BYUTranslate Database Manager

Executive Summary

The BYUTranslate Database Manager tool was built to solve a business problem faced by the Creative Works department at Brigham Young University with regard to managing the mobile application: BYUTranslate.  This tool aids the Creative Works department mainly by 1) providing a uniform method of importing translations into the database, 2) alleviating unnecessary work form the developers, and 3) providing the department director means of managing the database in an easy-to-use fashion.

In terms of providing background of the BYUTranslate app, the app has been available to users since the 2012 London Olympics, as a means of providing Olympic workers with a reliable means of translating phrases.  Since that time, the app has grown tremendously in functionality and breadth of available translations.  Several Creative Works employees and volunteers enter translations into the app’s database through a complicated process involving reading books in different languages, recording the phrases and their translations, running unreliable scripts to import the phrases into the database, and verifying that the database holds accurate and appropriate data.  This process involves several complicated steps, multiple transfers of information, and technology that has a history of failure.  The BYUTranslate Database Manager was made in order to simplify this process and bring greater reliability.

This tool aids those that import translations into the database by provided a uniform means of accomplishing their task.  The BYUTranslate Database Manager provides a simple form (on the “Upload” sheet) for the user to enter phrases, their appropriate translations, and the languages involved in the translations.  This was designed through consultation of the Creative Works director and people involved in importing new translations into the database.  Furthermore, this project removes the task for developers in the department of running PHP scripts on the new translations in order to import the information into the database.  By doing this, it will allow the developers to focus solely on managing the mobile application, adding enhancements to it, and fixing any bugs in the application.  Lastly, the director of the Creative Works department will now be able to personally manage the integrity of the database through the functionality available on the “Download” sheet.  On this sheet, it is possible to download a range of translations that have been inputted into the database, view important metadata about the translation, and even delete the translation if the director deems it to be necessary.  This functionality, as requested by the department director, will less time than the current process of requesting information about the database from the developers.

Overall, the BYUTranslate Database Manager solves multiple problems faced by the Creative Works Department at BYU, while saving time and money for the organization.  This tool aids those involved in identifying translations to be added to the database, and makes the process uniform for all of these people.  Additionally, the tool removes the need for the BYUTranslate developers to perform the actual importing of the phrases into the BYUTranslate database, to be accessed by the app users.  Lastly, the BYUTranslate Database Manager is a resource to the department director as a means of providing a way to download and view the translations in the database, and make any changes if necessary.  This project successfully uses VBA to solve multiple business needs, and improves the current process.

• Write Up: http://files.gove.net/shares/files/14f/amurray4/BYUTranslate_Database_Manager_Write_Up.pdf
• Note: Because of the sensitive nature of the VBA project, the project has been privately submitted to the TA via LearningSuite and is purposefully omitted from being included here.