Faculty of Science

Objectives

To explore how information (data) may be stored for easy updates and retrieval, the applications of database management systems, such as in business as well as the use of a relational database, and various techniques for obtaining and analysing data in order to build a database system.

Contents

Applications of database management systems. Importance and requirements of database management systems. Roles of database workers. DBMS concepts: Data and information, databases and database management systems, file processing vs database approach, ACID properties. DBMS architecture. Conceptual data modelling: ER Modelling – entities, attributes relationships and constraints on relationships, weak entities, subclasses, ER design techniques, alternative ER notations; UML database modelling – class and class diagrams, associations, multiplicity, subclasses, aggregation. Relational model: definitions; translating from conceptual to relational model. Functional dependencies: explained, keys of a relation, normalisation (up to BCNF). Relational algebra: core relational algebra, relational algebra based on bags, extended relational algebra operators (to model SQL). Use of a CASE tool for ER and UML modelling; mention forward and reverse engineering. SQL: role of SQL, SQL standards, queries (Select-From-Where statements, subqueries), grouping and aggregation, database modification, defining a database schema, views, stored procedures, triggers. Mention of and comparison of other models of databases. Introduction to data warehousing