Fundamentals of Modern Database Systems

Lectures: 20 h

Recommended for:
This is a fundamental course to be attended by students without basic database knowledge.

The course last ran:
1998.

Goals:
With this course the student will understand how to effectively use commercial database
systems.

Prerequisites:
Elementary programming knowledge, and knowledge about data structures and algorithms,
corresponding to the course TDDB57 Data Structures and Algorithms.

Organization:
This course is organized as a series of lectures, with accompanying computer based self-study exercises.

Contents:
This course covers the fundamentals of the database field, i.e. is how to use computers to store and manage large quantities of data.

The first part of the course covers how to design a database, i.e. how to model reality using the so called Entity-Relationship (ER) model and how to translate ER models into efficient representations of data in computers using a Database Management System (DBMS). In particular we study how to design and use relational databases where data is stored as tables and are retrieved and updated using the database language SQL.

The course covers how a DBMS is structured and what major facilities it provides. E.g. in order to handle concurrent access to shared databases a transaction mechanism is provided, to describe the data there is a meta-data (schema) facility, to query data there is a general query facility, to reliably store data there is a recovery subsystem, and to secure data there are authorization facilities and integrity constraints, etc.

The course also gives overviews of some important recent developments within the fast-growing field of commercial database systems, e.g. Object-Oriented Databases, Active Databases, Distributed Databases, and modern PC-based database tools such as Access and Java-Builder.

Literature:
Elmasri, Navathe: Fundamentals of Database Systems, 2nd Ed, Benjamin/Cummings, 1995.

Course Compendium for independent Computer Exercises.

Examiner:
To be decided.
Contact: Nahid Shahmehri

Schedule:
January-February 1999.

Examination:

Credit:
3 credits.

Page responsible: Director of Graduate Studies