Database Design - CIS39

Weekly Schedule

Week Information
Assignments due in one week unless otherwise stated. I may add some things during the week, so double check the schedule each week! Please keep copies of all work you submit until you receive your final grade at the end of the semester.
Week #15
Week of December 10th
Be sure you have sent me a copy of all projects. Even if it was done in google docs as a collaboration, I need you to send me a copy of the work.
The final and required status sheet will be posted Wednesday and is due back Tuesday morning.
Needless to say, the final exam is an individual project and the only person you can discuss it with is me.
Final Exam
Required status sheet
Week #14
Week of December 3rd
Please continue reading in the text, I would like you to finish it by the end of the semester.
I would like you to do some research on UML and data modeling.
Assignments:
Write a short paper (two or three pages) on UML and data modeling. Be sure to site multiple sources.
Week #13
Week of November 26th
If I asked you to revisit problem #1 on the quiz, you should check the definition in the text and look at this handout from the site under notes for CIS39:
Notes on relational databases
You should also go back and look at the powerpoint presentations under week #3.
Please get me the revised quizzes by Friday.
Assignments:
Entity Relationship Diagram Assignment
Week #12
Week of November 19th
Happy Thanksgiving!
This week is catch up week - on Tuesday there will be an open lab in K101 from 9:00 until 2:00. I will be there as well as Shawn and Stephanie. If you need help and are able to come in, this would be a good time to get help! Let's get caught up! I can do a little advisement as well!
Week #11
Week of November 12th
Advisement starts this week!
Please read chapter #8 in the text.
Assignments:
Please work on the quiz - it is due November 14th and there are late penaltys of 10% if it is not on time!
This week I would like you to implement the Pedigree Dog design that you did. You can implement it in Oracle, Access or MySQL depending on which you are comfortable with. Then I want you to test all of the relationships by doing queries in SQL following the SQL guidelines in your text. You need to submit the queries and tell me what you are testing. This is an individual project but like other recent assignments you can post at Google Docs and invite comments from a classmate. Remember, you are testing your design so you should enter data that will allow you to see if it is working.
Week #10
Week of November 5th
Quiz has been posted.
Please read chapter #7.
Assignments:
Quiz - due on November 14th
If you have not received a grade on a project, please send your work to me via email There has been some problems with the collaboration unfortunately.
Week #9
Week of October 29th
I have not heard from everyone about the webhuddle. I am going to set up a meeting this Mon at 8:00 PM to answer questions about relational databases. I can also set one up on Wednesday, but I just realized it is Halloween so that probably does not work out well.
Send me an email if you plan to attend and I will send you the information.
You can also set up appointments to see me at school.
For those of you who are struggling, it might be a good idea to set up an on campus meeting. I can do this at 5:00 or 6:00 on most Thursdays. Let me know if you would like to do this!
I can also do another webhuddle this weekend if you let me know convenient times.
Assignments:
If you would like a classmate to help you with the limousine assignment, please post it at google docs and send them an invitation to evaluate. I will give extra credit for evaluating. If you would like to evaluate someone's work and you have not received an invitation, send them an email and ask if you can become involved.
The same applies to the caterer assignment from last week.
I would like you to think of a simple work situation that requires a database solution. I would like you to explain the situation to me and then tell me what tables you would create to develop the database solution.
Week #8
Week of October 22nd
I would like to hold a couple of webhuddle online meetings where I can go through a design with you. I have only heard from a few on availability. Again, evenings work for me usually as do Wednesdays and most weekends. Please let me know your availability!
I am available in K101 on Tuesday at 11:00 and in K116 on Thursday at 3:00 as well as office hours. I can also arrange to stay Tues or Thurs evenings many times.
If you need help, please contact me!
I would like you to start reading about entity relationship diagrams. You will find some information at the site, but you should research and post some good resources at the del.icio.us site. Assignments:
Caterer
This assignment is due in two weeks. You may create a page at docs and invite one or more of your classmates to comment on your work. Extra credit for agreeing to comment!
Week #7
Week of October 15th
Hopefully you are getting comfortable with normalization and the design of relational databases at this level. Please keep reading and researching to clarify any points you are unclear about.
Assignments: Limousine db
This assignment is due in two weeks!
Week #6
Week of October 8th
I meant to put the group design assignment out last week once I had heard who is still in the class - oh well - I will give it to you this week instead! I will send out an email putting you in groups and assigning a group leader.
Another nag - please introduce yourselves on the blog. I would also like each person to research, find and read some articles on relational databases and normalization. Please post two articles you find valuable on the del.icio.us site and include your name.
Please read: Understanding Normaliation by Michael J Hernandez
Assignments: Group assignment you will get via email from Docs & Spreadsheets. If you do not receive an invitation at your BCC account, contact me.
I am going to make comments/corrections/suggestions on the credit union this weekend so it is the last call - I think we are finally getting our act together so things ought to progress more smoothly!
Week #5
Week of October 1st
I really need to know who is really in this class and who is not - I am not getting interactivity from some people. Please let me know your status. If I can help, let me know. We can set up meetings at school, webhuddle (on line meetings) or phone calls.
Next week I will be away starting Tuesday, so you can only reach me through my BCC account and through the backup account.
Finish reading through chapter #6.
Week #4
Week of Septemnber 24th
I really need people to be involved in last weeks assignment. You must send me an email telling me if you have been in contact with your group and what you have contributed to the group project. Remember, this is design only, I simply want you to layout the design including tables and keys!
I also need you to finish the quiz and collaborate as best you can (you will be graded on what you do not what others do not do). I would really like to give some grades in this course, so contact me if you are having problems! For those who have become involved, I thank you!
This week I want you to do a lot of reading in the text book. Please read chapter #4 and chapter #5, and you could even start reading chapter #6. We will spend the next few weeks doing practical exercises related to designing a database using the relational model. As always, check back!
Week #3
Week of September 17th
I would like you to look over chapter #3. It focuses on SQL and Access and that is really not our emphaisis in this course.
Honest - I will give you a quiz grade - I am essentially waiting for more completion - we are getting there slowly but (I hope) surely.
Please read the following handouts:
Student database
Payroll database
Please view the following PowerPoint presentations:
Normalization - information on third normal form
      Separate speaker notes for normalization presentation
Relational database information - information on 1 to 1, 1 to M, and M to M
      Separate speaker notes for relational database information
Assignments: This week I am putting up a design project at Docs & Spreadsheets for a group to work on. Group leaders have been sent the link and they have been told who the members of their group are and have been asked to share with them. We will do a couple of projects this way and different people will be the group leaders. I am looking for real collaboration so lets try to make this work. Please note that I stayed with your BCC accounts, if you want to do a different account, let your leader know when you are contacted. If you have questions let me know! Remember this is a design project, so I want you to lay out the design of the tables including keys.
Please go to the class blog and introduce yourself.
Week #2
Week of September 10th
We are having enough problems with collaboration to indicate that we need postpone the due dates by a week, so add a week to the dates I posted. Hopefully the step by step that I sent will help.
Please read the second chapter in the text. Your book uses Access as an example to illustrate some fairly standard database concepts especially those involving querying. I would like to have you use a database to experiment as well. Access is the obvious choice since it matches the book, but if you prefer to use Oracle or MySQL, that is fine as well. Please let me know what database you want to use to experiment (at least at the beginning - you can play with more than one if you want to).
Assignments: I would like you to go through chapter #2 working with their examples, make sure you are comfortable with making a table, adding and deleting records to the table, querying the table in a variety of ways - chapter 2 focuses on the user interface of Access. Next week we will look more at the SQL. I want you to experiment and then send me an email telling me what you did, whether you experimented in Access (my recommendation since it follows the book), Oracle or MySQL (if you use these you should probably focus on SQL).
I have sent the list of collaborators - let me know if you did not get it! We are going to make this work!!!!!
Week #1
Week of September 3rd
The first thing you should do is familiarize your self with the site. There are a lot of examples and presentations you will find useful.
I have sent you each an email at the address given at the school. You need to respond so I know you received it! I plan to distribute your BCC email address to the rest of the class, if you have a problem with this, you need to provide me with an alternate email address.
If you have the book, please read chapter #1 (if you do not have it, read it when you get it!)
Concepts of Database Management by Pratt, Adamski (5th ed or 6th edition) The 6th edition was supposedly due out at the end of August, I placed the order before that so I assume the bookstore got the 5th edition. However, I have ordered the 6th edition so I will have both and I can work with either edition.
Information about textcan be found at Course Technology (www.course.com).
I want you to read some introductory material from the web:
This is a nice introductory series
I want you to read the first two parts (you can go on if you find it interesting).
Please note that online meetings can be arranged using meeting software if you think it would be helpful.
Assignments: Quiz: I am going to send you an invitation to a document that I have put on Google Docs and Spreadsheets. It is a quiz. It is based on readings in the book, but if you do not have a book yet it can be done through research on the web. You need to answer the questions by September 10th and using the share tab add a collaborator from the list I will send you (later this week after class has started). The person you share with must then correct your quiz and give you feedback. This must be done by September 13th. You can then change your answers based on the feedback. I must have your final answers by September 17th. If you have questions about this, please email me for clarification. I am trying something a little different, so... It can't go 100% smoothly! If we have to extend the time we will!

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WWW www.pgrocer.net

Send e-mail to Mrs. Grocer:
pgrocer@bristol.mass.edu

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