CS 4400 - Introduction to Database Systems
Fall 2000

| Instructors |Textbook |Administration | Course Outline | New Stuff |








Course Listing: CS 4400. Introduction to Database Systems 3-0-3.
Prerequisite(s): CS 2330
Comprehensive coverage of mainstream database concepts such as the entity-relationship model, relational databases, query languages, and database design methodology. Includes a project.

Instructors

Section A:
Instructor:Leo Mark (leomark@cc)
Location: CCB 17 (MWF 1:00 - 2:00 pm)
Office Hours: Time (MWF 2:00 - 3:00 pm) CCB137
Phone: 4-2746
TAs: Ankur Gupta (agupta@cc), Office Hours COC Picnic Area MW:3-4:30
          Smita Ojha (smitao@cc), Office Hours COC Picnic Area MF:11-12:30
Section B:
Instructors:  Chris Jermaine (jermaine@cc) and
        Thom McLean (thom@cc)
Location: ESM 201 (MWF 11:00 - 12:00pm)
Office Hours:  Thom- CCB 328 (MW 12:00 - 1:30 pm)
        Chris- WF 1-2 CCB 137, WF CoC Picnic Area 3-3:30
Phone:  Thom-4-7486 Chris- 4-7008
TA: Cathy Eichholz Polk (cat@cc), Office hours CCB 148A 1-2:30 MW
.
Section C:
Instructors: Thom McLean (thom@cc) and
     Chris Jermaine (jermaine@cc)
Location: CCB 101 (MWF 2:00 - 3:00 pm)
Office Hours:  Thom- CCB 328 (MW 12:00 - 1:30 pm)
       Chris- WF 1-2 CCB 137, WF CoC Picnic Area 3-3:30
Phone:  Thom-4-7486 Chris- 4-7008
TA: Tanisha Hall (thall@cc.gatech.edu), Office Hours T, Th 3-4:30 in CRB (Centennial Research Building) 3rd floor

New Stuff (last updated December 1st)

  1. (9/6) The project description is now available here. It is in MS Word format.
  2. (9/6)This MS Word document tells you how to get started with Visual Basic and Access. While you won't actually start coding for 6 weeks or so, you can use this tutorial to help yourself get aquainted with the tools you'll need for the project.
  3. (9/6) Here (in pdf) is the example system that was modeled in class using the ER model, and here is the resulting model (in MS Power Point).
  4. (9/6) Quiz #1 has been scheduled to take place on September 20th.
  5. (9/6) Here is the take-home portion of Quiz #1, in MS Word format. This is due in class, at the time that Quiz #1 is held.  Please check the class newsgroup often for updates and questions/answers on this homework.
  6. (9/7) The first update/clarification to the homework is available on the newsgroup. Please check it often.
  7. (9/16) Here is a Quiz #1 that was given in a previous semester.
  8. (9/27) Here is an answer to the TH problem from Quiz #1.
  9. (9/27) Here is the answer to the relational algebra practice problem from Sections 2 & 3.
  10. (10/5) Here is the take-home postion of Quiz 2. It is due in class, when Quiz 2 is held, on October 20.
  11. (10/5) Here is the data for the take-home portion of Quiz 2.
  12. (10/18) The Wednesday, 5PM exam will be held in CCB (College of Computing Building) 52. That is downstairs, or under, the main level of the CoC.
  13. (10/18) A few practice problems for the exam have been posted to the newsgroup in response to a post under the subject sample midterm. Take a look.
  14. (10/22) In response to popular demand, here is a short discussion of the routing problem for Phase II and how you might go about solving it.
  15. (10/22) Recently, Chris gave a lecture on VB GUI (Graphical User Interface) program organization in Prof Mark's class. This lecture will be given this Wednesday in the other two sections. Here are the textual notes from that lecture and here are the forms (screens) from the silly, sample program we talked about building.
  16. (10/25) The due date for Phase II has been moved back to one week from today. The new due date is Wednesday, November 1.
  17. (11/3) Phase III is officially assigned on Wednesday. Here is what you can expect to receive at that time. START EARLY!!
  18. (11/3) Here is the data that you will use for Phase III. You are required to use this data in your database. If you want to start working on something this weekend, you can consider creating an MS Access database with this data. The basics on how to do this are described in the tutorial (see above). Nearly every OIT machine on campus (as well as the CoC and ISYE machines) have Access installed.
  19. (11/8) Here are the VB forms (or windows) that you will use for Phase III. Check out the additional project information available for more on this file, and how the grading of Phase III will work.
  20. (11/12) An alternate exam time has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 21 at 5PM (location TBD) for those who are unable to make the regular time. The only people who are cleared to take the exam then are those who have already contacted their respective instructor, with a legitimate reason for missing the earlier time.
  21. (11/16) Here is a Quiz#2 given in a previous semester, that contains an ER->relational mapping problem of the type you can expect on Quiz#3.
  22. (11/16) Here is a Quiz#3 from a previous semester, that has two successive decomposition into BCNF problems, of the type you might see on Quiz#3.
  23. (11/16) I've been asked many times how to import the provided data into Access. There are a multitude of ways to do this that are all very easy to do. Here is one such method.
  24. (11/17) For the 30 or so people who took the exam in Section B this morning, there was an error on the exam you took. Click here for details.
  25. (11/20) Despite the fact it's been posted on the newsgroup for a week, the question: "Where is the make-up exam being held" keeps on coming! It's in CoC 53. That's downstairs from the main level of the College of Computing.
  26. (11/29) Here are some important instructions for your Phase 3 demos.
  27. (12/1) Here are the lectures notes on data mining and data warehousing from class.

Reading

  1. Required Text:

    2. Elmasri and Navathe: Fundamentals of Database Systems (3rd Edition), Addison-Wesley, 2000
     
  2. Recommended Reference Books

    3. H. Korth and A. Siberschatz, Database System Concepts, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1986.
  3. Oracle Documentation:
  4. Course NotesSlides:

    5. The course notes and project description are forthcoming.
    Notes for section A .

Prerequisite(s)

You are expected to have basic programming skills.

Grading

The grade will be determined

Project

Develop a small real-world relational database application. The details of the project are being finalized. The project description and deadlines will be given in the 3rd or 4th week.

Course Outline

TOPICS CHAPTER
Basic concepts - data independence, database architecture, database system components 1, 2
Relational data model - introduction and algebra 7
Conceptual database level - entity-relationship model 3, 4
Mapping from ER model to relational model 9.1, 9.2
Methodology for the analysis, specification, design and implementation of database applications (Mark) Notes
Relational database design - normal forms, functional dependencies 14, 15
Relational Database Management System - Oracle 10
SQL query language 8
Embedded SQL in C programming language (perhaps?) Notes
Relational calculus qery languages 9.3, 9.4
Internal database level - storage structures 5, 6
Database security and authorization 22
Object-oriented databases 11, 12, 13
Client-server and distributed databases 24
Database and the Web (Mark/McLean) Notes
Data warehousing and data mining (Jermaine) 26

Last Updated: 09/16/2000