Thabo is eager about the potential implementation of a new information system for the bakery. In this segment, the objective is to assist Thabo in understanding essential database concepts and how they will prove beneficial for optimising the bakery's day-to-day operations. Additionally, the discussion will delve into specific aspects of the bakery's workflow, such as inventory management, customer orders, and recipe tracking, to showcase the comprehensive advantages offered by a well-structured database system.Q.2.3

What are the differences between physical and logical views of information. Explain using examples from the scenario.
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Q.2.4
In your own words, explain a data warehouse then identify at least two (2) inputs and two (2) outputs of a data warehouse.
(5)Q.2.5

Q.2.5.1
Explain the concept of Big Data, along with the three (3) dimensions of Big data, using examples relevant to Thabo’s bakery.
(11)

Q.2.5.2
Provide your opinion, whether it’s necessary for Thabo to implement Big Data tools and technologies at this point in the business. Justify your opinion.
(4)

1 answer

Q.2.3
The physical view of information refers to how data is actually stored and organized on a storage device, while the logical view of information pertains to how the data appears to users in terms of relationships and structures. In the scenario of Thabo's bakery, the physical view would be how the information system stores data on the servers, such as the actual placement of customer orders, inventory lists, and recipe details. On the other hand, the logical view would involve how this data is presented to users, such as the layout of the user interface where Thabo can easily access and update customer orders, inventory levels, and recipe information.

Q.2.4
A data warehouse is a large centralized repository of integrated data from multiple sources used for reporting and analysis. In the context of Thabo's bakery, inputs to the data warehouse could include sales data, customer feedback, inventory levels, and production schedules. Outputs could consist of sales reports, inventory forecasts, customer segmentation analysis, and profitability trends.

Q.2.5.1
Big Data refers to large volumes of structured and unstructured data that cannot be easily processed using traditional database management tools. The three dimensions of Big Data are Volume (the sheer amount of data generated), Velocity (the speed at which data is processed and analyzed), and Variety (the different types of data sources). For Thabo's bakery, examples of Big Data could include customer feedback from social media platforms, sales data from online orders, and website traffic analytics. Implementing Big Data tools would enable Thabo to analyze this vast amount of data quickly and efficiently, gaining insights into customer preferences, inventory trends, and sales patterns.

Q.2.5.2
In my opinion, it may not be necessary for Thabo to implement Big Data tools and technologies at this point in the business. While Big Data can offer valuable insights and optimization opportunities, the bakery may not yet have reached a scale where Big Data analysis is crucial for decision-making. Thabo could focus on optimizing current operations and data management practices before considering the implementation of Big Data solutions.