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CPSC 372 Database Fundamentals

Spring 2007

Instructor:	Heidi Ellis	Class Time:	TuTh 11:20AM-12:35PM
Office:	MCEC 157	Class Location:	MCEC 136
Office Hours:	MTuTh 10:00 - 11:00 AM

Computer Science Study Hall

General Information

Texts/Software:	Thomas M. Connolly and Carolyn E. Begg, Database Systems, Addison-Wesley, 2005, ISBN-10:0321294017, ISBN-13:9780321294012 Alex Kriegel, Boris M. Trukhnov, SQL Bible, Wiley, ISBN:0-7645-2584-0 You will need an SQL book. Feel free to choose another comprehensive SQL text if you prefer. MySQL: We will be using MySQL as a database in this course. MySQL is available on the network file system, but you may want to download a version for your own computer. Version 5.0 is the current stable version.
Additional references (entirely optional):	Guy Harrison and Steven Feuerstein, MySQL Stored Procedure Programming, O'Reilly, March 2006. This is an excellent reference for understanding the intricacies of stored procedure programming.
Description:	Principles of database systems, including such topics as data independence, storage structures, relational data models, CODASYL and network data models, security, and integrity. A programming project may be required.
Prerequisites:	C- or better in Computer Science 215L and either Computer Science 203 or Mathematics 205 (or concurrent enrollment in 203 or 205).

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Course Policy

Objectives:

In this course, students will gain an understanding of:

The nature and purpose of database systems
The relational data model
Relational algebra
Relational database design using the entity-relationship model
The SQL data definition and access language
Simple indexing, hashing, and query processing approaches
Introductory transaction management

Attenance:

You are required to attend every class, arriving on time and not leaving before the end of the class period.
You are responsible for knowing about all announcements made in class.
You must check your Trinity e-mail at least once a day for course-related announcements.

Grading:
	Homeworks	15%
	Programming Projects	30%
	Quizzes	15%
	Midterm Exam	20%
	Final Exam	20%
		--------
	Total	100%

The grading for this course will consist of:

Homeworks: Between eight and ten homeworks will be assigned. These will be short answer and may require you to write and execute a short query or nested procedure against a database. The lowest homework grade will be dropped.
Programming Projects: Three to five programming projects will be assigned. These projects will allow you to explore the concepts presented in class in more depth than the homeworks. Each project is expected to be 2-3 weeks in length.
Quizzes: Three short quizzes will be given. No early or late quiz will be offered.
Exams: Unless there is a truly exceptional circumstance, no early or late exams will be given.

Policies:

Office hours: Office hours are are MTuTh 10:00 - 11:00 AM or by appointment.

Readings:The reading assignments are provided for each week on the syllabus and you are to complete each week's readings before coming to class.

Late policy: Unexcused late programming projects will be penalized by 10% of total possible points per day up to three days (maximum 30%). Projects more than three days late will not be accepted. Late laboratory assignments will not be accepted. Makeup exams or quizzes will not be given. If you anticipate being unable to attend class, please notify me BEFORE class to make arrangements. If an emergency arises, please contact me.

Cell phone: All cell phones must be turned off during class time, not just set on vibrate mode.

Support: CPSC-372 Database Fundamentals is supported by a Blackboard site. You are responsible for reading all announcements and postings on the bulletin board.

Academic honesty: The Intellectual Honesty section of Trinity College's Student Handbook states that "students are expected to abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic exercises." Note that turning in work that was performed partially or completely by someone else qualifies as academic dishonesty. Such academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and may result in severe consequences. Please refer to the Intellectual Honesty section of the Student Handbook for more details.

Special needs: If you have a disability that might prevent you from fully demonstrating your abilities in the CPSC-372 course, you should meet with an adviser as soon as possible to initiate disability verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure your full participation in the successful completion of the course requirements.

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