Database Systems Concepts (Fall 2022)

As the first introductory course for databases, this course studies the fundamentals of using and implementing relational database management systems. First, from the user perspective (i.e., how to use a database system), the course will discuss conceptual data modeling, the relational and other data models, database schema design, relational algebra and calculus, and the SQL query language. Further, from the system perspective (i.e., how to design and implement a database system), the course will study data representation, indexing, query optimization and processing, and transaction processing. Finally, we will look at large scale “big-data” processing systems.

Prerequisites

Background: Data Structures CSE30331 taken previously or concurrently

Programming: For projects, you will do some significant application programming, with both SQL and some host languages of your choice (e.g., C, C++, Java, PHP). We will not cover programming-specific issues in this course.

Logistics

Class Information

Lecture:
M/W/F 9:25am – 10:15am

155 DeBartolo Hall

Instructor

Dr. Tim Weninger (tweninge@nd.edu)

Office Hours:
Wed 10:15am in 380 Fitzpatrick Hall or by appointment

Teaching Assistants

Adnan Hoq <ahoq@nd.edu>
Office Hours: Wed. 2-3pm

Ruiyang Qin <rqin@nd.edu>
Office Hours: Mon. 2-3pm

TA Office Hours will be held in 150 Fitzpatrick Hall.

Class Forum

Questions about the course material, homework, project, or any other course-related questions should be asked on Canvas. Private questions can be directed to the instructor and/or TAs, but we may ask you to ask it on the forum.

Course Project

There will be a semester-long course project, which involves significant database application programming. The project will be structured with several milestones due during the semester, leading to a demo and write-up near the end of the semester.

Schedule

WeekDateTopicAssignments
1Wed Aug 24Introduction
1Fri Aug 26ER Model Basics
2Mon Aug 29Special Relationships in ER Diagrams
2Wed Aug 31Project OverviewHW1 Out
2Fri Sep 02Relational Model
3Mon Sep 05Relational Model Translation
3Wed Sep 07Functional Dependencies
3Fri Sep 09Web ProgrammingHW1 Due [Solutions], Stage 0 Due
4Mon Sep 12DB Programming
4Wed Sep 13The Normal Forms HW2 Out
4Fri Sep 15Boyce and Codd’s Normal Form
5Mon Sep 19Relational Algebra Stage 1 Due
5Wed Sep 21Relational Algebra Expressions Database icon PNG, ICO or ICNS | Free vector icons
5Fri Sep 23Relational Calculus Database icon PNG, ICO or ICNS | Free vector icons
6Mon Sep 26SQL Queries Database icon PNG, ICO or ICNS | Free vector icons
6Wed Sep 28SQL Subqueries Database icon PNG, ICO or ICNS | Free vector iconsHW 2 Due [Solutions] HW3 Out
6Fri Sep 30SQL Aggregation Database icon PNG, ICO or ICNS | Free vector icons Stage 2 Due
7Mon Oct 03SQL Aggregation OperatorsDatabase icon PNG, ICO or ICNS | Free vector icons
7Wed Oct 05SQL Insertion, Update, and Delete Database icon PNG, ICO or ICNS | Free vector icons
7Fri Oct 07SQL Views, Joins, and Foreign Keys Database icon PNG, ICO or ICNS | Free vector icons
8Mon Oct 10SQL Constraints, Triggers, and ORM
8Wed Oct 12Exam ReviewHW3 Due
8Fri Oct 14Exam 1
9Mon Oct 17Fall Break
9Wed Oct 19Fall Break
9Fri Oct 21Fall Break
10Mon Oct 24Spinning Disks
10Wed Oct 26Indexing Basics HW4 Out
10Fri Oct 28Indexing B+ Tree
11Mon Oct 31Indexing in SQL
11Wed Nov 2Databases on the DiskStage 3 Due [Signup]
11Fri Nov 4Query Execution / Optimization HW4 Due [Solutions]
12Mon Nov 7Transaction Management HW5 Out
12Wed Nov 9Transaction Logging
12Fri Nov 11HDFS
13Mon Nov 14MapReduce
13Wed Nov 16NoSQL and CAP HW5 Due [Solutions]
13Fri Nov 18No Class – Weninger in NYHW6 Out
14Mon Nov 21Spark
14Wed Nov 23Thanksgiving Break
14Fri Nov 25Thanksgiving Break
15Mon Nov 28Graph Databases
15Wed Nov 30Exam 2 ReviewHW6 Due [Solutions]
15Fri Dec 2Exam 2
16Mon Dec 5No Class
16Wed Dec 7Project Presentations
16Fri Dec 9Project Presentations
17 Mon Dec 12Finals Week

Requirements

Coursework

ComponentPercentage
Assignments 25%
Exam 125%
Exam 225%
Project25%

Assignments

Assignments will typically be due at the end of a particular class period (unless otherwise specified). All assignments shall be uploaded to Gradescope with questions annotated in the system. Unannotated submissions will not receive a grade.

Grades

This table indicates minimum guaranteed grades. Under certain limited circumstances (e.g., an unreasonably hard exam), we may select more generous ranges or scale the scores to adjust.

Total Grade
90-100 A-, A
80-89 B-, B, B+
70-79 C-, C, C+
60-69 D

Polices

Textbooks

Textbooks are not required. However, much of the class material and even some of the homeworks will draw from these and other resources.

Database Systems: The Complete Book, 2nd ed., by Hector Garcia-Molina, Jeffrey D. Ullman, and Jennifer D. Widom.

Data-Intensive Text Processing with MapReduce, by Jimmy Lin and Chris Dyer. 2010.

Lectures

Students should attend all classes. Effective lectures rely on students’ participation to raise questions and contribute in discussions. We will strive to maintain interactive class discussions if possible.

Lecture capture is enabled for this class. This system allows us to record and distribute lectures and other audio and video recordings to you in a secure environment. Because we will be recording in the classroom, your questions or comments may be recorded

Regrading

All requests to change grading of any course work must be submitted to Gradescope within one week of when the grades are made available. Requests must be specific and explain why you feel your work deserves additional credit. Do not ask for a regrade until you have studied and understood our sample solution.

Late Work

All scheduled due dates/times are US Eastern Time. Homework is typically due at the beginning of class on the due date, but check each the assignment for specifics.

Due date/time will be strictly enforced. Missing or late and/or unannotated work gets zero credit. If you are unable to complete an assignment due to illness or family emergency, we will understand but please see the instructor as soon as possible to make special arrangements. All such exceptional cases must be fully documented.

Academic Integrity

Notre Dame Students are expected to abide by Academic Code of Honor Pledge:

As a member of the Notre Dame community, I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to learn and abide by principles of intellectual honesty and academic integrity, and therefore I will not participate in or tolerate academic dishonesty.

All course work that you submit must be efforts of your own (if it is an individual assignment) or of your approved team (if it is a group assignment). Discussion of homework problems is encouraged, but writing solutions together or looking at other students’ solutions is not allowed. Much of the material in this class can be found online. You may look to online sources for guidance, but you must always cite your source(s).