[dba-VB] back at it again...

so last week I completed my first ever for production mobile application on
iOS.  It was a great learning opportunity, and I was able to really get
into the working concepts of Objective C.  This little app allows users to
barcode their orders, view the materials they need to gather for their task
and review their pdf work instructions without needing to resort to paper,
fumble through pages to get to their instructions, and lastly they can
process their completed work from the iPad w/o having to go stand in line
at the computer workstation to log their work.  It was fun, and now that we
have the demo units out and we are testing we are looking at other "mobile"
opportunities.

The company wants a device agnostic mobile, product (so HTML5).  They have
an idea concept of a Troubleshooting guide (McAfee, if you're reading this,
yes, the idea is back).  It's actually a simple concept, You visit the
site, punch in your Serial Number so that the system can gather information
about what you might be having trouble with and then you simply pick and
choose from the array of questions and answers such as:

SN: 12345

I am having trouble with my Machine Spindle (because the user punched in
the SN, the questions would lead him straight to the group of questions
that match his product, ie: A type Machine with Spindles that are in-line.

the user is the presented with a group of choices / questions, ie:

The spindle will not turn
the spindle is noisy
the spindle turns rough
the spindle is hot to the touch


each choice invokes a group of response until the final answer leads the
user to a set of procedures. examples would be:

Is the Spindle within Specs?
> procedure: how to measure spindle temparture.

*yes
*no

(and so forth)

So my impulse idea is I need a star schema.

I'd need dimension tables For Questions, Answers and Procedures.  I think
the trick is in my Fact table when I'm deciding to present the user with a
result like the above...

Question: ---Procedure Link
Did you Test A (Here is the procedure to test A)
Answers:
*Yes
*No

this is really the first hash at this and any followup ideas are welcomed
as I hope to invoke further discussion on decision-supports solutions...

comments, questions, ideas?

Thank you,
-Francisco
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