Syllabus: Introduction to Database Management (Computer Science 292)

Course Description:

Introduction to record input/output; relational database design and implementation, the entity-relationship model, tables, functional dependencies, normal forms, design criteria techniques and applications. Students are expected to complete several labortory assignments.

Textbook: Roman, Steven; Access Database Design & Programming (3rd Edition) (Paperback); O'Reilly Media; 3rd edition (January 7, 2002) ISBN-10: 0596002734, ISBN-13: 978-0596002732

Textbook (optional): Garcia-Molina, Hector; Ullman, Jeffrey D.; Widom, Jennifer; Database Systems: The Complete Book (2nd Edition); Prentice Hall; 2nd edition (June 15, 2008) ISBN-10: 0131873253, ISBN-13: 978-0131873254

Grading Policy: There will be four exams plus one project due at the end of the term. Each are equally weighted and will count as 20% of your grade. Attendance is mandatory.

Course Outline

Week 1

Course introduction: Database Management
Entities and their attributes, keys and superkeys, relationships between entities. Topic summary and review.

Week 2

Implementing Entity-Relationship Models: Relational Databases
Implementing entities, a short glossary, implementing the relationships in a relational database, the LIBRARY relational database, index files, NULL values. Topic summary and review.

Week 3

Database Design Principles
Redundancy, normal forms, first normal form, functional dependencies, second normal form, third normal form, Boyce-Codd normal form, normalization. Topic summary and review.

Week 4

Database Queries
Second normal form, third normal form, Boyce-Codd normal form, normalization. Topic summary and review.

Week 5

Query Languages and the Relational Algebra
Introduction to query languages, relational algebra and relational calculus. Details of the relational algebra. Topic summary and review.

Week 6

Microsoft Access Structured Query Language (MS SQL)
Introduction to MS Access SQL, Access query design, Access query types, why use SQL?, Access SQL, the DDL component of Access SQL, the DML component of Access SQL. Topic summary and review.

Week 7

Database Architecture
Database system architecture, why program?, database systems, database management systems (DBMS), the Jet DBMS, data definition languages (DDLs), data manipulation languages (DMLs), host languages, the Client/Server architecture. Topic summary and review.

Week 8

The Visual Basic Editor, Part I
The Project window, the Properties window, the Code window, the Immediate window, arranging windows. Topic summary and review.

Week 9

The Visual Basic Editor, Part II
Navigating the IDE, getting help, creating a procedure, Run mode, Break mode, and Design mode, handling errors, debugging. Topic summary and review.

Week 10

Variables, Data Types, and Constants
Line continuation, constants, variables and data types, VBA operators. Topic summary and review.

Week 11

Functions and Subroutines
Calling functions, calling subroutines, parameters and arguments, exiting a procedure, public and private procedures, fully qualified procedure names. Topic summary and review.

Week 12

Built-in Functions and Statements
The MsgBox function, the InputBox function, VBA string functions, miscellaneous functions and statements, handling errors in code. Topic summary and review.

Week 13

Control Statements
The If ...Then statement, the For Loop, the Exit For statement, the For Each Loop, the Do Loop, the Select Case statement, a final note on VBA. Topic summary and review.

Week 14

Data Access Objects
Programming DAO: Overview, objects, the DAO Object Model, the Microsoft Access Object Model, referencing objects, collections Are Objects Too, the properties collection, closing DAO objects, a look at the DAO objects, the CurrentDb function. Topic summary and review.

Week 15

ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)

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