Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Is this a good idea? (AQA CPT6 Project)

While looking through the data models on www.databaseanswers.org I found one for a Pub Quiz. This is the first project idea that I've actually considered doing but I'm not sure if it's any good?

I'm looking to get at least a high B in this module so I don't want to be doing something too trivial - but at the same time don't want to do something so challenging that I don't have time to do the write-up (something I KNOW I will struggle with).

I will be using MS Access, because we weren't really taught any programming other than some fairly useless VBA - which runs through Access anyway. Although I do know some PHP/MySQL so I could probably do it through that if it wasn't too hard.

Anyway - what do you guys think of this as a possible project? I doubt I would have much trouble finding a 'client' as several pubs around here run quizes, and I also think it would be quite novel & fun to do. The only obvious drawback is that I would have to enter like, a thousand questions which will obviously take quite a while, but my thoughts are that I'll end up a master of general knowlege if nothing else!

In the past 5 mins I made a quick mock-up of the database in Access:

Not sure if I covered everything, I'm bloody knackered and not feeling too good so I probably ballsed it up somewhere.

So yeah, feel free to discuss your own ideas as well. And if you wanna talk abotu CPT6 over MSN or summat then PM me.

Reply 1

michaelbenson

The problem is that the examination board really recommend that your project be a real problem. Therefore by selecting yourself a problem of which you will have no way to test it with the prospective customer, or include valid testing results you will end up with an awful lot of forgery and have to master the art of lying in your documentation. e.g., The customer was unhappy with my current efforts, because of factors X, and Y, therefore i implemented Z, which tackled the problems outlined by the customer.

Reply 2

Kendra

This might sound harsh, but I think that's a bad idea for a project.

Who would use a computer for a pub quiz? Probably noone. Your other problem is that, as you admit, the project would be a massive collection of questions and an individual just starts a new quiz - it will just output say 100 questions for the individual pub (I guess x amount per category). You could try and complicate it further though - add teams who register, then it inputs points they get and follow them over the year... even then it needs something extra.. a process. Pub Quizes don't take that long to put together (I put one together and took about an hour).

michaelbenson has a point - it needs to be a real project with real people (or a real project with very good fake people, which is what I did).

My A Level project was a Computer Based Competition System (http://www.snookbase.com/cpt62003.pdf), I forged the concept as "a local snooker club wants to expand it's business and found competitions increased membership... blah blah blah blah blah".

I think it was George Bush who gave the final feedback interview :smile: