Database Analysis

Dear Michael,

This memorandum is similar to last week’s memorandum on office automation software. The Navy utilizes many types of databases. I’m not certain of the exact types of most of them. The biggest database utilized tracks all personnel in the Navy. The Navy must know the location of each and every sailor at any given time. Because of this each command in the Navy submits a “muster report” daily. This muster report is a status of the personnel at each command. If a person is missing or simply just doesn’t show up for work they’re listed as an unauthorized absentee. This allows the Navy to file deserter paperwork if they’re gone for over thirty days. Additionally in the case of a natural disaster like a hurricane or tornado the Navy will be able to account for their personnel quickly and accurately. But the most important personnel accounting occurs everyday in Iraq. Sailors are augmenting many Army units and each of these personnel must be accounted for each day. This database is by far the most important database maintained by the Navy. I don’t know much about the technical aspect of this database so I’m unable to discuss it smartly.

Another database I utilize on a daily basis is called the Buffer Management Tracker or BMT for short. This is a Microsoft Access database which interacts with NALCOMIS on a daily basis. This database tracks what we call TRR (time to reliably replenish). This is basically a fancy term for turnaround time. Due to the war in Iraq the entire Department of Defense has had to cut out unnecessary costs. This database allows the senior leadership a way to track the repair cycle of aircraft components. The advantage of watching the cycle more closely is that in our level of repair we are able to “flag” high cost items and if they’re not able to be repaired at our level we can send them to the proper repair facility on a work request rather than just sending it off and not worrying about the cost to repair....