The scenario

You have been approached to design and implement a prototype of a distributed information system for a national car part retail outlet chain. The company comprises of numerous garage retail outlets that each keep their own stock and sell parts to various customers. A central warehouse despatches parts to the various garages according to their individual stock management requirements. At present stock is managed individually at the many retail outlets. Likewise sales, customers, orders are all managed locally. As the new IT expert, you have suggested an integrated distributed information system that will provide better stock management and reporting.

The prototype system functionality

Local garage outlets

1. Local staff will have the capabilities to sell parts from local stock.

2. Local staff will have the capabilities to order parts from the warehouse or from other garage.

3. Local staff are able to recording customer details and take payments.

4. Re-order levels should be automated.

5. Emergency query a local garage for an item of stock.

Note: emergency deliveries are dispatched for express overnight delivery.

The warehouse

1. Maintain a level of stock sufficient to meet the needs of the numerous local garage outlets.

2. Set national prices for products.

3. Set national discounts and offers for products.

4. Dispatch stock to the local garage outlets.

Note: deliveries to each garage occur once every week.

Managers

1. Have all of the functionality of Local managers and the warehouse.

2. Can view summary of national sales.

3. Can view summary of local sales.

4. Can view summary of national stock.

5. Can view summary of local stock.

All information used in your system should as a minimum be stored at the warehouse

Your task

Based on the a bove requirements it is necessary to build the prototype as a distributed system with a number of different user interfaces, one for each of the users. You should implement a 3-tier architecture.

The system should persistently save data in a database. The choice of technology is  ours.

Likewise the user interfaces can be built using any technology of your choosing. Care should be taking to achieve a 3-tier architecture.

You should produce and submit a document of your UML design for the proposed system

along with screen shots of your implementation and a brief description of your implemented product. You should also produce a ZIP file containing your software code and a brief report describing what you have achieved.

Deliverables

Based on the above requirements it is necessary to build the prototype as a distributed system with a number of different user interfaces, one for each of the users identified in your design. You should design and implement a 3-tier architecture.

You should document a UML design for the proposed system.

The implemented prototype system should persistently save data in a database. The choice of appropriate technology for your centre will be determined by your local tutor, this includes the technology for distribution1 (middleware, RMI, web services, etc.), the database (Oracle, SQL server, MYSQL, Postgres, MS Access, etc.) and also the application/user interface technology (Java, Java Servlets, .NET, ASP.NET, VB.NET, etc.).