CMSC 424: Database Design

Time-stamp: "99/12/24 16:50:28 chaw" (remember to check subpages too)

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• News: Final grade-sheet posted.

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• Class meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30pm to 1:45pm; EGR 0110.

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• Class newsgroup: csd.cmsc424.0101 (local to umd.edu). We'll use this newsgroup for announcements and discussions. Please post questions and comments to this newsgroup (instead of emailing them to the instructor or TA) unless you wish to keep your comments private. This newsgroup is required reading for this course, and constructive discussions are highly encouraged. (See note on class participation below.)

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• Instructor: Sudarshan S. Chawathe
  • Email: chaw@cs.umd.edu
    Please put the string "CMSC424-0101" near the beginning of the Subject header for all 424-related email.
  • Office hours: Mondays 3:00pm-4:00pm; Tuesdays 1:45-2:45pm; Wednesdays, 1:45pm-2:45pm.
  • Contact information: finger chaw@cs.umd.edu

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• Teaching Assistant: Vadim Katz
  • Email: vadim@cs.umd.edu
    
  • Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00pm-4:00pm.
  • Office: AVW 3136

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• Books:
  • Primary textbook: A First Course in Database Systems, Jeffrey D. Ullman and Jennifer Widom, Prentice Hall, 1997. (Available at the University bookstore.)
  • Optional references: Principles of Database and Knowledge-Base Systems (vols 1 and 2) by Jeff Ullman; Database System Concepts by Korth, Silberschatz and Sudarshan; SQL for Smarties by Joe Celko; A Guide to the SQL Standard by Date and Darwen; Foundations of Databases by Abiteboul, Hull and Vianu. (Most of these books are on reserve in Computer Science Departmental Library.)

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• Description: This course covers database systems from the perspective of database designers and database programmers (not to be confused with database system implementors). Thus, a more accurate course title is ``(database (design and programming).'' The emphasis is on fundamental topics that should be familiar to every computer scientist and good programmer. In addition to traditional topics such as Entity-Relationship modeling, relational database design theory, relational algebra and calculus, SQL, and Datalog, the course also covers object-oriented and object-relational databases, with topics such as ODL, OQL, and SQL3. For a more detailed listing of course topics, refer to the textbook's table of contents. Truth-in-advertising.

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• Schedule: Here is the proposed schedule. The actual schedule will depend on factors such as how quickly we are able to cover material, and feedback from the class.

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• Project: The programming project is a very important component of this course. Not only does it provide an opportunity to experiment with and apply the ideas discussed in class, it also provides experience in teamwork and project management. The project consists of designing, building, documenting, and demonstrating a substantial database application. Students are encouraged to pick an application domain that excites them, with the caveat that it include a nontrivial database component. Here is a collection of some ideas that may help. A series of project reports and milestones should help keep the project on schedule. Project Guidelines.

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• Programming: This course assumes that students have enough programming experience to be able to work in teams of about four to independently plan, design, and implement a substantial project involving a possibly new environment. Students are strongly encouraged to make sure they have such experience. Although the university maintains the Oracle database system for class use, we will not be covering nitty-gritty details of Oracle in class. (This course is not an Oracle tutorial.) Further, students are encouraged to install and use other database systems. Similarly, students are encouraged to program in a language of their choice.

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• Grading: Grading is based on class participation, homeworks, quizzes, a mid-term exam, a final exam, and a project; the weights in percentages are, respectively, 5, 15, 15, 15, 20, and 30.

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• Homeworks and Quizzes: Problems and solutions

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• T.A. Web page (with information on homework assignments, programming help, etc.). Online documentation for Oracle. Some good Oracle notes (at the textbook's Web site at Stanford).

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• Policies: Details
  • No work will be accepted after the date and time it is due. Missing work gets zero credit.
  • Academic misconduct will be very seriously penalized.
  • Policy on waiting lists, prerequisites, etc. (Prospective students, please read.)