A tracker nobody can use
A student starts a sheet to track club attendance. After a month it has dates typed three ways, names in two columns and no room for new clubs.
A little planning first would have saved all of it.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Dataset | a collection of related data about one subject | |
| Data type | the kind of value a column holds | integer |
| Volume | how much data there is, such as the number of rows | |
| Variety | how many different kinds of data there are | |
| Requirement | something the dataset must do or have | |
| Integer | a whole number |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can list the design requirements a dataset needs before I set it up.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Start with the purpose
First review the purpose. What question must the dataset answer, and who will use it?
Then gather the data that answers it. Ask what is needed, where it lives and whether you may use it. Leave out data you will never use.
From purpose to columns
| Purpose | Columns needed | Not needed |
|---|---|---|
| How many pupils came to each club each week | club, week, pupil_count | Home addresses |
| Which room gets too hot | room, reading_time, temperature | Pupil names |
| Which books are late | book_id, due_date, returned_date | Book cover colour |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.