Suggestion for School Database Design

[crazycat503]

Please...i am not looking for comments like "u r better off buying a product"...i really wanna do this on my own. I hate to buy just because I can't do it. If they can do it, I should give it a shot at least.

Now, to the point...i want to create students database system. The college works on this fashion:

academic year (2011)=>terms (mostly 3 terms). Each term got its own semesters. Registration of NEW STUDENTS to the college is done at Term level while EXISTING students can sign up for new semesters at start of registration.

Students can sign up for day and ext program and select the courses they want to take per semester. They can pay full tuition or in any amount they like per semester. For e.g. if they select 6 courses in semester 1 and the total fee required for 6 courses is 3000, they can pay any amount they like in that semester. If they want to study in semester 2, they must be clear of any fees in semester 1. Fees per credit is set at Semester level so if there is change in semester 2, they have to pay according to semester 2.

I have done all this successfully..now my problem is the following:

1. How do you handle students who pay full tuition? That is any changes in fee won't affect them? How about students who pay in pieces? Mind you: there is no minimum or maximum they can pay. Today a student can pay 100 then next week he can pay 1000 etc.

2. Graduated/Left Students: If a student quits or finishes, how do u think is best to handle his data? Should I still keep him in tblStudents table with the active students?

Any other idea you think is good for this kind of database is most welcome. I will share my design with you all once I am done with the final program.

 

[jdraw]

There are quite a few free data models available at www.databaseanswers.org

There are some that deal specifically with schools/students.

Some of these, or a combination of parts of these, may be useful to you for comparison/ design options etc. This post isn't intended to have you drop what you have; it is meant to show you how someone else has done something in this subject area.

http://www.databaseanswers.org/data...systems/school_management_system_physical.htm
http://www.databaseanswers.org/data_models/school_management_systems/facts.htm
http://www.databaseanswers.org/data_models/student_assessments_complex/index.htm
http://www.databaseanswers.org/data_models/student_information_systems/index.htm
http://www.databaseanswers.org/data_models/student_registration/index.htm

and there are others.

Here is a general guide to design that may be useful.
http://www.databaseanswers.org/approach2db_design.htm

Good luck with your project.

 

[ClareLou80]

Jdraw, i would just like to say thanks for taking the time to post these links! They have certainly given me something to think about when dealing with my own database issues.