Message from Chairman PEC Engr. Dr. Muhammad Akram Sheikh

ENGINEER PEC September 2007Request of amount needed from each department is user’s view of data [1,2]. It is the most important task in thepresented to the finance department containing a unique development of GFPS application. The functions of thediary number whose data is necessary to be maintained, GFPS are to materialize forms, reports and queries byconsulted and updated. Request contains a total reading or writing the database data. The GFPS is anrequested amount and shows different volumes (if exists) intermediary between the user and the operating system. Itin which request is being considered. In addition, various receives the requests stated in terms of tables and rowsqueries are to be answered and reports are required to be and columns and translates those requests into read andgenerated. In the present system, a request of financial write requests. A process that involves inferring from user’sneeds contains development as well as non-development statements, forms, reports and queries are gathered andrequest.the developers work backwards to infer the structure thatdepicts the user’s vision and constructs the data modelsTotal requested amount is further subdivided into object for GFPS. This is necessary because most users cannotheads. Each object head has two levels of categories that describe their data models directly. The Entity Relationshipis T or D. If an object head has a level value D then it mean (E-R) model is used to interpret, specify and document thethat it has no further child object head and if it has value T requirements for database processing systems [5]. Since itthen one can define its child object heads. Amount is provides constructs for showing the overall structures ofinitially specified against each object head containing level the user’s data requirements, it is specifically used for topD. Sum of amount against each object head contains level down database design. The major objective in designingD within a parent object head which must be equal to phase, for GFPS, is to suggest such a system, which isamount of parent object head. No amount can be directly organized, smooth in running, proficient in handlingspecified against object head that is at level T. If amount is information and adequate in all respects. But the point torequested against salary object head then detail of each be kept in mind is that the prescribed organizationalpost is also given against that object head.limitations should not be dominating, more over theproposed system should be applicable and shouldIn case of development expenditure request, an enterprise overcome the drawbacks which exist in the presenthas different sectors in which different projects are system. Computerized system, known as GFPS, is beingrunning. A sector may have many projects running in it and presented to meet the requirements of the organizationeach project belongs to only one sector. Development and is designed so that all the objectives are achieved [3].request for each project, along with previous year amount The existing manual system does not satisfy all thespent on it, comes in a year requesting for capital or objectives of different finance departments. Typicalrevenue amount request. Amount is first allocated for a organizational objective is to provide better service to itsparticular project. After allocating, it is authorized. users. These objectives can only be achieved if a betterAuthorization amount may be split into different intervals. computer based system is satisfying the requirements.For a particular project total amount authorized cannot be The main goals of the early stages of databasegreater than total amount allocated. After a particular development are to build a ‘Data Model’ that documentsauthorization is made then amount against authorized the stages to be represented in the database, and toamount is released and total released amount cannot be establish the relationships among them [8]. Since topgreaterthan total amount authorized. Recently the data is down database development approach has been adoptedcollected from different departments on papers. Request to design the GFPS, the E-R model has been used topapers for finance are sent to each department in advance. design and develop the system. A software design is aAfter filling these papers each department sends its model of real world system that has many participatingrequest back to finance department where each incoming entities and the relationships [1] as shown in Figure 1.request is allocated a unique diary number. There can be apossibility that requested non-development expenditureamount from a single or many departments may not befulfilled because no excessive amount of current income isavailable. In such a case cut is applied on requestedamount on one or more departments as in the form ofpercentage.Software designA design for GFPS has been developed in DBMS forautomating financial procedures. Data modeling is thenext step in GFPS after ‘Requirements Specification’ forundertaking design and development of an automatedsystem. It is a process of creating a representation of the13Figure 1 Partial view of normalized schema of GFPS