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SQL is a powerful tool for managing data in relational databases. In this blog, we will be demonstrating how one could build a basic Classroom Equipment Reservation and Loan Tracking System with SQL.
Setting up the database
First, we need to design and create our tables. For this system, we will have three tables: ‘Equipment’, ‘Reservations’ and ‘Loans’.
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CREATE TABLE Equipment ( EquipmentID INT PRIMARY KEY, EquipmentName VARCHAR(255), AvailableQuantity INT ); CREATE TABLE Reservations ( ReservationID INT PRIMARY KEY, StudentID INT, EquipmentID INT, ReservationDate DATE, FOREIGN KEY (EquipmentID) REFERENCES Equipment(EquipmentID) ); CREATE TABLE Loans ( LoanID INT PRIMARY KEY, ReservationID INT, LoanDate DATE, ReturnDate DATE, FOREIGN KEY (ReservationID) REFERENCES Reservations(ReservationID) ); |
In our simple setup, each equipment resource can be reserved and loaned out to students. The ‘Reservations’ table keeps track of which student reserved which equipment and when, while the ‘Loans’ table records the actual loan, including when the equipment was borrowed and when it was returned.
Reserving an Equipment
A new reservation can be inserted into the Reservations table like this:
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INSERT INTO Reservations(StudentID, EquipmentID, ReservationDate) VALUES (12345, 1, '2022-05-01'); |
Loaning and Returning Equipment
With a reservation in place, an equipment can be loaned out like this:
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INSERT INTO Loans(ReservationID, LoanDate) VALUES (1, '2022-05-02'); |
When the equipment is returned, we can update the return date in the Loans table:
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UPDATE Loans SET ReturnDate = '2022-05-15' WHERE LoanID = 1; |
Tracking Equipment Availability
To see all equipment that’s currently available (i.e., not on loan), we can join the Equipment, Reservations and Loans tables and filter for rows where ReturnDate is NULL (signifying the equipment hasn’t been returned yet):
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SELECT e.EquipmentName FROM Equipment e LEFT JOIN Reservations r ON r.EquipmentID = e.EquipmentID LEFT JOIN Loans l ON l.ReservationID = r.ReservationID WHERE l.ReturnDate IS NULL; |
Conclusion
In conclusion, SQL is a powerful tool that can be used to create a Classroom Equipment Reservation and Loan Tracking System. With a basic understanding of SQL, you can create, update, and track records effectively.
Disclaimer
While this example is a simple demonstration of what you could potentially do with SQL, it lacks many features that you’d need in a production system, such as error handling and transaction processing.