A Practical Usage of Innovative Web Design Methodology: The Relational Modeling Methodology

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1 Abstract The web platform has transformed itself in the few years since its inception in 1993 from an instrument used merely to establish on-line presence to a platform that can support all facets of organizational work. A unique design methodology for developing a website known as Relational Modeling Methodology (RMM) has been used in the developing a dynamic website for the College of Engineering at FIU. RMM provides a structured design methodology for the development of a large class of hypermedia applications, facilitating their design, development and maintenance. There are three levels of modeling a Web Information System (WIS) application. They are Presentation Level, Logical Level and Storage Level. The presentation level deals with how the information is presented. At this level, one chooses information to group together or separate and hyperlink, into presentation units, such as web pages. The storage level describes how information is organized physically, in terms of what software applications (e.g., databases, graphic editors) are needed, what files are used, in what kind of directory organization, etc. In between the storage and presentation levels, the logical level maps the information stored in databases and web servers onto the actual web pages as seen by the end user. HTML editors have been used for the presentation layer and web-analysis tools for the storage layer. There are, however, no definitive modeling mechanisms to handle the logical level and a structured approach to working with it. This is where the main contribution of RMM lied; RMM is the modeling language used to represent information domain and navigational structure of this promotional website at the logical level. A key contribution of RMM was the formalization of these mappings, which lead to the development of well structured and easily maintainable website. This paper will present the logical structure and useful applications of RMM.

2 Introduction Hypermedia projects differ from traditional software development projects in several critical dimensions. The design of hypermedia applications involves capturing and organizing the structure of complex domain and making it clear and accessible to end users. Hypermedia design is a challenging process that is currently more of an art than a science. The need for prototyping and intensive testing with users is even more pronounced in hypermedia development than it is with traditional software, because user tolerance to errors in hypermedia applications is very low [1]. Hypermedia applications have volatile data, which requires frequent updating, means to routinize and automate both the initial development and subsequent update process. RMM focuses on highly structured applications with high information volatility. It provides guidelines that can facilitate the automated design process of hypermedia applications. RMM is based on the popular Entity Relationship (E-R) model

3 Modeling Levels Of Web Information Systems Web Page Web Page Web Page Web Page Web Page Presentation Level HTML Pages AD HOC Logical Level? Graphics, animations Reports and scripts Storage Level

4 Application Diagram For College Of Engineering At FIU A p p lic a t io n D ia g r a m E n g in e e rin g D is c ip lin e P a g e H o m e P a g e B u lle t in O th e r In fo r m a tio n L is t o f E n g in e e rin g d is c ip lin e s In te re s tin g F a c ts L is t o f in te r e s t in g fa c t s E n g in e e r in g D is c ip lin e P a g e L is t o f e n g in e e r in g d is c ip lin e s R e s o u rc e s F o r S tu d e n ts In s titu te s & C e n te r s S tu d e n t o r g a n iz a tio n s F re q u e n tly A s k e d Q u e s tio n s L is t O f F A Q s U n d e r g ra d u a te R e s e a r c h O p p o rtu n itie s P a g e L is t o f r e s e a r c h la b s w h ic h u n d e r g r a d u a te r e s e a r c h o p p o r tu n itie s S o lv e P u z z le /T a k e A Q u iz L is t o f q u iz c a te g o r ie s P o s t A Q u e s tio n F o r m to p o s t a q u e s tio n A d m in is tr a to r P a g e Q u iz P a g e L is t o f q u e s tio n s R e s u lt P a g e In fo r m a tio n U p d a te F r e q u e n tly A s k e d Q u e s tio n s L is t o f F A Q s to b e u p d a te d D e le te F r e q u e n tly A s k e d Q u e s tio n s L is t o f F A Q s V is ito r D e ta il P a g e L is t o f v is ito r d e ta ils V is ito r S ta tis tic s P a g e O th e r in fo r m a tio n C r e a te Q u iz P a g e T it le N o : o f Q u e s tio n s N o : o f a n s w e r s M a r k s fo r c o r r e c t a n s w e r s M a r k s fo r w r o n g a n s w e r s V o lu n te e r M a il R e p ly P a g e M a ils S e n t to th e v o lu n te e r A d d F r e q u e n tly A s k e d Q u e s tio n s R e p ly m a ils s e n t to th e w e b m a s te r Q u e s tio n D e le te P a g e L is t o f p o s te d q u e s tio n s V o lu n te e r M a il V e r ific a tio n P a g e M a ils s e n t to th e v o lu n te e r G e n e r a te Q u iz P a g e Q u e s tio n A n s w e r

5 Post_Question.Mailcheck & Post_Question.Reply Post_question Post_question query Reply Mail username date flag query Back delete mailcheck Index sends Reg_info id userinfo volunteer id info reply

6 reso u rce Resource.Description stu d ent_o rg In st_cen ter nam e description nam e description Index Index link description Index

7 Conclusions The implementation of this dynamic promotional website for the College of Engineering at FIU ( shows that the adopted design approach is most suited for the given scenario. The system does not demand computer literacy from the user and hence is well suited to be operated by high school or middle school students. The system administrator has been given the capability to create the Quizzes, input FAQ s and change the content of the site with the provided interface on the web, without being qualified as a Webmaster. These features of the system make it very easy to operate. The system meets the standards of the WWW and demonstrates the implementation of RMM methodology. This site can be used extensively in future for promoting the website. This paper discussed a methodology that guides through the process of specifying the presentation generation process.

8 Recommendations Using IIS Server as the web server will enhance the system capability and performance than using Personal Web Server. Utilizing a database like Oracle or SQL server may be required as the database keeps building up during the course of time. Many improvements on the system interface could also be made to enhance the appearance. As demand for hypermedia products increases, there is need to the current design and construction approaches, which are highly labor intensive and costly, with more efficient approaches that produces standardized documentation, and give automated support for developers. The research described in this paper targets the support of automated hypermedia presentation design (in the context of Web-based Information Systems). Specifically, for applications involving data that change frequently, the design of hypermedia presentations requires a structured approach.

9 References [1] Garzotto, F., Paolini, P., and Schwabe, D. HDM: A model-based approach to hypertext application design. ACM Trans. Off. Info. Syst. 11, 1 (Jan. 1993), [2] Flavius Frasincar., Geert Jan Houben., and Richard Vdovjak: An RMM-Based Methodology for Hypermedia Presentation Design. Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands [3] Balasubramanian, P., Isakowitz, T., Stohr, E.A.: RMM: A Methodology for Structured Hypermedia Design Communications Of The ACM, 38 (8): 33-44, August 1995

10 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Stephanie Strange, Recruitment officer of the Deans Office and the Engineering Student Council at FIU, for helping me in achieving my goal and supporting the project.