- Check the availability of the book.
- Fine calculate (on late return).
- Generate reports – like overdue books, issued books etc.
Tables and Attributes:
Books
Field Type
BookID (PK) Integer
Title Varchar
Author Varchar
Publisher Varchar
Year Integer
ISBN Varchar
TotalCopies Integer
Available Integer
Members
Field Type
MemberID (PK) Integer
Name Varchar
Email Varchar
Contact Varchar
MemberType Enum(Student, Faculty)
IssueRecords
Field Type
IssueID (PK) Integer
BookID (FK) Integer
MemberID (FK) Integer
IssueDate Date
DueDate Date
ReturnDate Date
Fine Decimal
Functional Dependencies:
- BookID → Title, Author, Publisher, Year, ISBN
(BookID uniquely determines all book details)
- MemberID → Name, Email, Contact, MemberType
(Each member has a unique ID)
- IssueID → BookID, MemberID, IssueDate, DueDate, ReturnDate, Fine
- (BookID, MemberID) → IssueDate, DueDate
(A book issued to a member gives issue & due dates)
Normalization Steps:
All tables are in 3NF:
- No partial dependency.
- No transitive dependency.
- Each non-key attribute is dependent on the entire primary key only.
ER Diagram Components:
- Entities:
o Book, Member, IssueRecord
Relationships:
o Issues (between Member and Book)
- Attributes:
o Primary keys and descriptive fields
Use Case Diagram Summary:
Actor Use Cases
Student – Search book, Issue, Return
Librarian – Add books, Issue books, Reports
Admin – Manage members, Manage fines
Challenges & Solutions:
Challenge Solution
Duplicate issue entries Unique IssueID, proper validation
Book availability tracking Available column in Books table
Late return fine calculation Use ReturnDate – DueDate logic
Data inconsistency Use foreign keys and normalization
Scope for Extensions:
- Online Book Reservation
- Barcode Integration
- SMS/Email Alerts for Due Dates
- Mobile App Access
Conclusion:
The Library System Case Study is a comprehensive example that demonstrates the basic concepts of DBMS like Functional Dependencies, ER Modeling, Normalization, and System Design in practical form.
POP- Introduction to Programming Using ‘C’
OOP – Object Oriented Programming
DBMS – Database Management System
RDBMS – Relational Database Management System
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