How to make AIS (context slide)? How is it interconnected with the database, how is it all located on the server? How to set templates/blanks for documentation?

Question

Automation

I don’t have a normal experience in developing AIS, but the task is interesting, I took it, because there are no people for it, but there is a need to do it, and the experience is very interesting to me. This is a suggestion instead of an apology (just in case).
Description of the system.
There is a product quality department. The department includes division A (A) and division B (B). The product goes through several stages during the manufacturing process. Each stage ends with a quality test, a protocol is drawn up. At the end - the final production (final) protocol. The test laboratory assistant enters the data into the system, sees the generated protocol, confirms that the data remains in the database. Then the specialist of the department (higher in the hierarchy than the laboratory assistant) checks this data, which he will also see in the form of a document. Corrects, confirms. In the final protocol, personnel A can only edit the protocols of their department, similarly to personnel B. The head of the department (top of the food chain) can edit all protocols, update the regulatory document, i.e. everything that the department works with. There is also a moment with regulatory documentation: let's say a new standard, test, etc. was introduced into it. , then links to documents, the standard itself should change in the template / form of the document (does the boss). Some indicators are entered into excel to build control charts.
What to do?
I had experience in studies - a database in access: designing an ER diagram according to the Chen model, creating tables, structuring, queries, making a menu for entering - but all this was for one user. Had experience in designing an ER site model for a trucking auction. But there is no full-fledged experience in creating "from" and "to", so much is unclear. Collected information from the staff, what they want -> interaction scheme; which documents appear where; who has what rights.
It is not clear:
- what tags to search for information: database, EDMS (document management), system analysis, UML, database design or AIS design? (maybe there is a good example somewhere, maybe you need to dig in books on UML or read Wiggers)
- how templates / forms of protocols are made (as far as I remember, there were already blanks in Access that formatted the results of queries); is it possible that let's say the boss edits the template in MS Word (for example, just table borders, hyphenation), and the system uses this template to enter the user's data request?
- how is it all arranged on the server and how can AIS be served without the constant blessing of the system administrator? is it possible to determine the intervention of the system administrator in the case of "if, suddenly, you never know"?
- how to evaluate the power of the system? (let's say 1 protocol: there is some textual, some numeric data - how much it will be in the amount of data, in the number of lines, or in some other way) to have an answer: will a whole server be required or do we get by with there is?
- I would like to implement all this on mysql, Win7 OS users, what is on the server - I don’t know yet.

Answer 1

I recommend that you look towards BPM, for example ELMA Community. This is a free edition, but its functionality is enough to do everything that you described, besides, it is a Russian development, all the documentation is in Russian, there is good support.
As an alternative - Alfresco
But these are just tools.
In your case, you need to properly understand the general situation. As far as I can see, you need to implement a certain business process of your organization. I recommend that you move away from private tasks such as database design, server administration, etc. And study BPM. And I immediately recommend choosing a tool to "cook" in the environment of this tool.
When you dive into this topic, you will see how easy, beautiful and flexible you can solve your problem without getting into the programming level, mysql, Access, number of lines, etc.