Computer Science 355 - Theory and Application of Data Bases

Course Description

The details of the current course offering can be found here.

Web Site

The course web site is located here on the Computer Science Moodle server.

CMPT 270 and 260 [Please note: these prerequisites will not be waived for undergraduates without major industrial experience]

Instructor

Jim Carter <carter@cs.usask.ca>

280.3 Thorvaldson Bldg, 966-4893.

Office hours: Mon/Weds/Fri 12:30 - 1:20 or by appointment.

Text

Connolly and Begg, Database Systems, 5th Edition, 2005, Addison Wesley

NOTE: This is a new edition with new material and other material restructured. However, the main chapters that we will be using remain in content (but not necessarily in chapter numbering) very similar to those in the 4th edition.

Lectures

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:30 to 12:20 in __________.

The lectures will answer student questions and summarize / discuss / illustrate a selection of major points taken from the text. Given the amount of time available in lectures for each chapter it will not be possible to deal with every aspect of every chapter.

It is required that students read the assigned portions of the text prior to the class for which they are assigned. Students are strongly encouraged to identify questions they need answered during their reading of the text.

NOTE: students will be responsible for all material in assigned chapters unless stated otherwise in a lecture.

Tutorials

Thursday at 10:00 - 11:20 in Thorv Spinks ______ .

PLEASE NOTE:

The first tutorial will be Tuesday, Sept. 14.

We will be using software that is not explicitly covered in the text. The text covers most of the SQL commands that we will need, but each particular database management system has its own peculiarities. The tutorials will deal with the specific software that is to be used for the assignments and the project. Students are required to attend tutorials.

Software and Lab

Students will be using the PostgreSQL data management system for all assignments and their project. Individual accounts will be established on the Department of Computer Science PostgreSQL server. You must have your completed assignments/project in your account for them to be marked. However this can be accomplished by using text files that have been developed and tested on your own system.

You can load and use a copy of PostgreSQL on your own home Windows or Linux system. Cygwin <http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin> is a Linux emulator for Windows that optionally includes a copy of PostgreSQL.

A good source for on-line information on PostgreSQL is  <http://www.postgresql.org/docs/7.4/interactive/index.html> .

Students are expected to use dbvisualizer as a tool to interact with PostgresSQL. It is available on the Computer Science Lab on both the Windows and Linux platforms and can be loaded to your own system from <http://www.minq.se/products/dbvis>.

The installation and initial use of both PostgresSQL and dbvisualizer will be discussed in the first tutorial Tuesday, Jan. 8.

Academic Honesty

Students are expected to be academically honest. For information on the Department of Computer Science policy on academic honesty please consult the Department's Academic Honesty Policy.

Assignments and Project

Students are required to complete a series of individual assignments and a team project.

Assignments need to be submitted via the E-handin system. Assignments and Project are due at 11:00 a.m. on the day specified.

There will be no marks given for late assignments.

Marking Scheme