Micro Halal Community Enterprise Database System: Case Study in Pattani and Songkhla Provinces

Abstract

     Government has given priority to the Halal industry in the five southern border provinces through Thai Ministry approval in 2009. The Halal industry has produced several products through groups of Small and Micro Community Enterprises (SMCEs). However, this particular business model still lacks a mechanism to support some significant data in the areas of producing and marketing, among others that will partly enhance such businesses. The database system is a major factor in enhancing and strengthening the economic structure so that people will be able to access production, data storage, and knowledge distribution for the creation of a knowledge-based, economic society. This study aimed to determine user needs and the primary data of a Halal standard for SMCEs and to design and create a database system for the Pattani and Songkhla Halal SMCEs through a webpage. The results revealed that there was a need for a database system for Halal SMCEs that was related to the production process (30%) with the product market and marketing options at lower percentages. Furthermore, the results indicated that the database system needed to give more importance to the information related to the production process, product markets, and the marketing options of Halal SMCEs in Pattani and Songkhla provinces. The database system was composed of general data of the SMCEs, production process, production markets, market opportunities, and other useful and needed data. The program designed was composed of 16 data files—general data, SMCE product data, product group data, product type data, subunit product type data, product data, production process data, production market data, market opportunity data, provincial data, district data, sub-district data, SMCE group, SMCE type, SMCE detail, and SMCE name. Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, and My SQL were used for the database system design. SMCE groups, producers, consumers, businessmen, researchers, and academic personnel can easily gain benefits from this system through accessing the webpage at www.smce-halal.com.