Course co-ordinator(s): Dr Phil Bartie (Edinburgh), Matthew Aylett (Edinburgh), Talal Shaikh (Dubai), Claudio Zito (Dubai), Dr Ian Tan (Malaysia), Su Mon Chit (Malaysia).
Aims:
- To familiarise students with the principles of database management systems, to enable them to design and implement databases for specific applications and to integrate databases with application programs.
Detailed Information
Course Description: Link to Official Course Descriptor.
Pre-requisite course(s): F27WD Web Design and Databases .
Location: ALP, Dubai, Edinburgh, Malaysia.
Semester: 2.
Syllabus:
- Database Design: data requirements, entity relationship diagrams, relational data model, integrity constraints, key constraints, types, integrity maintenance
- Relational Queries: SQL, Boolean combinations of queries, aggregation, duplicate elimination, nested queries, negation, views, insertions, deletions, updates, command level interfaces, integration with programming application
- Query execution and optimisation: data storage principles, file organisation, indexing, indexes in commercial DBMSs, relational algebra, query execution plans, cost estimation of plans, interpretation of plans, physical database design
- Concurrency: transactions, schedules, serialisability, concurrency control protocols, locking, two-phase-locking, time stamp based concurrency control.
- Emerging Database Trends: data warehousing, distributed databases, and alternative database models such as XML, document, object, and graph stores
Learning Outcomes: Subject Mastery
Understanding, Knowledge and Cognitive Skills Scholarship, Enquiry and Research (Research-Informed Learning)
- Broad knowledge and understanding of the concepts and formalisms of database design
- Detailed knowledge of the building blocks and meaning of relational database queries
- Critical understanding of the principles of query evaluation and concurrency control underlying database applications
- Practice in the collection of data requirements and the design of conceptual database schemas
- Evaluation of emerging database trends and ability to understand their benefits
Learning Outcomes: Personal Abilities
Industrial, Commercial & Professional Practice Autonomy, Accountability & Working with Others Communication, Numeracy & ICT
- Practice in working on a development project in small groups (PDP)
- Practice in defining the subject and scope of a development project (PDP)
- Deconstructing a problem and synthesizing a solution (PDP)
- Time management (PDP).
SCQF Level: 8.
Credits: 15.