Course Details
- Course Code/Title : COMP9311 Database Systems
- Units of Credit : 6
- Course Website : http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~cs9311
- Handbook Entry : http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/postgraduate/cours...
Course Aims
This course aims to explore in depth the practice of developing database applications and the theory behind relational database management systems (RDBMSs). This course focuses on Database Design. It will also give an overview of the technologies used in implementing database management systems and the past, present and future of database systems and database research.
Large data resources are critical to the functioning of just about every significant modern computer application, and so knowledge of how to manage them is clearly important in industry. In the context ofthe further study, understanding how to use databases effectively is essential for courses such as COMP9321 Web Applications Engineering and COMP9322 Service-Oriented Architectures. COMP9311 also provides a foundation for further study in advanced database topics, such as COMP9315 Database Systems Implementation and COMP9318 Data Mining. Database concepts are also relevant in courses such as COMP9319 Web Data Compression and Search and COMP6714 Information Retrieval and Web Search
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- develop accurate, non-redundant data models
- realise data models as relational database schemas
- formulate queries via the full range of SQL constructs
- use stored procedures and triggers to extend DBMS capabilities
- understand principles and techniques for administering RDBMSs
- understand performance issues in relational database applications
- understand the overall architecture of relational DBMSs
- understand the concepts behind transactions and concurrency control
- appreciate query and transaction processing techniques within RDBMSs
- appreciate the past, present and future of database technology
Glossary:
- DBMS : DataBase Management System ... software system to support database manipulation
- RDBMS : Relational DBMS ... the most popular style of DBMS (refers to underlying data model)
- SQL : Structured Query Language ... the ANSI standard language for manipulating RDBMSs
Teaching Strategies
- Lectures : deliver the basic concepts and explain with detailed examples
- Lab Work : help students implement basic database components with real-life database instance
- Consultation : weekly consultation to provide personalized advice to students on their progress in the course.
Teaching Rationale
The learning focus in this course is primarily lectures (theoretical knowledge) and projects (practical knowledge). The course will have an emphasis on problem-solving for real applications.
Assessments
| Number | Name | Full Mark |
| 1 * | Assignment 1: Data Modelling + Relational Algebra | 20 |
| 2 * | Assignment 2: DB design Theory | 20 |
| 3 * | Assignment 3: Database storage structures + Transaction | 20 |
| 4 ** | Project 1 | 40 |
| 5 | Final Exam | 100 |
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Later Submission Penalties:
* : zero marks ** : 10% reduction of your marks for the 1st day, 30% reduction/day for the following days |
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The final mark is calculated by the harmonic mean:
Final Mark= 2 * (ass1 + ass2 + ass3 + proj1) * FinalExam / (ass1 + ass2 + ass3 + proj1 + FinalExam) |
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Course Email
Note: You are invited to meet us in person during consultation time slots and during the lab periods. For normal questions, we recommend you to use the Q&A forums. You are also welcome to contact us via course email if something is urgent.
Lectures Time
18:00 - 20:00 (Tue) week 1-10
15:00 - 17:00 (Fri) week 1-8
Course Resources : Textbooks
| Author(s) | Title | Edition | Publisher/Year |
| Elmasri & Navathe | Fundamentals of Database Systems | 6th edition | Addison-Wesley, 2010 |
Course Resources : References
| Author(s) | Title | Edition | Publisher/Year |
| Jeffery D. Ullman, Jennifer Widom | A First Course in Database Systems | Recent Edition | Prentice Hall |
| R. Ramakrishan | Database Management Systems | 3rd | McGraw-Hill, 2003 |
| D. Maier | The Theory of Relational Databases | 1st | Computer Science Press, 1983 |
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as "using the words or ideas of others and presenting them as your own". UNSW and CSE treat plagiarism as academic misconduct, which means that it carries penalties as severe as being excluded from further study at UNSW. There are several online sources to help you understand what plagiarism is and how it is dealt with at UNSW:
- Learning Centre: Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
- MyUNSW: Plagiarism
- CSE: Addendum to UNSW Plagiarism Guidelines
- CSE: Yellow Form (whose terms you have agreed to)
Course Evaluation and Development
This course is evaluated each session using the CATEI system. In this session, we will use more concrete examples to demonstrate difficult concepts.
More Information
For further information on this course, and to keep up to date with any changes, please consult the course web site (frequently).
Resource created Friday 15 February 2019, 11:17:11 AM, last modified Monday 18 February 2019, 03:50:22 PM.