IT 414
Introduction to Databases (3 credits)
Text: Fundamentals of Database Systems, 7th edition by R. Elmasri and S. Navathe, Pearson, 2016.
Course Information: The objective of this course is to present key concepts related to database design and implementation. Topics to be discussed include: database architecture, relational data model, SQL, database design life cycle, conceptual data modeling, relational database normalization, query processing, transaction processing, database security, and database administration. This is a project-driven course.
Prerequisite: IT 330
Required/Elective: Elective
Course Outcomes:
Students should be capable of:
- Understanding the database design life cycle and using a conceptual modeling tool to model enterprise data requirements and producing a conceptual data model
- Demonstrating an understanding of database modeling and, in particular, the relational data model concepts
- Using a language such as SQL to retrieve, manipulate, and store data in a database
- Mapping a logical database model into a physical model via a project
- Demonstrating an understanding of knowledge management
Student Outcomes:
J. An ability to use and apply current technical concepts and practices in the core information technologies
K. An ability to identify and analyze user needs and take them into account in the selection, creation, evaluation and administration of computer-based systems
L. An ability to effectively integrate IT-based solutions into the user environment
Course Topics:
- Key terms such as information, data, database, data management systems, metadata, and data mining
- Database systems
- Database architecture
- Conceptual modeling via Entity-Relationship diagrams
- Data definition and manipulation languages (e.g. SQL, XQuery, XPath)
- Data organization (including relational, object-oriented and XML databases)
- Normal forms and related concepts (entity integrity, referential integrity, integrity constraints)
- Conceptual, logical, and physical models
- Database design lifecycle
- Database security
- Relational data model
- Relational database normalization
- Transaction processing
- Database recovery
- Database administration
- Distributed databases
