Requirements Specification for idealnet/auction

Background

The client is an auction house. There are four auctions on the go at all times - with a week
between the closing dates. (Therefore a quarter of the database is updated
every week).

Current Setup

Visitors register on the site and payment by credit card is accepted - but only when their bid is successful.

Visitors surf the site, noting details and then place blind bids via email which are treated at head office as postal bids. They do not get any confirmation of the success of their message - only notification when they win the bidding.
What does this mean
Currently the action details are conveyed into the central system in flat files.

The existing FoxPro database contains details of auction items and auctions. This is maintained by the client.

Proposed System

This will be a typical database driven system. Visitors will be able to view all items in the database or select particular items by date, category or description.

Where images of the items are available they will be displayed.

Users will be able to register, thereby gaining a permanent user ID.

Users will collect items into a shopping backet.
The visitor should either see the basket while browsing, or have an on screen summary of the contents / value so far.
They should be able to delete from the basket before posting it.
When the visitor finishes bidding they should be able to post the result. The server should send them immediate confirmation of their bidding.
The system will retain details of bids until they are downloaded to the Client's database.
Requirement Not Clear
At the conclusion of the auction the bid prices are fed into the Client's Database from which emails are generated to successful and non-successful bidders.

Business Need

The new system offers three Business Benefits:

• Marketting: Improved public image/reputation
• Sales: Improved customer functionality should increase visitors and hence bids.
• Administration: Improved systematisation should reduce the amount of administrative work.

Users

The system will be used by ordinary web surfers wishing to register auction bids and by data administrators wishing to change item details.

Services

Data Administrator Services

1. Upload Items for a particular Auction
2. Delete all Items for a particular Auction
3. Maybe: Upload sale prices for items and notify item bidders of sale price
4. Maybe: Notify successful bidders
5. Download bid prices into auction database

Surfer Services

1. Register
2. Logon
3. Search items
   • By cataegory
   • By date
4. Add an item to a shopping basket
5. Edit items in shopping basket and enter bids against them
6. Post all bids
7. Recieve email notification of bid having been entered
8. Recieve email notification on bid being accepted

Constraints

The system is to be housed with an existing ISP on a linux machine. Will we be able to install jserv/jrun/postgres/webmacro?

The database will have to update approximately 2000 records per week.

What are the usage figures for the current site?.

What are the estimated usage figures for the new site?.

Document Dated: Mon Feb 22 19:53:40 1999
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