PRINCIPLES OF DATABASE MANAGEMENT
College of Business Administration, University of Cincinnati
IS 321, Winter Quarter, 1994
22-485-321-001
To: My students
From: Dr. Allen S. Lee, Associate Professor of Information Systems
Subject: Course syllabus and course policies
Date: January 4, 1994
OFFICE HOURS: E-MAIL (Student Access OFFICE: Scheduled office hours Network): 331 Lindner Hall are on Tuesdays, LEEAN 1:30-4:30. Also feel MAILING ADDRESS: free to drop by at any TELEPHONE: Mail Location 211 other time. If I am 556-7195 College of Business busy, we will schedule an Administration appointment for a MAIL BOX: University of Cincinnati different time. 302 Lindner Hall Cincinnati, OH 45221-0211 Appointments are also available. Phone to arrange a time.
Prerequisite: IS 280.
Required Textbooks:
Fred R. McFadden and Jeffrey A. Hoffer, Database Management, Third Edition, Reading, Massachusetts: Benjamin/Cummings, 1991.
Larry R. Newcomer, Select...SQL: the Relational Database Language, New York: Macmillan, 1992. ISBN: 0-02-386693-4.
Optional Casebook:
Fred R. McFadden, Jeffrey A. Hoffer, and Ananth Srinivasan, Casebook for Database Management, Third Edition, Reading, Massachusetts: Benjamin/Cummings, 1991.
Software (Optional, But Highly Recommended):
J.L. Harrington, R:BASE 3.1, Relational Database Concepts in Practice, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Course Technology, 1991.
This course is about database management systems (DBMS's). The objectives of the course are:
Although the course uses a DBMS software, the focus of the course is not on any particular software product, but on database principles, which are constant across different software products. DBMS software products will always be changing. A focus on any particular DBMS software product would impart a skill that would obsolesce quickly. For this reason, the course emphasizes database principles, rather than the syntax of any particular database software product.
Your grade for the course will depend on two hands-on DBMS assignments (20% each), one paper (20%), the midterm examination (20%) and the final examination (20%). Attendance at all classes is required. There will also be some ungraded software tutorials. Though I will not grade participation, I will call on you to answer questions during class.
The last day do withdraw from the course is March 1. An "incomplete" grade is given only in exceptional circumstances after the withdrawal deadline. Problems that might interfere with taking the final exam must be discussed prior to finals week. Makeup examinations are given only in exceptional circumstances. Late assignments will be accepted at the discretion of the instructor. Be sure to keep backup copies of all assignments (hardcopies of text and printouts, as well as software) for yourself.
There are three categories of DBMS's into which most DBMS softwares fall: relational, hierarchical, and network. The concrete examples which this course uses to illustrate database principles involve relational DBMS's.
The assigned projects require the use of a microcomputer-based relational DBMS software, R:BASE 3.1, which is available on the network in the student lab on the second floor of Lindner Hall. An option, not a requirement, is for you to purchase a copy of R:BASE 3.1 at the UC bookstore. Unlike the student versions of other database packages, the student version of R:BASE is not crippled. Though a software product for microcomputers, R:BASE contains a powerful application generator and code generator, capable of easily creating menu-driven applications for end users (provided, of course, that the database has already been properly designed according to general database principles). Also impressive is the fact that R:BASE, though only an inexpensive relational database product for microcomputers, supports the ANSI-1989 Level 2 version of SQL (i.e., the full language of SQL except for IEF - the Integrity Enhancement Feature). Some microcomputer-based relational database products do not support any SQL.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
McFadden & Hoffer
Topics Chapter Pages
Week 1
Jan 4 the Database environment 1 3-30
Jan 6 A Database Application for Pine 2 34-77
Valley Furniture
Week 2
Jan 11 data modeling 3 79-119
Jan 13 the relational dbms 3 112-119, 127-128
Week 3
Jan 18 database requirements definition 5 167-189, 193-202
Jan 20 demonstration of some r:base
features
Week 4
Jan 25, conceptual database design 6 207-232, 242-247
27
Week 5
Feb 1, 3 data structures and storage 7 255-299
techniques
Week 6
Feb 8 midterm examination 1, 2, 3, 5,
6
Feb 10 implementation and physical design 304-332
8
Week 7
Feb 15 data administration 9 337-385
Feb 17 the hierarchical dbms 10 395-418
Week 8
Feb 22 case discussion: "data
administration in citibank, brazil"
Feb 24 the network dbms 11 422-480
Week 9
March 1, 3 SQL 12 487-536
Week 10
March 8 SQL
March 10 review of database principles
Exam Week
March FINAL examination 1, 2, 3, 5,
14-18 6, 7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12
SUGGESTED WORK SCHEDULE
WEEK: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Do-It-Yourself Introducto Newcomer, Newcomer, Newcomer, Newcomer, Newcomer, Newcomer, Newcomer, Newcomer,
Tutorial and ry R:BASE chapter chapter chapter chapter chapter chapter chapter chapter
Exercises: tutorial 5, pages 6, 7, pages 8, page 9, pages 10, pages 11, 12, pages
91- 93: pages 125-126: 157: 190-191: 202-203: pages 258-260:
5.1-5.13 105-107: 7.1-7.3 8.1-8.4 9.1-9.11 10.1-10.3 224-227: 12.1-12.7
6.1-6.9 11.1-11.1
0
Hands-On Assignments: Assignment 1 Assignment 2
(due on Week 5, (due on Week 10,
February 3) March 10)
Paper Assignment: Read the case, Final
"Data Administration in Citibank Brazil" Paper
(DRAFT paper due on Week 7, (due on
February 15) Week 8,
Feb. 24)
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT DATES
Week 5, February 3: Assignment 1
Week 6, February 8: Midterm examination
Week 7, February 15: Draft paper
Week 8, February 24: Final paper
Week 9, March 1: Last day to withdraw from the course
Week 10, March 10: Assignment 2
Finals week, March 15: Final exam, 1:30-3:30