Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Module Identifier
CS10610
Module Title
DATABASES
Academic Year
2009/2010
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Mutually Exclusive
Not available to students who have database experience at A level or equivalent.
Other Staff
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | Up to 22 hours |
| Practical | 10 x 2 hours |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 1.5 Hours | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | Up to 9 practical worksheets completed in labs and in own time | 10% |
| Semester Assessment | Design and Implementation of a database and associated report | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | Resit failed examination and/or resubmission of failed/non-submitted coursework components or ones of equivalent value. | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
- set up and interrogate a single-table database
- produce well-designed forms and reports from it
- explain the reasons for using a multi-table database
- recognise the problems leading to modification anomalies and be able to address simple examples of them using the relational model and normalisation
- design simple multi-table databases
- construct and use a simple multi-table database
Brief description
On successful completion of this module, students will be familiar with the ideas used in database packages for personal computers and be able to design and construct a database using such a package to store and retrieve information of the type they will encounter in their studies.
Aims
This module provides an introduction to the use of a relational database management system so that:
- students will be able to design, construct and use simple databases from (appropriate) material they encounter elsewhere in their studies;
- students will gain an appreciation of the ideas that lie behind the relational database paradigm
Content
1. Introduction - 2 Lectures
The idea of a database, Database Management System and Database Application; a simple and a more complex example; records; fields; objects.
2. Tables and forms - 4 Lectures, 2 Practicals
The views of a table; field data types, properties; validation; primary keys and indexes; Access form wizards; varieties of form available; the views of a form; controls; tab order; visual design; forms for data entry.
3. Interrogating a Database - 3 Lectures, 2 Practicals
Simple search; wildcards; filters and select queries; crosstab, parameter, groups and totals queries. Elementary SQL for queries.
4. Reports - 1 Lecture, 1 Practical
Access report wizards; varieties of report; the views of a report; controls.
5. Multi-table databases - 4 Lectures, 3 Practicals
Entity-relationship modelling: entities, attributes, relationships, many-to-many relationships. Primary and foreign keys. Derivation of a set of tables from a model.
6. Normalisation - 4 Lectures
Data redundancy, inconsistencies, modification anomalies. Relational integrity. Functional dependencies. 1st, 2nd,3rd Normal Forms. Implementation in Microsoft Access. Improving and modifying a database.
7. Other Database Management System Facilities - 2 Lectures
Security issues; introduction to transaction processing.
8. Debriefing - 2 Lectures
Some lecture time each week will be devoted to a debriefing on the previous practical. Two of the practical sessions will be allocated to work on the assignments, but students should expect to have to spend further time on their assignments.
The idea of a database, Database Management System and Database Application; a simple and a more complex example; records; fields; objects.
2. Tables and forms - 4 Lectures, 2 Practicals
The views of a table; field data types, properties; validation; primary keys and indexes; Access form wizards; varieties of form available; the views of a form; controls; tab order; visual design; forms for data entry.
3. Interrogating a Database - 3 Lectures, 2 Practicals
Simple search; wildcards; filters and select queries; crosstab, parameter, groups and totals queries. Elementary SQL for queries.
4. Reports - 1 Lecture, 1 Practical
Access report wizards; varieties of report; the views of a report; controls.
5. Multi-table databases - 4 Lectures, 3 Practicals
Entity-relationship modelling: entities, attributes, relationships, many-to-many relationships. Primary and foreign keys. Derivation of a set of tables from a model.
6. Normalisation - 4 Lectures
Data redundancy, inconsistencies, modification anomalies. Relational integrity. Functional dependencies. 1st, 2nd,3rd Normal Forms. Implementation in Microsoft Access. Improving and modifying a database.
7. Other Database Management System Facilities - 2 Lectures
Security issues; introduction to transaction processing.
8. Debriefing - 2 Lectures
Some lecture time each week will be devoted to a debriefing on the previous practical. Two of the practical sessions will be allocated to work on the assignments, but students should expect to have to spend further time on their assignments.
Reading List
General TextThomas M Connolly and Carolyn E. Begg (2004) Database Solutions: A step-by-step approach to building databases 2 Pearson Education Limited Primo search
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 4