Dictionary management sounds like “back-end chores”, but it is actually the key fulcrum of B-end system configuration capabilities. This guide will start from real business scenarios and systematically disassemble the design logic, key fields and typical pits of the module, so that you can understand how to build a dictionary module that can run for a long time and is stable.
1. What is dictionary management?
In complex information systems, there is a large amount of frequently used and relatively fixed basic data, such as user gender, level, position, etc. In order to manage this data efficiently and standardly, the dictionary management module came into being. Dictionary management, simply put, is a module that controls all kinds of dictionary data in the system. These dictionary data are the basic information collection with a fixed value range in the system, and the centralized maintenance, query and use of these data can be realized through the dictionary management module.
2. What is the use of dictionary management?
1.Ensure data consistency: In the process of system development and operation, if the definition and value of the same basic data are not uniform between different modules or function points, it will lead to data confusion. The dictionary management module centrally defines and maintains dictionary data, ensuring that the basic data used throughout the system is consistent and providing a reliable basis for data statistics, analysis, and interaction.
2.Improve development efficiencyDuring the development process, developers do not need to repeatedly define and maintain basic data in each functional module, but only need to call the data in the dictionary management module, which reduces duplication of labor and speeds up the development progress.
3.Easy system maintenanceWhen the business needs change and the basic data needs to be modified, only one modification is needed in the dictionary management module, and all references to the data in the system will be automatically updated, avoiding possible omissions and errors in multiple places one by one, and greatly reducing the system maintenance cost.
To achieve these three challenges, product managers will only continue to appreciate
Good product managers are very scarce, and product managers who understand users, business, and data are still in demand when they go out of the Internet. On the contrary, if you only do simple communication, inefficient execution, and shallow thinking, I am afraid that you will not be able to go through the torrent of the next 3-5 years.
View details >
4.Enhance system flexibility: Through the dictionary management module, you can flexibly add, modify, or delete dictionary data according to the development and changes of the business, so that the system can quickly adapt to new business scenarios without large-scale modification of the system code.
3. Practical analysis
1.Sort out the dictionary types: Comprehensively sort out and classify all dictionary data involved in the system. According to the professional title, it can be divided into user job information dictionaries (such as positions, levels), skill attribute dictionaries (such as skill attributes, proficiency), and role status dictionaries (such as enabled and disabled). Clarify the scope of application and business implications of each dictionary type to ensure that important dictionary data is not missed.
2.Sort through the dictionary’s page fields: Determine the field information required for each dictionary on the management page, usually including the dictionary encoding (the code that uniquely identifies the dictionary), the dictionary name (the Chinese name of the dictionary), the dictionary type (the dictionary classification to which it belongs), the dictionary value (the specific value of the dictionary), the sort number (controlling the order in which the dictionary is displayed on the page), status (enabled/disabled), created by, creation time, etc. Fields can be added or deleted appropriately according to actual business needs.
3.Draw a prototype: Use prototyping tools (such as Axure) to draw a prototype diagram of the pages of the dictionary management module, including the dictionary name list page, the dictionary type addition/edit page, the dictionary item list page, the dictionary item addition/edit page, etc. The prototype diagram should clarify the layout of the page, button positions, form elements, interaction logic, etc., and intuitively display the user interface and operation process of the dictionary management module to facilitate team members to understand and communicate.
4. Module ideas
1.Dictionary type management: Implements the functions of adding, querying, modifying, and deleting dictionary types. Users can create new dictionary types, set the code, name, description and other information of the dictionary type; Quickly find the desired dictionary type through the query function; Modify and delete the existing dictionary type (when deleting, it is necessary to determine whether there is a dictionary item under the dictionary type, and if there is, it is not allowed to delete or prompt to delete the dictionary item first).
2.Dictionary item management: For each dictionary type, realize the functions of adding, querying, modifying, and deleting dictionary items. Dictionary items need to be associated with the corresponding dictionary type, and set the code, name, value, sort number, status, and other information of the dictionary items. You can query based on dictionary type, dictionary item name, and other conditions.
3.Permission control: Controls the operation of the dictionary management module, and users with different roles have different operation permissions. For example, ordinary users can only query dictionary data, and administrators can add, modify, delete, and other operations to ensure the security and integrity of dictionary data.
4.Dictionary caching: To improve system performance, cache commonly used dictionary data. When dictionary data is added, modified, or deleted, the cache is updated in time to ensure the consistency between the cached data and the database data.
5.Import export: Supports batch import and export of dictionary data. Users can import dictionary data through formats such as Excel, or export dictionary data from the system to Excel format for backup or analysis.
5. What problems and solutions need to be paid attention to during the development process
1.Dictionary data cache invalidation
If the cache is not updated in time after the dictionary data is modified, the system will use old data and the data will be inconsistent.
Solution:The cache update mechanism is adopted, and the corresponding cache data is immediately deleted when the dictionary data is added, modified, or deleted, and the cache is reloaded and updated from the database the next time. Caching tools such as Redis can be used in combination with AOP (facet-oriented programming) technology to automatically trigger cache update operations after the dictionary manipulation method is executed.
2.Dictionary item encoding duplication problem
Under the same dictionary type, duplicate dictionary encoding can lead to data confusion and query errors.
Solution:When adding or modifying dictionary items, the coding duplication is prevented by database unique constraints and front-end verification. establish a joint unique index for dictionary item encoding and dictionary type encoding in the database; After entering the encoding, the front-end page sends a request to the back-end for verification in real time, and if it already exists, it prompts the user to repeat the encoding.
3.Performance issues with a large number of dictionary data queries
When the amount of dictionary data in the system is large, frequent querying of dictionary data will increase the burden on the database and affect query performance.
Solution:In addition to caching, dictionary queries can also be paginated to reduce the amount of data returned by each query. Optimize database query statements, establish appropriate indexes, and improve query efficiency.
4.Dictionary data import format error
When a user imports dictionary data, if the Excel format does not meet the requirements (such as missing fields, wrong data types, etc.), the import will fail or the data will be incorrect.
Solution:Perform format verification on Excel files before importing, clearly stipulate the format and field requirements of the import template, and provide import template downloads on the front end. After receiving the file, the backend performs field checksum data type conversion for each row of data, records the data that does not meet the requirements, and prompts users with error messages.
6. Guide to avoiding pits
1.Avoid overly complex dictionary designs
The core of dictionary management is to manage basic data simply and efficiently, without over-designing and adding unnecessary functions and fields, otherwise it will increase development difficulty and maintenance costs.
2.Pay attention to the initialization of dictionary data
Before the system goes live, it is necessary to fully initialize the dictionary data to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the basic data. Prevent business from being unable to operate normally due to missing or error dictionary data after the system is launched.
3.Make a good backup of dictionary data
Regularly back up dictionary data to prevent dictionary data loss due to database failure, misoperation, etc. Dictionary data can be included in the backup scope in combination with the overall backup strategy of the system.
4.The test should be comprehensive
In the testing stage, all functions of the dictionary management module should be comprehensively tested, including normal operation scenarios and abnormal scenarios (such as repeated addition, deletion of referenced dictionary types, etc.). In particular, it is necessary to test the reference of dictionary data in other modules of the system to ensure that other modules can correctly obtain and use the updated data after modifying the dictionary data.
5.Consider the extensibility of the dictionary
When designing the dictionary management module, it is necessary to reserve a certain amount of expansion space to adapt to future business development. For example, add extended fields to dictionary types and dictionary entries to facilitate the addition of additional information in the future based on new business requirements.
8. Summary
The dictionary management module is an indispensable and important part of system management, which ensures data consistency, improves development efficiency, facilitates system maintenance, and enhances system flexibility through the unified management of basic dictionary data in the system.
When implementing the dictionary management module, it is basic to make preliminary preparations (sorting out dictionary types, page fields, sorting out the types and prototypes to be displayed in the dictionary); Clarify the module idea, realize the basic management functions, permission control, cache processing, etc. of dictionary types and dictionary items. At the same time, attention should be paid to solving problems such as cache failure and coding duplication that may occur during the development process, and follow the pit avoidance guidelines to ensure the stable operation of the module.
