System-Level Documentation: Customer Information Screen
System-Level Documentation: Customer Information Screen
Overview
The Customer Information Screen is a critical component of the customer management system, providing a centralized view of key customer details. This screen allows users to view, update, and verify customer information such as name, address, phone number, and email. Designed for ease of use, it ensures that both IT personnel and business users can interact with customer data efficiently.
This document outlines the screen’s structure, its individual fields, and the COBOL code supporting its functionality. While this is primarily for developers maintaining or enhancing the system, the content is crafted to be accessible for IT executives and C-level stakeholders.
Screen Layout
Here’s the current design as seen in a 3270 terminal emulator:
---------------------------
Customer ID: 54321
Name : Jane Smith
Address : 456 Oak Street
City : Metropolis
State : NY
Zip Code : 10001
Phone : 555-987-6543
Email : jane.smith@example.com
---------------------------
Key Features:
- Monospaced Design: Ensures proper alignment for ease of readability.
- Logical Field Organization: Customer details are grouped in a logical sequence, starting with the ID and moving through address and contact details.
- Editable Fields: Users can update any field, except for the
Customer ID, which is a system-generated, read-only value.
Field Descriptions
Each field corresponds to a specific element in the underlying COBOL program and the database. Here’s an overview:
High-Level Source Code
The COBOL program that supports this screen is designed to display the data, handle user input, and update the database. Here’s a high-level breakdown of its components:
1. Data Division
The WORKING-STORAGE and FILE SECTION define the fields displayed on the screen and map them to database fields.
05 CUSTOMER-ID PIC 9(5).
05 CUSTOMER-NAME PIC A(30).
05 CUSTOMER-ADDRESS PIC A(50).
05 CUSTOMER-CITY PIC A(20).
05 CUSTOMER-STATE PIC A(2).
05 CUSTOMER-ZIP PIC 9(5).
05 CUSTOMER-PHONE PIC X(12).
05 CUSTOMER-EMAIL PIC A(50).
2. Display Logic
The PROCEDURE DIVISION contains logic to populate the screen with existing customer data, retrieve updates entered by users, and validate inputs.
DISPLAY "---------------------------".
DISPLAY "Customer ID : " CUSTOMER-ID.
DISPLAY "Name : " CUSTOMER-NAME.
DISPLAY "Address : " CUSTOMER-ADDRESS.
DISPLAY "City : " CUSTOMER-CITY.
DISPLAY "State : " CUSTOMER-STATE.
DISPLAY "Zip Code : " CUSTOMER-ZIP.
DISPLAY "Phone : " CUSTOMER-PHONE.
DISPLAY "Email : " CUSTOMER-EMAIL.
3. Validation
Input validation ensures data integrity. For example:
Statemust be a valid two-character code (e.g., "NY").Zip Codemust be numeric and exactly five digits.Emailshould conform to standard formats (basic validation for presence of@).
CUSTOMER-ZIP NOT NUMERIC OR
LENGTH OF CUSTOMER-ZIP NOT = 5
DISPLAY "Invalid Zip Code".
END-IF.
4. Database Interaction
The program uses SQL queries or indexed file operations to retrieve and update customer data. For example:
SELECT
CUSTOMER_NAME, :CUSTOMER-NAME,
CUSTOMER_ADDRESS, :CUSTOMER-ADDRESS,
CUSTOMER_PHONE, :CUSTOMER-PHONE,
CUSTOMER_EMAIL :CUSTOMER-EMAIL
FROM
CUSTOMER_TABLE
WHERE
CUSTOMER_ID = :CUSTOMER-ID
END-EXEC.
Maintenance and Future Enhancements
This screen is straightforward to maintain, with clear mappings between fields and database columns. Possible enhancements include:
- Adding a
Notesfield for customer-specific comments. - Implementing advanced input validation for fields like
Emailusing regex or similar logic. - Allowing search functionality directly from the screen to retrieve customer data by name or phone number.
Business Value
For IT executives and decision-makers, the Customer Information Screen is a key part of the organization’s ability to manage customer relationships. Its simplicity and reliability ensure accurate data entry and retrieval, forming the backbone of customer service and operational efficiency.
Image: GenerativeStockAI from Pixabay
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