CMSC 424: DATABASE DESIGN

Catalog Description

Motivation for the database approach as a mechanism 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

CMSC 420; CMSC 450 is recommended.

Topics

  1. Database System Architecture ( 1 week)\\ ANSI/SPARC Architecture; data abstraction; external, conceptual, and internal schemata; data independence; data definition and data manipulation languages.
  2. Data models (10 weeks)\\ Entity-relationship, relational, network, hierarchical, and logic data models data structures, integrity constraints, and operations for each data model; relational query languages: SQL, algebra, calculus.
  3. Theory of Database Design (2 weeks) Functional dependencies; normal forms: 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, and Boyce-Codd NF; information loss.
  4. Query Optimization (1 week) Equivalence of expressions, algebraic manipulation; optimization of selections and joins.
  5. Storage Strategies (1 week) Indices, B-trees, hashing.

Course Text

Typical Grading and Workload