Case Study $-$ Rodney Gas Billing System

Rodney has just begun to provide gas to a limited number of customers. It is

expected that the number of customers will increase as further gas pipes are

installed. Currently the billing is done manually, but it is planned to computerise the

system in anticipation of increased volumes of users. You have been requested to

investigate the system and prepare a system proposal.

This is what you have found out from your information gathering;

The meter reader visits the gas customers every six weeks in order to read

their gas meter. When all readings have been logged for the period, the meter

reader brings the log into head office where the accounts clerk copies the

readings into a "Customer Gas Meter Readings" file which contains, for each

customer, details of their previous readings.

To produce the bills for the customers, the accounts clerk subtracts the

customer's previous meter reading from their current reading, in order to find

the total vol$-$ ume of gas used for the period. This is multiplied by the gas

charge rate which the clerk finds in a "Gas Charge Rates" file. If this is the

first bill for the customer, a charge for installation may be added, and

sometimes there are maintenance charges. These extra charges are supplied

by the Maintenance Department. The gas charge rates are set annually by

management. All charge amounts are added to any previous amounts owed

which are found for the customer in the "Outstanding Bills" file. The current

bill is posted to the customer.

Customers post their payments to the Rodney offices. The payments are

banked and a "List of Deposits" is returned by the bank. This list is compared

to the "Outstanding Bills" and paid bills are placed in the "Paid Invoices" file.

Partial payments are recorded on the matching bill which remains in the

"Outstanding Bills" file.

Refer to this Case Study and answer the questions on the following pages.

Case Study Questions

Case Study QuestionsFiles $5$:$52$PM Mon Apr $15$

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Case Study Questions

For the Rodney Gas Billing System given on previous page:

Produce a System outline $($refer to page $2$ of Litchfield$(2017)2)$

$(10$ Marks$)$

System Outline

$\backslash$table$[[$Title$,$System,Document,Name,Sheet$],[$Input$,$Processes$],[$Files $($Datastores$)],[,,,$Outputs$],[$External Entities$],[$Author$,,,$Date,$]]$

Figure $1\mathrm{.}1$: Rodney Gas Billing System Outline.

${?}^2$ Litchfield, A$.(2017).$ IIVFJSOU Emterprise systems $-$ Bacnetor of Computer anta mrormatton Sctence: Process