Advanced Databases (Level 10) (U01951)

? Credit Points : 10 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : INF-4-ADBS

This course aims at furthering the concepts introduced in the Database Systems course, through adding complexity and a more hands-on approach. In particular, we will focus on the concepts of query optimisation and evaluation from an implementation-oriented point of view. We will focus on the path a database query follows: (i) declaratively specified in SQL, (ii) translated in an algebraic representation, (ii) optimised through a cost-based optimisation framework, (iv) tranaslated into an evaluation plan, and, finally, (v) evaluated by the database engine. Finally, the issues of transaction processing, concurrency control and crash recovery will be discussed in depth.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Database Systems (U01901) Successful completion of Year 3 of an Informatics Single or Combined Honours Degree, or equivalent by permission of the School. In particular, students should be familiar with file structures and query processing algorithms.

? Prohibited combinations : Advanced Databases (Level 11) (P00899)

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Computer Systems Organisation, (School of Informatics, Schedule O)

Other subject areas

Database Systems, (School of Informatics, Schedule O)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 4th year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

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

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
07/01/2008	11:10	12:00	Room G.10, William Robertson Building	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	11:10	12:00	Central
Lecture	Thursday	11:10	12:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

After completing the module, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of storage by describing how data is layed out on disk for various file structures and how the said file structures are used by a database system.
- Demonstrate knowledge of query evaluation by describing and implementing various evaluation algorithms used by database systems
- Demonstrate knowledge of cost-based query optimisation by describing search space exploration and by extracting the cost for arbitrary evaluation plans.
- Demonstrate knowledge of transaction processing and concurrency control using lock tables and/or optimisic methods of concurrency control.
- Demonstrate knowledge of crash recovery by describing the methodologies and algorithms emplyoed by a database system in the event of a crash.