CSE 344: Syllabus
- Course Goals
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- Databases are at the heart of modern
commercial application development. Their use extends beyond this to
many other environments and domains where large amounts of data must
be stored for efficient update, retrieval, and analysis. The purpose of this
course is to provide a comprehensive introduction to the use of
management systems for applications. Some of the topics covered are the following: data models (relational and XML), query languages (SQL, datalog, XQuery), transactions, parallel data processing, and database as a service. For the detailed list of topics and schedule, please see the course calendar.
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- Course Format
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- The class meets three times a week for lectures. We will follow parts of the textbook (see
below). While the lectures are designed to be clear and self-contained, and
to cover all the material used in class, you are strongly
encouraged to read from the textbook, both in order to get a better
understanding of the material covered and to learn about related
topics, which are not covered in class. Please note that the lectures will be a combination of whiteboard, powerpoint, and live demos. Lecture notes will be made available online, but they are brief and insufficient to learn the material. The lesson is: do not miss classes, and do take notes.
In addition to the lecture there will be two sections taught by the TAs. The sections will discuss the material taught in class, will give detailed instructions on how to use some of the software needed for the homework assignments, and will give you
an extra opportunity to ask questions.
There will be several homework
assignments, involving light programming, several Webquizes on Gradiance, and two exams (midterm and final).
- Lectures and Sections
- Please see course home page for lecture and sections schedule and location.
- Homework assignments
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- There will be several homework assignments. Please see the homeworks page for details on due dates and submission instructions.
- Gradiance Webquizes
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- There will be several Webquize assignments, administered through Gradiance. Please see the webquizes page for details on due dates and instructions.
- Exams
- There will be a midterm and a final. Please see the course schedule for dates and locations.
- Grading
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- Homeworks: 30%
- Webquizes: 20%
- Midterm: 20%
- Final: 30%
- Texts
Main textbook:
- Database Systems: the Complete Handbook, by Hector
Garcia-Molina,
Jennifer Widom,
and Jeffrey Ullman. Available from the University Bookstore. Second edition.
Other Web sources::
Other texts:
The library has the following that you might find useful if you
require another explanation of a topic.
- Fundamentals of database systems by Elsmasri and
Navathe.
- Database management systems by Raghu
Ramakrishnan
and Johannes Gehrke.
- Foundations of database systems by Abiteboul,
Hull
and Vianu.
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- Late Policy
- Homework assignments: you are allowed a total of 3 late-days that you can use in 24-hour chunks at anytime. Please note that once you use-up your late days, no additional extensions will be granted for any reason at all. You should thus save your late-days only for true emergencies.
- Webquizes: there are no late days allowances for Webquizes, but we will drop your lowest score (for example, if you miss one Webquiz, that won't count). You may retry a webquz as often as you want: the highest score you have achieved on Gradiance as of the due date is your score for that assignment.
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- Attendance
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- We hope
you will attend every lecture. If you miss a
lecture, talk to a
friend who was present, and be sure to check the Web site for class
messages.
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- Programming
- Some programming will be
necessary in this course. One can
only start to appreciate database systems by actually trying to use
one. Databases only hold the data, the application logic needs
to be written in some general purpose language. We will use the following tools in class:
- SQLite
- XQuery (saxon he)
- SQL Server
- Java
- Pig Latin (through Amazon Web Services)
- Tools
- The course website and mailing list will be used
extensively to provide you with
course information, such as the schedule mentioned above, homework
assignments
and solutions, class messages and many other things. Please see the main webpage of the course for details.
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- Computer Use Policy
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- Some excerpts from the campus policies.
Take them seriously: "You must use all UW [computing] resources in
strict
accordance with local, state, and federal laws. These laws cover such
areas
as illegal access to computer systems, networks, and files; copyright
violations;
and harassment issues... Software and information resources provided
through
the university for use by faculty, staff, and students may be used on
computing
equipment only as specified in the various software licenses.
Unauthorized
use of software, images, or files is regarded as a serious matter and
any
such use is without the consent of the University of Washington...If
abuse
of computer software, images, or files occurs, those responsible for
such
abuse will be held legally accountable."
- Academic Misconduct
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- All work turned in is expected to be your own.
Although students
are encouraged to study together, each student is expected to produce
his
or her own solution to the homework problems. Coping or using sections
of someone else's program, even if it has been modified by you, is not
acceptable. The University has very clear guidelines for academic
misconduct
and the staff of CSE 344 will be vigorous in enforcing them.