CS125 Database Design

CS 125 -- Database Design
Fall, 2004
(last updated 8/26/2004)

Updates:

[8/27/2004] There is a client to PostgreSQL, pgaccess, that is available on multiple platforms. You can find some information here. You can find pgaccess for other platforms here. If you want to try a different avenue, you can also go also get ODBC drivers here.

Professor:

Wayne Iba,
iba@westmont.edu,
office: new Math and Computer Science Building,
phone: 565-6799

Office Hourse: see my main page
Textbook:

A First Course in Database Systems (second edition), by Jeffrey D. Ullman & Jennifer Widom. Prentice Hall. (2002). [required]
SQL In a Nutshell, by Kevin Kline with Daniel Kline. O'Reilly. (2001). [optional]
SQL Essentials, by Gary Randolph & Jeffrey Griffin. Franklin, Beedle & Assoc. (2005). [optional]

Time and place: MWF, 11:30-12:35 pm; Porter Center 12 (note change)

Official Syllabus

Tentative class schedule including links to slide presentations for openoffice.org.

Beyond learning the theory behind Database Systems, we will be doing projects and smaller assignments using PostgreSQL, a relational database management system. Documentation for PostgreSQL can be found here. You will access PostgreSQL on wardrobe.cs.westmont.edu via your preferred database client. Detailed instructions will be given in class. You must access it from an on-campus host. You are welcome to install and use PostgreSQL on your own machines but assigments and projects will be completed on the designated system.

The effort needed for the individual database project will probably be roughly evenly divided between database design, SQL coding, data collection and massaging, and web interface coding. Conventional wisdoms suggests that you select a project topic that relates to a personal interest. The project will be much more fun this way and you will probably learn more.

Acknowledgements: I have borrowed extensively from Professor Jeffrey Ullman's website at Stanford University. I have been mostly using the lecture slides available at Professor Ullman's website, with minor modifications.