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” and LLM-token processing systems.
This class includes a semester project that satisfies the “Major Project” requirement for the B.S. in Computer Science and Computer Engineering degrees. Students will design the overall goals and requirements of the project with guidance from the instructor. The project will be developed gradually through the semester by producing a project proposal, design, initial demonstration, and final demonstration, presentation, and report. Drawing on skills and knowledge from prior classes, such as Fundamentals of Computing, Discrete Mathematics, Systems Programming and others, the final deliverable of the project will be a working Web Application that will solve some real-world problem.
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
TBD DeBartolo Hall
Instructor
Dr. Tim Weninger <tweninger@nd.edu>
Office Hours:
Wed 10:15am in 380 Fitzpatrick Hall or by appointment
Teaching Assistants
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
| Week | Date | Topic | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon Aug 24 | Introduction | |
| 1 | Wed Aug 26 | ER Model Basics | |
| 1 | Fri Aug 28 | Special Relationships in ER Diagrams | |
| 2 | Mon Aug 31 | Project Overview | HW1 Out |
| 2 | Wed Sep 02 | Web Programming | |
| 2 | Fri Sep 04 | DB Programming | |
| 3 | Mon Sep 07 | The Relational Model | |
| 3 | Wed Sep 09 | Relational Model Translation | |
| 3 | Fri Sep 11 | Functional Dependencies | Stage 0 Due |
| 4 | Mon Sep 14 | The Normal Forms | HW1 Due [Solutions] |
| 4 | Wed Sep 16 | Boyce and Codd’s Normal Form | HW2 Out |
| 4 | Fri Sep 18 | Relational Algebra | Stage 1 Due |
| 5 | Mon Sep 21 | Relational Algebra Expressions | |
| 5 | Wed Sep 23 | No Class | |
| 5 | Fri Sep 25 | Relational Calculus | |
| 6 | Mon Sep 28 | SQL Queries | HW 2 Due [Solutions] |
| 6 | Wed Sep 30 | SQL Subqueries | Stage 2 Due |
| 6 | Fri Oct 02 | SQL Aggregation | HW3 Out |
| 7 | Mon Oct 05 | SQL Aggregation Operators | |
| 7 | Wed Oct 07 | SQL Edits | |
| 7 | Fri Oct 09 | Foreign Keys | |
| 8 | Mon Oct 12 | Exam Review | HW3 Due [Solutions] |
| 8 | Wed Oct 14 | Exam 1 | [first page] |
| 8 | Fri Oct 16 | Object Relational Mapping | |
| 9 | | Fall Break | |
| 9 | | Fall Break | |
| 9 | | Fall Break | |
| 10 | | Spinning Disks | HW4 Out |
| 10 | | Indexing B+ Tree | |
| 10 | | Indexing Basics | |
| 11 | | Indexing in SQL | Stage 3 Due [Signup] |
| 11 | | Databases on the Disk | HW4 Due [Solutions] |
| 11 | | Query Execution / Optimization | HW5 Out |
| 12 | | Transaction Management | |
| 12 | | Transaction Logging | |
| 12 | Fri Nov 13 | HDFS | |
| 13 | | MapReduce | HW5 Due [Solutions] |
| 13 | | NoSQL, CAP | HW6 Out |
| 13 | | Spark | |
| 14 | | Vector Databases | |
| 14 | | Thanksgiving Break | |
| 14 | | Thanksgiving Break | |
| 15 | | Vector Databases Lookup | |
| 15 | | Exam 2 Review | HW6 Due [Solutions] |
| 15 | | Exam 2 | [first page] |
| 16 | | Project Presentations | |
| 16 | | Project Presentations | |
| 16 | | Reading Day | |
| 17 | TBD | Project Due Wednesday Dec 17 at 10am |
Requirements
Coursework
| Component | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Assignments | 20% |
| Exam 1 | 30% |
| Exam 2 | 30% |
| Project | 20% |
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.
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).
Use of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT is expressly permitted for all assignments. These systems are best used when incorporated with user knowledge and experience, so try to actually learn the material in order to use these tools effectively.