The bike rental business would need a database to store important information like bike inventory details, rental orders from customers, customer accounts, payment information, and more. A relational database management system (RDBMS) like Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, or PostgreSQL would be well-suited for this as it allows the storage and retrieval of data from multiple tables that are related to each other.
The business would first need to design the database schema by identifying the key entities or tables needed like Bikes, Customers, Orders, etc. The Bikes table would contain attributes like bike_id, model, size, color, quantity available etc. The Customers table would contain attributes like customer_id, name, email, phone, payment information etc. The Orders table would link a customer to specific bikes in an order with attributes like order_id, customer_id, bike_ids, date, status etc.
Additional lookup tables may also be needed – for example, a BikeModels table to store allowed bike models and their details separately from inventory. This normalized data model structure allows flexibility to add new attributes easily without changing existing tables. Primary and foreign keys would be used to link tables and ensure data integrity.
Once the database schema is designed, the tables can be created in the chosen RDBMS using SQL commands. Test data can then be inserted before integrating with the frontend. Some initial stored procedures may also be created for common tasks like retrieving bikes by location, adding/removing bikes from inventory etc.
For the frontend website/app, the business would design user interfaces and pages using technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Frameworks like Angular, React or Vue could help build these interactive interfaces efficiently. Common pages may include:
Homepage showing featured bike models, rental locations and pricing plans.
Bike Inventory page listing available bikes with filters, allowing search/filter by location, size etc. Clicking a bike opens its details page.
Customer Login/Registration page to create and manage customer accounts.
Rental Checkout page to select bikes, dates and make payments.
Order History page to view past orders, print receipts.
Admin Interface for adding/editing inventory, managing orders/payments, customer support etc.
To integrate the frontend with the backend database, an application programming interface (API) would be created using a server-side language like PHP, Python or Node.js. The API endpoints would expose database operations as URL paths/endpoints that the frontend can make HTTP requests to.
For example, an “/api/bikes” endpoint could return a JSON response with available bikes data on a GET request. A “/api/customers/login” endpoint could handle user authentication. The frontend JavaScript code would make asynchronous AJAX/fetch requests to these API endpoints to retrieve and manipulate data without reloading pages.
Popular frameworks like Laravel (PHP), Django (Python) or Express (Node.js) have tools to quickly build RESTful JSON APIs for common CRUD operations on database entities. API security is crucial – HTTPS, authentication, input validation etc would need implementing.
Caching and databases views could improve performance for frequently requested data. Payment integrations via PayPal/Stripe’s APIs allows processing transactions securely. User account management – password hashing, email verification etc would follow best practices. The site would also need responsive design for mobile access.
Testing all features, security, error handling meticulously is very important before launch. Regular code versioning, updates, and monitoring usage/logs post-launch ensures high uptime and quick turnaround times for bug fixes/enhancements. Proper documentation of APIs, deployment processes streamlines future collaboration and scalability.
By using an SQL database structured with normalization best practices, building a REST API to expose it securely, and creating frontend user interfaces with modern frameworks – a full-featured, performant and robust bike rental web/mobile application integrated with the backend operational data can be developed to successfully run the business online. Regular improvements ensure a quality customer experience.