Date of last update: 12/5/00
Most of the information is courtesy of Jeff Ullman and Jennifer Widom and Nabil Hachem.
Catalog
Description
Course Objectives
Student Objectives
Expected Background
Schedule
Course Personnel and Contacts
Books
Course Requirements, Grading ...
Exams
Assignments
Mailing Lists and Email Consulting
Lectures Notes (Partial)
Honor-Code Policy
The purpose of this course is to offer the student an introduction to the design and use of database systems. Object-oriented and entity-relationship approaches to design are covered, followed by an overview of the relational model, the mapping between OO and E/R models onto relations, and the use of a relational database system to create a database. SQL (Structured Query Language), the standard query language for relational databases will be covered and used in the class.
A knowledge of the material in CS2005 and CS2022 is expected.
The text for the course is A First Course in Database Systems by J. Widom and J. D. Ullman, Prentice-Hall, 1997.
Students may also wish to purchase an SQL2 manual. Two recommended books are:
Other books which are good references include:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday and Fridays, 10:00--10:50. Location: Fuller Labs 320
| Person | Role | Office | Phone | Office Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prof. Lee A. Becker | Instructor | FL132 | (508) 831-5408 | Mondays 9:00-10:00, Tuesdays 8:30-9:30 and Thursdays 1:30-2:30 |
lab@cs.wpi.edu |
| Yan Huang | TA | FL A20 | Mondays 1:30-2:30, Wednesdays 2-4, and Thursdays 2-3 |
hy@cs.wpi.edu |
|
| Bin Liu | TA | FL A20 | Tuesdays 2:30-3;30, Thursdays 3-4, and Fridays 1-3 |
binliu@cs.wpi.edu |
A group mailing list for the class will be used extensively to email updates and clarifications to the class. It is each student's responsibility to make sure that he or she is added to the list.
In this course there will be a term-long group project. Groups should have three members each. Students may form their groups by themselves, if they do so before the beginning of class on Monday 1/15. In class that day any students who have not reported their group membership will be assigned to a group. Make sure at least one member of each group is proficient in Java. Each group will build a database application (GDA). The group should do some work on the project each week, beginning with selecting your application, designing the database, obtaining and loading your data into a commercial database system, and finally writing a number of SQL queries, Java programs with embedded SQL queries, and exercising other features of SQL.
Some conventional homework questions will be assigned each week, along with a step of your database application.
Mid-term: In class (closed book, closed notes) on Thursday February 5, 2001.
Final: In class (closed book, closed notes) on Tuesday, February 27, 2001.
The weights of the four components are
| Component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Project | 26% |
| Homeworks | 20% |
| Midterm | 27% |
| Final | 27% |
The assignments should be handed in a the beginning of class on the due day. The Project portion should be turned in independently of the conventional homework questions.
No late assignments will be accepted. Exceptions to this policy will be at the discretion of the instructor. Extensions to due dates, if they occur, will be communicated through email to the class.
The basic presumption is that the work you do is your own. Occasionally, it may be necessary to ask someone for help. You are permitted to do so, provided you meet the following two conditions.
Any other assistance by another person constitutes a violation of the honor code and will be treated as such.
We shall not deduct credit for small amounts of acknowledged assistance. Even working as a team on one of several problems in a problem set will not hurt your grade, as long as all members of the group acknowledge their collaboration. Such shared interest can be beneficial to all concerned. We do reserve the right to give less than full credit in circumstances where it appears that there has been large-scale division of labor, and you are not getting as much learning out of the assignment as you should. However, as long as you acknowledge your sources, you cannot get into Honor Code trouble.
If you have any questions about what this policy means, please discuss the matter with the instructor now.