70-455

Information Resources Management

Course Syllabus

Kevin Stolarick

Spring 2001



Course Objectives

This course provides an introduction to database design and implementation with a primary focus on the relational model. By the completion of this course the student will be able to appropriately use database design and implementation tools (the relational model, E-R models, normalization, and SQL) and apply knowledge of both technical and business issues related to database design and implementation to generate and evaluate alternate solutions to business situations. The course will also cover database dependability, reliability, availability, recovery, architectures, and distributed databases. Current topics in databases such as object-oriented and object-relational databases as well as data warehousing and data mining will also be presented.
 
 

Course Materials

McFadden, Hoffer, Prescott, Modern Database Management (Fifth Edition), 1999.

Other course readings and materials provided in class.
 
 

Schedule

Tuesday

6:30pm – 8:50pm

Simon Auditorium, GSIA Building

Course Web Page:
 
 

Grading

Homework 40%

Midterm 1 15%

Midterm 2 15%

Final 25%

Quizzes 5%
 
  Homework: Homeworks will be handed out in class and are due at the beginning of class on the dates specified below.
HW # Description Due
1
 Happy Valley Kennels
1/23
2
 Database Jobs
1/30
3
 E-R Modeling
2/13
4
 Relational Schemas
2/20
5
 SQL
3/6
6
 SQL
3/13
7
 Normalization
3/20
8
 Database Administration
4/17
9
 Distributed Databases
4/24
10
 OO Databases
5/1
11
 Data Warehousing & Data Mining
final

Late homework submissions will be subject to the following penalties:

-5% not turned in at the beginning of class

-10% turned in within 24 hours of the due date

-25% turned in more than 1 day but less than 2 days late

-50% turned in more than 2 days but less than 3 days late

No homework will be accepted more than 3 days after the due date.

Late homeworks should be submitted to Sharon Blazevich, the H&SS IS department secretary in Porter Hall 223F. You should ask her to date and time your submission and have it delivered to me. Midterms & Final: There will be two midterm examinations and a final. The first midterm will be on Tuesday, 2/20, and will cover all material through 2/6. The second midterm will be on Tuesday, 3/20, and will cover the material from 2/13 through and including 3/13. The date, time, and location for the final have to be determined. However, the final will be comprehensive with approximately 50% of it focusing on the material from 4/3 through 5/1. Quizzes: Up to five unannounced quizzes may be given during the course of the semester. A quiz may be given at the beginning of class, right before or after the break, or at the end of class. Each will be short and will consist of multiple choice and/or short answer questions. A quiz may cover material from the assigned reading, the previous class period, or the current class period. Quizzes cannot be made up.
 
  Class Participation: Quality contributions, such as providing examples that illustrate techniques, raising new questions, directions or insights, discussing implications, etc., are valued. In order to make quality contributions and receive the full bonus for individual participation, you will need to attend class regularly, read and analyze the assigned material, and actively participate in class discussions. Class participation will also be partly based on the in-class exercises, some of which will be collected. No score will be given for the in-class exercise, but it will be noted that the exercise was completed and turned in. All homeworks, quizzes, examinations, and the final are to be individual work.

If you are unable to take an exam on the scheduled date, you must notify me at least 24 hours prior to the test’s scheduled date and explain why you cannot take the test, and I must excuse you. Unexcused absences will result in a grade of zero on the test. A make-up test will be administered to those with excused absences; note that the make-up test may have different questions than the test administered in class.
 
 

Office Hours

Specific offices hours will be established and the time announced in class.

I can be contacted any of the following ways:

email: kms@andrew.cmu.edu

Office: Porter Hall 208G (SDS Office)

Home: 244-8196

Email is the best way to contact me as I check it several times a day.
 
 

Teaching Assistant

The teaching assistant for this class is Venkat Krishnamurthy. Venkat will be responsible for the grading of the homeworks and will assist in grading the quizzes, midterms, and final. Feel free to contact Venkat (vk@andrew.cmu.edu) if you have any questions about the grading or the material covered in class.

Regrading Policy

If you believe something was graded incorrectly, you may request that it be regraded. To do this, resubmit the assignment in question with a written explanation of your arguments. The entire homework or project is subject to regrading and not just the specific item in question.



70-455

Information Resources Management

Course Calendar



 
Date
Material
Reading
1/16
 Review syllabus

Overview; Business Focus; DBMS – purpose and use

Handout: Homework #1, Happy Valley Kennels
1
1/23
 Database Development - Process & People

Due: Homework #1, Happy Valley Kennels

Handout: Homework #2, Database Jobs
2
1/30
 E-R Modeling: entities, attributes, relationships; examples

In-Class Exercise: E-R Modeling

Due: Homework #2, Database Jobs

Handout: Homework #3, E-R Modeling
3
2/6
 E-R Modeling (cont.): generalization and specialization, n-ary relationships, constraints, entity integrity, referential integrity; examples 

In-Class Exercise: E-R Modeling
4
2/13
 The Relational Model; Converting E-R Model to Database Schema

Due: Homework #3, E-R Modeling

Handout: Homework #4, Relational Schemas
6

(pp. 207-231)
2/20
 Midterm Exam 1 (material from 1/16 - 2/6)  
2/27
 SQL

In-Class Exercise: SQL

Due: Homework #4, Relational Schemas

Handout: Homework #5, SQL 1
9

 
 
Date
Material
Reading
3/6
 SQL; Other approaches (QBE, etc.)

In-Class Exercise: SQL

Due: Homework #5, SQL 1

Handout: Homework #6, SQL 2
9, 10
3/13
 Normalization: 1st Normal Form, 2nd Normal Form, 3rd Normal Form 

Due: Homework #6, SQL 2

Handout: Homework #7, Normalization
6

(pp. 232 - end)
3/20
 Midterm Exam 2 (material from 2/13 - 3/13)

Due: Homework #7, Normalization

  
3/27
 *** Spring Break***  
4/3
 Physical Database Design
7
4/10
 Database Administration

In-Class: Team member peer review #1

Handout: Homework #8, Database Administration
13
4/17
 Client-Server, Distributed Databases

Due: Homework #8, Database Administration

Handout: Homework #9, Distributed Databases
8, 11
4/24
 Object-Oriented Databases, Object-Relational Databases

Due: Homework #9, Distributed Databases

Handout: Homework #10, OO Databases
5, 

Appendix A
5/1
 Data Warehousing & Data Mining

Due: Homework #10, OO Databases

Handout: Homework #11, Data Warehousing & Data Mining
14
  FINAL, TBA

Due: Homework #11, Data Warehousing & Data Mining