Database driven website UK - Case Study
Sector: Government
Project Scope: Database driven website with CMS (Content Management System)
Client: The Countryside Agency
The government body Countryside Agency was responsible for issues relating to the countryside. Their 'Vital Villages' project involved the managing of information gathered from applications to 4 new regional grant schemes. The Countryside Agency required a database driven website and project database to store and present data on approximately 25,000 individual projects, including rejected applications. Rocktime developed an SQL database driven website incorporating the Rocktime Content Management System
The Countryside Agency had specified that information must be stored and presented in a way that:
- Allowed the data to be manipulated as required
- Allowed users to search in 3 interoperable ways, with the ability to refine searches
- Could link into other implementation programmes currently operational within the Countryside Agency
- Defined access and administrative capacity for users from the specified groups (user groups)
- Showed reports and results in graphical format, aiding easy interpretation of the data
- Compliant with the Countryside Agency's ITC Interoperability Framework, the eGMF & eGMS
In order to meet these requirements Rocktime designed the Vital Villages database using SQL - a high performance and very stable relational database designed to support high volume transaction processing and capable of handling large numbers of simultaneous users. A further benefit of using SQL was that it offers DBMS enforced data integrity, ensuring that data is not fragmented or orphaned. The database was structured using fields supplied by the Countryside Agency as the basis for the design.
The overall design of the website was based upon the existing branding of the Countryside Agency, and the Vital Villages literature, with design concepts being made available, via our extranet, for review and feedback. The agreed final website design was used as a basis for the whole application. It was necessary for the design to take into account the fact that many of users were likely to be using 56k modem connections, so file sizes needed to be kept small enough to allow quick page downloading.
The Rocktime Content Management System (CMS) ensured that staff could keep maintain the database records which could then be automatically uploaded to the website to ensure it was up-to-date. In order to make the input process as simple as possible, the online input forms within the CMS were designed in the same style and page format as the paper application forms that team members were already familiar with using. The stages of each process are clearly marked at the top of each page, allowing the user to click on them to move backwards and forwards through the information.
The implementation of a CMS allows Project Managers in the field to log on to the system and enter information about any of the grants operating under the Vital Villages scheme, rather than having to enter information onto paper forms and send these to head office for data entry. The way that the information was structured allowed easy access to all the information contained within the database, with a facility to run specific reports for presentation to the House of Commons.
Regular and effective communication and consultation with The Countryside Agency's IT department helped to ensure that the application was developed with an architecture that allows The Agency's other databases and applications to access and manipulate the data as required. The development and implementation of this project was so well received that it has been used as an example of ‘best practice' by The countryside Agency.
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