CMSC424: Database Design (Spring 2008)

Essential details

Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00 - 12:15
Location: CSIC 1121
Instructor: Mihai Pop (mpop at umiacs) x5-7245
Office hours: Wednesdays, 11:00-12:00 in AVW 3223
Office address: (by appointment)
3120F Biomolecular Sciences Building (bldg #296).
Building is usually locked. Call me from the intercom and I'll buzz you in.

TA: Sharath Srinivas (sharath at cs)
TA office hours: Monday 10-11:30, Wednesday 3-4:30
TA office: AVW 1112

AWC "promo"

Detailed Syllabus

Description Motivation for the database approach as a mechanism for modeling the real world. Review of the three popular data models: relational, network, and hierarchical. Comparison of permissible structures, integrity constraints, storage strategies, and query facilities. Theory of database design logic.

Prerequisites

CMSC420 with a grade of C or better; and permission of department; or CMSC graduate student

Textbooks

Required text: Silberschatz, Korth & Sudarshan; "Database System Concepts", Fifth Edition, McGraw Hill 2005.

The book website (http://db-book.com/) has a lot of supplemental material that you may find useful.

Course topics

The course will cover the following main areas. A detailed syllabus is provided he re.

Models for data representation
SQL language
Schema normalization
Data storage
Query processing and optimization
Transactions, concurrency, and recovery
Parallel/distributed databases
Databases and the Internet

Coursework and grading

Homework - 10 %
2 Midterms - 25 %
Final - 25 %
Project - 40%

Assignments submitted late will be graded as follows: up to 1 day late - 10 points will be deducted from the grade, up to 2 days late - 20 points will be deducted. Your assignment will not be graded beyond the second day past the deadline. If for reasons outside your control you will not be able to submit an assignment on time, see me as soon as possible to discuss an alternate deadline.

Attendance policy

This course follows the University's attendance policy. In short, if you will miss class for any reason you should let me know in advance, unless this is not possible (e.g. sudden illness). In any case, please let me know as soon as you are aware that will not be able to attend a class (e-mail is OK). I will work with you to help you catch up on homework or exams if you have to miss any of the lectures.

Academic integrity

I expect that the students taking this class fully adhere to the Code of Academic Integrity. Please read this document in full if you have not already done so. In addition, the University requires that you sign the Honor Pledge on every examination you turn in. Please read the relevant excerpt from the Code of Academic Integrity (reproduced below).

Honor Pledge

On every examination, paper or other academic exercise not specifically exempted by the instructor, the student shall write by hand and sign the following pledge:

I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination.

Failure to sign the pledge is not an honors offense, but neither is it a defense in case of violation of this Code. Students who do not sign the pledge will be given the opportunity to do so. Refusal to sign must be explained to the instructor. Signing or non-signing of the pledge will not be considered in grading or judicial procedures. Material submitted electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing the pledge.
On examinations, no assistance is authorized unless given by or expressly allowed by the instructor. On other assignments, the pledge means that the assignment has been done without academic dishonesty, as defined above.
The pledge is a reminder that at the University of Maryland students carry primary responsibility for academic integrity because the meaningfulness of their degrees depends on it. Faculty is urged to emphasize the importance of academic honesty and of the pledge as its symbol. Reference on syllabuses to the pledge and to this Code, including where it can be found on the Internet and in the Undergraduate Catalog, is encouraged.