Introduction
In Abu Dhabi, like in most other developed cities, car rental is a thriving business. With modernization, technology has found its way into the business, especially in the form of computer usage in the assignment of cars to clients and in the tracking of the vehicles when the hand-over is complete. This proposal is specifically for the design of software to be used in handling the transaction processes before the car is given to the customer, as well as in the clearance process when the client returns the vehicle.
System overview
The software, tentatively named AutoXpress Car Rental will fundamentally help in the collection and storage of details about the client. As such, it will provide slot for the input of the customer’s name, government-assigned identification number, employment/business number and contact details. Secondly, it will have the facility to allow the feeding of the car details. Here, the attendant will provide the make of the car, its registration number, the year of manufacture, mileage covered and servicing details.
This information can be fed into the system in advance and is continually up to date, through the addition of any relevant information. This will make it easier for the operator to provide the correct information, because all he/she has to do is type in the registration number of the car and all associated details spring up.
Next, AutoXpress will allow the presentation of the details of the contract between the client and the company. Here, the operator will feed in the amount of time for which the car will be out, the agreed rental cost per day and the total cost. Finally, the software will carry the terms and conditions of the transaction.
This can be an auto-generated page that the client needs to go through in order to be clear on how the can be used. The ramifications of going against the established regulation will also be presented, before a slot for the customer to provide his/her signature as proof of agreeing with the contract is provided.
Design considerations
In the development of the software, the first guiding pointer is that it will be used by individuals with varied computer understanding levels. Consequently, it will only be prudent to ensure that its interface is as simple as is practically possible. The page layout will be made in such a way that unnecessary clutter is left out, in order to make the software less strenuous on the computer’s operating system. Simplicity will also provide for easy updating and error rectification.
Assumptions and dependencies
The software will be designed in such a way that it can be used with almost any available operating system. The most obvious ones are Microsoft Windows (in all its formats) and Mac OS. The software should easily work in tandem with other drivers such as the ones providing the connection to the printer and the company’s database. This will help in streamlining of operations, from the front desk all the way to the administration office.
General constraints
AutoXpress will be a relatively easy software to handle and will therefore work on computers with different system specifications. However, it is also necessary to note that there has to be a base limit of requirements for it to run effectively. Verification and validation is also a demanding task, given the competitive nature of the software design industry. As such, it will take a lot of work to ensure that all loopholes are sealed, if this software is to pick up in the market.
Because of the need to store information on the cars’ history, it will also be mandatory that the clients who use the software be in a position to afford proper data storage facilities, the other option being to hand-over the function to companies that specialize in data storage and distribution.
Goals and guidelines
The main goal in the AutoXpress development will be to come up with a product that will be the choice for all industry players. To this end, emphasis shall be placed on speed versus memory, with the primary aim being the creation of a product that will not push the client into the acquisition of extra hardware.
Architectural strategy
Any available software whose functionalities can be borrowed will be considered in the development of AutoXpress. This will go a long way in ensuring that the time spent in development is kept at a minimum. Another aspect for consideration during the design process is error detection and recovery.
This is because customers will tend to go for products that will give them minimal incidents of crashes. The software will be more appealing if it can self-recover without requiring the user to go the extent of rebooting the system. The coding of the software will be to a great extent open-ended in order to allow for further development and upgrading.
System architecture
The system will be layered in strata in order to make the connection between various elements straightforward and efficient. For this purpose, six layers will be considered as listed next. First, there will be the interface, which will in essence comprise the user and system interfaces.
The two will work together to ensure that what the operator of the system wants is what he/she gets. Java Server Pages will be implemented using the Swing class library in the creation of the user interface while the web services wrapper will be used for the development of the system interface.
After the interface, the next layer will be the application and controller which will be implemented using enterprise Java Bean entity classes. Persistence layers will then come in to provide the functionality for storage of data as well as for deleting it from the system.
All the four layers described above will work in conjunction with the system and processes layers for effective delivery. The system layer basically provides the operating-system specific elements for the software by ensuring its portability. The process layer will present the business logic which will take the involvement of all the other layers.
Policies and tactics
The choice of the compiler, interface and database will be determined after an assessment exercise of the available variety in order to ensure efficiency and desirability. Algorithms will also be settled on depending on immediate needs and requirements, with the provision of combination whenever need arises.
Testing and maintaining the software will be dependent on established industry frameworks, with the initial process involving the direct participation of the targeted users. The specific nature of the car rental business requires that an intensive assessment process of the happenings on the ground be carried out. This will ensure that all views and needs of the potential clients are taken into consideration when coming up with the design.