2024-25 Semester 1 Assignment 1
In this assignment, we are going to design an Entity-Relationship (ER) diagram for an e-commerce fashion store. Please refer to the following
Description of the fashion store
In a fashion store, there are many different types of products as shown in the product listing below.
Each product should belong to at least one category. This helps customers find what they're looking for and makes it easier for the store to manage the inventory. However, sometimes a single product can belong to multiple categories. For example, a cotton shirt could be placed in both the "Men's Clothing" category and the "Women's Clothing" category. This is because some products may appeal to or be suitable for more than one group of customers. The cotton shirt in this case could be worn by both men and women, so it makes sense to classify it under both the men's and women's clothing categories.
The key thing to remember is that products don't have to fit neatly into just one category. Allowing a product to belong to multiple categories can better reflect the real-world complexities and versatility of fashion items.
For each product, it may have multiple available sizes and colors that allow customers to choose from.
Moreover, tags may assoicate to the product which allow customers to search the product in an efficient way.
Each product may come in multiple sizes and colors that customers can choose from. This gives customers more options and flexibility when making their purchases.
For example, a t-shirt might be available in sizes ranging from small to extra-large, and in a variety of colors like black, white, blue, and red. Customers can then select the size and color that best fits their preferences and needs. In addition to the different size and color options, products may also have associated tags. These tags act as keywords or labels that help customers search for and find the products they're looking for more efficiently.
For instance, a pair of jeans might have tags like "denim", "relaxed fit", "blue", and "men's". When a customer searches for "relaxed fit jeans" or "men's blue jeans", the system can quickly surface the relevant products based on these tags. The combination of size and color choices, along with the use of product tags, gives customers a more comprehensive and personalized shopping experience. It allows them to easily find and select the fashion items that best suit their style and requirements.
In addition to the size, color, and tag information, the site should also include a detailed product description for every item as shown above. The additional information should cover the key details below:
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Product Weight: The weight of the item, which can be helpful for things like shipping costs or carrying capacity.
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Product Dimensions: The specific measurements (length, width, height) of the product, so customers know how big or small it will be.
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Product Materials: The primary materials used to make the product, such as cotton, leather, polyester, etc. This gives customers a better of the product's quality and characteristics.
Users are able to leave reviews about the products they have purchased. This allows other customers to see real feedback about the items before they make their own buying decisions.
To leave a review, users don't need to go through a full login process. Instead, they can simply:
1. Select a rating for the product, on a scale of 1 to 5 stars.
2. Write a message or comment about their experience with the product.
3. Provide their name and email address in a drop-down menu or text fields.
Once the user submits this information, the review gets associated with the specific product they purchased.
This means the review will be displayed alongside that product, so anyone viewing the item can see what other customers have said about it.
The ability to leave reviews without a complex login process makes it easier for users to provide feedback. It encourages more customers to share their thoughts and experiences, which can be very valuable for other shoppers.
The fashion store website has a shopping cart feature that allows customers to add items they want to purchase. Since there is no membership system, each customer is identified by a unique session ID. This session ID is used to keep
track of the items in their cart.
When a customer wants to buy something, they can select the product, choose the color and size they want, and specify the quantity they need. The unit price of the item in the shopping cart may sometimes be different from the retail price shown on the product page.
This is because the store may have sales or promotions that change the prices.
The customer doesn't have to complete a payment process on the site. Instead, once they have filled in their shipping address and clicked the "Checkout" button, the order will be created in the store's database. After the order is created, all the items in the customer's shopping cart will be removed, as the purchase has been completed.
The fashion store staff can create various discount codes for promotional purposes. Each discount code has the following information:
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Discount Code (e.g. SUMMER2024)
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Discount Description (e.g. "15% off all summer apparel")
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Discount Percentage (e.g. 0.15 to represent 15% off)
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Start Date and End Date of the promotion
Customers can enter a discount code during the checkout process in the shopping cart.
However, only one discount code can be applied per order. The system will validate the code and apply the corresponding discount to the order total.
The fashion store keeps track of the status of each order placed by customers.
Order statuses could include:
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Pending
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Processing
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Shipped
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Delivered
Both staff and customers can view the current status of an order.
The store maintains a record of all orders, including the order details, the discount code used (if any), and the
final order status. This order history can be accessed by both staff and customers (for their own orders).
Objectives:
- Identify the key entities and their attributes for the fashion store.
- Determine the relationships between the entities and represent them in the ER diagram.
- Use appropriate symbols and notation to create a clear and comprehensive ER diagram.
- In your solution, you need to specify the follows in your diagram:
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Strong/Weak Entities
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Attributes
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Cardinality Constraint
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Total participation
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Primary key/Discriminator
For this assignment, you will need to create the Entity Relationship (ER) diagram using a tool like draw.io. Hand-drawn diagrams are not accepted - you must use a digital tool to generate the ER diagram.
When submitting the ER diagram, make sure to export it in a format that can be easily shared, such as an image file (e.g. PNG, JPEG). Do not submit a hand-drawn diagram, as that will not be accepted.
The use of a tool ensures the ER diagram is clear, professional, and easy to understand for the reviewers. Please let me know if you have any other questions about creating the ER diagram for this fashion store scenario.