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Course Objectives

Prerequisites

Approach

Typical Text

Course Outline

Course Objectives
The student should acquire:

• a working knowledge of a database management system including the internal structure, query languages, query optimization, and multi-user and system issues.
• the ability to read and understand the current database literature.
• experience building a database management system component or application.

Prerequisites
COMP 521 or consent of the instructor.

Approach
Lectures, homework, one substantial software project.

Typical Text
J. D. Ullman, Principles of Database and Knowledge-Based Systems, Vol. 1 (1988) and Vol. 2 (1989).

M.Stonebraker, ed., Readings in Database Systems, 1988.

Course Outline
Numbers in parentheses indicate approximate number of weeks

• Relational query languages (2)
  • relational calculus and its equivalence to relational algebra, Quel, SQL.

• Relational query optimization (2)
  • query decomposition, access path selection.

• Relational database design (1)
  • functional dependencies, normal forms.

• Multi-user and system issues (3.5)
  • concurrency, recovery, operating system support, protection, integrity.

• Distributed databases (2)
  • atomic commit protocols, recovery, deadlock detection, heterogeneous systems, examples (R*, others)

• Perspectives in DBMS (0.5)

• More intensive treatment of the above or additional topics (2)