CS 3140 Database Systems — Syllabus

Fall 2020

[ Basics | Goals | Requirements | Evaluation | Policies | Machines | Tentative Schedule ]

Basics

Instructor: Eugene Wallingford

• Office: 305 ITTC
• Phone: 273-5919
• E-Mail: wallingf@cs.uni.edu
• WWW: http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/


• Click here for my my office hours and schedule

Course meetings

• 322 ITTC
• Tuesday and Thursday
• 12:30-1:45 PM

Resources

• Text:
  • Database Design, by Adrienne Watt
    This is an open text available free online. We will read material from this book periodically, especially in the first half of the semester.
  • Mastering Relational Databases: From Models to Querying, by Libby Shoop
    This is an interactive online text that we will use, especially in the second half of the semester.
  
  
• Electronic resources
  • The course web page, http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/teaching/cs3140/
  • The course mailing list, cs-3140-01-fall@uni.edu
  
  Note that there is one combined mailing list for the course. To send messages to the course mailing list, you must send from the mailing address from which you are subscribed. By default, that is your uni.edu e-mail address. If you'd like to be subscribed from some other address, you may do so yourself, or let me know.

Course Goals and Outcomes

The ways in which computers manage data have progressed greatly since the dawn of computing. This course will introduce you to the fundamental ideas behind databases and database systems. It aims to help you develop an in-depth understanding of modern database systems, how they work, and how users interact with them to solve problems.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Compare and contrast several different data models.
• Use relational algebra to express database queries.
• Use SQL to interact with database management systems.
• Design database tables, using functional dependencies and normal forms.
• Identify the trade-offs among various database systems techniques, including relational systems and distributed alternatives.

Course Requirements

• Class sessions.   Our weekly class meetings will consist of a mixture of lecture, discussion, and in-class exercises. I will lecture beyond what the text provides, so attendance is important. I expect you to read assigned topics prior to the class session and to participate actively in class. I will post notes for the week's session on Thursday afternoon.


• Online activities.   Weekly online activities will consist of a mixture of video lecture and demonstration, reading, exercises, and experiments. I will post the week's activities no later than Monday of the week, and you will have until Friday to complete the work and submit any deliverables.


• Homework.   Over the course of the semester, you will do 6-12 homework assignments applying ideas and techniques learned in class. These assignments may involve reading code, writing code, analyzing ideas, and writing short essays.


• Exams.   During the term, you will complete two short exams. The date of each exam is tentatively set on the course homepage. Ordinarily, I will announce any change to the schedule at least one week in advance.


• Final exam.   Finally, you will take a comprehensive exam at the end of the course.

Course Evaluation

You will earn your grade based on your performance on online activities, homework assignments, and exams. I assign final grades using the following distribution:

Item	Number	Weight
Online activities	14	10%
Homework	6-12	25%
Mid-term exams	2	35%
Final exam	1	30%

Grades will be assigned using an absolute scale:

• 90% or above for an A,
• 80% or above for a B,
• 70% or above for a C,
• 60% or above for a D, and
• below 60% for an F.

This means that there is no curve. However, I reserve the right to lower the individual grade boundaries at the end of the term if I think that produces grades that better reflect what students have achieved.

You must pass the final exam to be guaranteed of passing the course, regardless what the grade earned in the rest of the course.

Course Policies

• I try to accommodate student needs whenever possible, but I can only do so if I know about them. If you ever have to make alternate arrangements for a class session, an assignment, or an examination, please contact me in advance. The safest way to make such arrangements is by notifying me via e-mail or phone of your circumstances and letting me know how you can be reached.


• My regularly-scheduled office hours are times when I am committed to provide assistance to you. No matter how busy I may appear when you arrive, the office hours are for you. You are welcome -- and encouraged -- to make use of that time. I am also available by appointment at other times if you cannot make an office hour.


• All homework assignments are due at their assigned date and time. In order to receive partial credit, always submit your best effort at that time. Late work will not be accepted without prior approval.


• I encourage you to work together on homework assignments, as a way to help you understand the problems better and to encounter different points of view about possible solutions. However, unless the assignment explicitly states otherwise, any work you submit must be your own. You may discuss ideas, but you must write your own answers, including all code. You should acknowledge any collaboration explicitly in the work you submit. Undocumented or unacceptable collaboration is considered a form of academic dishonesty.


• UNI has an established policy of academic integrity. I will not tolerate plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty in this course. See the UNI catalog for details on the university's policy.

Computing Environment

Communication in the course will be done by email and the web. I will post materials for the course to the CS 3140 home page, and we will make use of other web-based resources when appropriate. I will occasionally email course updates and other materials. You are always welcome to email me.

We also have a class-wide mailing list, cs-3140-01-fall@uni.edu, with which we carry on discussion outside the confines of class meetings. Be sure that you stay up-to-date with both the website and the mailing list.

You may write any programs I assign in the language of your choice, including Python, Java, and, Racket. Numerous language resources are available on the web, and implementations are available for all contemporary platforms, including Unix, Mac OS X, and Windows. I am open to implementations in other languages.

My platforms for the course are Mac OS X 10.13 and student.cs.uni.edu, the CS Linux system for students. They provide versions 1.7 and 1.8 of the Java Development Kit, current versions of Python and Racket, standard gcc tools for working in C, and many other languages. You may develop in any environment you like, as long as I can compile and run your programs on these machines.

Life in the Time of Covid-19

We are all making adjustments in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. These policies deal with issues specific to the pandemic.

Class Attendance.   My general attendance policy remains the same as in any semester: Attend every class session you can. Active participation in the course will improve your learning, and it will enrich the course for me and your classmates.

However, it is essential that we all be healthy and keep everyone else safe. If you need to self-isolate due to illness, please do so and let me know. I intend to record all sessions and post them to the course web site for review any time. I am also happy to stream class sessions via Zoom so that you can participate remotely, if need need be.

Face Coverings.   The university has issued a policy on the use of face masks in all buildings at all times, including classrooms. I endorse this policy and will enforce it at all times (emphasis added):

Protecting our campus from COVID-19 depends on all of us acting with care and responsibility. To protect each other and our campus community, we are required to wear face masks or face shields that cover our mouths and noses inside all campus buildings, including throughout the duration of class.

We are asked to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms, stay away from others, and seek medical attention if we're not feeling well or experience any symptoms such as a fever over 100.4, and to communicate and plan proactively to make up for missed learning.

We will maintain physical distancing by sitting in designated areas in the classroom.

Failure to follow these requirements can result in students being referred to the student conduct process and faculty being referred to Human Resources.

We take these steps together recognizing that my mask protects you, your mask protects me, and together wearing masks protects the entire UNI community. Our collective actions will determine our ability to remain together in an in-person learning environment.

If you have any questions, please let me know.