Database Systems (U01901)

? Credit Points : 10 ? SCQF Level : 9 ? Acronym : INF-3-DBS

Databases are essential to maintaining the information base in almost all modern business enterprises and to electronic commerce. They are also becoming increasingly important as a fundamental tool in much scientific research. Some knowledge of databases is now essential in any of these areas. The study of databases draws on several areas of computer science: logic, algorithms, programming languages and operating systems.

This course is an introduction to the principles underlying the design and implementation of databases and database management systems. It will cover the languages that have been developed for relational databases, their implementation and optimisation. It will also introduce some recent developments in databases including object-oriented, object-relational systems, semistructured data and the relationship between databases and XML. The bare essentials of transaction processing will also be covered.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Successful completion of Year 2 of an Informatics Single or Combined Degree, or equivalent by permission of the School. Students are expected to have taken a basic course in logic and discrete mathematics.

Variants

? This course has variants for part year visiting students, as follows

Database Systems (VS1) (Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2))

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Database Systems, (School of Informatics, Schedule O)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
25/09/2007	15:00	15:50	Room 8.13, David Hume Tower	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Tuesday	14:00	15:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a basic knowledge of serial data expressed in XML.
- Understand tools for structuring and querying XML.
- Demonstrate knowledge of relational database schema design by employing the concepts of normal forms and entity-relationship diagrams.
- Demonstrate knowledge of querying relational databases by using SQL.
- Demonstrate knowledge of query evaluation by describing and implementing database algorithms.
- Demonstrate knowledge of recent advances in database systems by identifying the connection between traditional relational databases and other data models and/or query languages.
- Demonstrate knowledge of concurrency control by describing transactional semantics.