COMP 3421 Database I
Fall, 2004
Index
Course Goals
When, Where, Outline
Course Personnel
Prerequisites
Course Texts
Email Help
Course Project
Exams
Grading Policy
Late Policy
Academic Integrity Policy
Course Goals
The purpose of this course is to offer the student an introduction to
the design and use of database systems.
We cover the entity-relationship approach to design,
followed by an overview of the relational model, how the E/R
model is expressed as relations, and how one uses a relational
database system to create a database.
SQL (Structured Query Language), the standard query language for
relational databases, will be learned and experienced.
It is not our goal to study database system implementation (e.g.,
how to build a system that processes SQL queries efficiently).
Study of that important subject begins in COMP 3/4422.
When, Where, Outline
Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 - 2:50 PM, JGH 316
A Course outline is available.
Course Personnel
| Person | Role | Office | Phone | Office Hours | Email |
|---|
| Scott T. Leutenegger |
Professor |
116 JGH |
(303) 871-2821 |
Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 - 10:45 |
leut@cs.du.edu |
| Gaurav Ghare |
Teaching Assistant |
320 JGH |
(303) 871-3316 |
Tuesday and Thursday, 3:00 - 5:00 |
gghare@cs.du.edu |
Prerequisites
COMP 2370 (data structures and algorithms) or its equivalent is expected.
Programming assignments will use the Oracle relational database
management system.
The Oracle system can be accessed ONLY via yale.cs.du.edu
Textbooks
The text for the course is
Database Management Systems
by R. Ramakrishnan and J. Gehrke, McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Since we are going to be using the Oracle system, you may also wish to
purchase one of several Oracle manuals.
Check out Tattered Cover, Softpro, or amazon.com, many books exist.
Probably a better choice is an SQL manual.
Two recommended books are:
-
Oracle SQL: The Essential Reference
D. Kreines and K. Jacobs, O'Reily & Associates, 2000
-
Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes (2nd Edition)
B. Forta, Sams, 2001
Email Consulting
If you need a quick answer to a question, try sending email to both
the TA and I, {leut,gghare}, with luck you'll get a reply shortly.
Course Requirements
Project
A feature (or bug?) of COMP 3421 is that everyone writes their own database
application.
You do some work on the project each week, beginning with selecting
your application, designing the database, obtaining and loading your
data into a real database management system, and finally writing a number of
SQL queries, and exercising other
features of SQL.
Late penalties.
The late penalty is 100 \% after you have used your two grace periods. In
other words, once you have used your grace periods you will not
get any credit for late work.
Exams
- Midterm: In class, Thursday October 21, 1:00 - 2:55, 2004.
- Final: Tuesday Nov 23, 1:00 - 2:55, 2004.
Grading Policy
| Component | Weight |
|---|
| Project | 30% |
| Midterm | 35% |
| Final | 35% |
Late Policy
You get two grace periods of 48 hours. After that grace periods are used all assignments must be turned in on time.
You may not use both grace periods on the same assignment.
If you know you will be out of town, please do the work before you
leave to avoid a zero on the assignment.
Academic Integrity Policy
The basic presumption is that the work you do is your own.
Occasionally, especially when working problem sets or
writing programs (but never on exams!), it may be
necessary to ask someone for help.
You are permitted to do so, provided you meet the following two
conditions.
-
You explicitly acknowledge the help on the work you hand in.
-
You understand the work that you hand in, so that you could explain
the reasoning behind the parts of the work done for you by another.
Any other assistance by another person constitutes cheating and
will be treated as such.
We shall not deduct credit for small amounts of acknowledged assistance.
Such shared interest can be beneficial to all concerned.
We do reserve the right to give less than full credit in circumstances
where it appears that there has been large-scale division of labor, and
you are not getting as much learning out of the assignment as you should.
If you have any questions about what this policy means, please discuss
the matter with the instructor now.