CSCI 5333.4
DBMS
Spring 2012

by K. Yue

1. General Information

CSCI 5333.3 DBMS
Class number: 22943
Spring 2012
MW 4:00-5:20pm Delta 237

Instructor

Dr. Kwok-Bun Yue, Professor of Computer Science and Computer Information Systems
Delta 163, 281-283-3864, yue@uhcl.edu; URL: http://dcm.uhcl.edu/yue/
Office hour: MW 3-4, 5:20-6:00, walk-in and appointment.

Teaching Assistant

Vijender Palakala, Delta 119, 505-504-0640, palakalav0928@uhcl.edu;

Office hours:

Monday        1:00 - 4:00 p.m
Tuesday       5:00 - 6:45 p.m 
Thursday      1:30 - 3:45 p.m 

Laboratory Administrations.

Account and software problems may be addressed to the systems administrator, Ms. Krishani Abeysekera.

Other Useful Information

• UHCL emergency hotline (to check weather related closing, for example): 281-283-2221.

Textbooks

Elmasri, R., Navathe, S., Fundamentals of Database Systems Benjamin Cummings, Sixth Edition, 2010.

Course Description

From Catalog: Prerequisite: CSCI 4333. Data base management systems (DBMS), relational DBMS, object-oriented DBMS, knowledge base management system, data base language, query optimization, security and integrity, concurrency control and recovery, design theory of data bases. Laboratory instruction.

Course Outcomes

After completing the course, the students are expected to be able to perform the following:

• Familiar with various conceptual design approaches (e.g. EER, UML Class diagrams).
• Capable of designing a relational database.
• Able to recognize and define various normal forms.
• Understand physical database design issues.
• Understand some of the important issues (e.g. ACID) in transaction processing, concurrency control, and database recovery.
• Have an overview of object-oriented, distributed databases.
• Understand some of the advanced research topics in databases including data mining, database security, and XML.

Prerequisites

The following courses will be required:

• CSCI 3333 Data Structures
• CSCI 4333 Design of Database Systems

The course use MySQL and PHP mostly in lectures and examples.

Course Format

Traditional lectures, homework and programming assignments.

2. Course Policies and Guidelines

1. No class auditing without instructor's approval.
2. Assignments are due at the beginning of classes. No exception. Assignments turned in after the beginning of classes will be considered as late.
3. Late assignments are accepted with a penalty of 10% deduction per week day after the due date. No late assignment will be accepted one week after the due date. The last assignment cannot be late.
4. Make sure that you follow the submission guidelines for programming assignments. Failure to do so will result in assignments not graded.
5. This course does not use Blackboard of UHCL.
6. No make-up exam except in verified emergencies with immediate notification.
7. No incomplete grade or administrative withdrawal under nearly all situations.
8. Penalty on cheating will be extremely severe. Standard academic honesty procedure will be strictly followed. Use your best judgment. If you are not sure about certain activities, consult the instructor. See: http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/PRV/FORMS_POLICY_PROCEDURES/STUDENT_POLICIES/Academic_Honesty_Policy
9. UHCL Information about withdrawals, appeals, GPA, repeated courses, the 6 drop rule, etc. can be found in the general program requirement section: http://www.uhcl.edu/XDR/Render/catalog/archives/125/06/%23A0110.This is a Web-assisted course with no paper class notes.
10. Students with disabilities and/or special requirements should discuss their needs with the instructor as soon as possible. See UHCL Disability Service.
11. I do not respond to anonymous email.
12. Mobile phones and pagers should be turned off during classes.

Tips:

1. Check the course Web page regularly. Check the course Website frequently and read the class lectures beforehand.
2. I check email frequently during the week days. Be sure to write a good subject heading for your email so my email filter won't consider it junk and I can relate to it quickly. Check notes on managing email.
3. If you have problems with your accounts, you may want to contact the systems administrator directly by sending them an email and copying it to me. However, do not ask her questions about your homework. Instead, ask me.
4. Software development is time consuming. Start early and plan well ahead.
5. Procrastination usually results in poor grades.
6. If you expect any potential problems, consult me as soon as possible so I may help you.
7. Assignments and examinations will be thrown away one month after the final examination week. Be sure to claim them on time.
   

2.2 Attendance

Students are expected to attend class regularly and actively participate in classroom discussions.

2.3 Academic Honesty

The UHCL Academic Honesty Policy will be strictly adhered to. The honesty code section state:

The Honesty Code is the university community's standard of honesty and is endorsed by all members of the University of Houston-Clear Lake academic community. It is an essential element of the University's academic credibility. It states:

I will be honest in all my academic activities and will not tolerate dishonesty.

Academic honesty is integral to university education. Students are advised to thoroughly understand UHCL academic honesty policy.

2.4 ASSESSMENT FOR ACCREDITATION:

The School of Science and Computer Engineering may use assessment tools in this course and other courses for curriculum evaluation. Educational assessment is defined as the systematic collection, interpretation, and use of information about student characteristics, educational environments, learning outcomes, and client satisfaction to improve program effectiveness, student performance, and professional success. This assessment will be related to the learning objectives for each course and individual student performance will be disaggregated relative to these objectives. This disaggregated analysis will not impact student grades, but will provide faculty with detailed information that will be used to improve courses, curriculum, and student performance.

3. Grading Policies

Grades will be assigned based solely on homework and examination scores. No other factors will be considered. In particular, students have requested me to reconsider their grades using the following reasons in the past: course participation; improvement during the semester; extra efforts; avoidance of probation; financial needs; scholarship needs; need to graduate; company relocation; immigration status needs; family needs; etc. These requests had all been declined politely but firmly.

There will also be no 'special project' that you can work on to improve your grades after the final examinations. Anything I offer to one student will be offered to the entire class.

Total score is computed using the following percentages:

Homework: 30%
Mid-Term Exam: 35%
Final Exam: 35%

Last day to drop without a grade penalty: February 1, 2012.

Grade Assignment Table

4. Course Syllabus and Schedule

The syllabus is very tentative. Actual contents to be covered will likely change.