Announcements

• Office Hours Monday Dec. 12: 10:00-11:30, 2:00-3:30
• Final Exam, Tues. Dec. 13, 9am, Sci Cntr 199

Class Information

Professor: Tia Newhall
Office: Science Center 249
Office hours: Wednesday 10-12, and by appointment

Class: TR: 9:55, Sci Cntr 199
Lab A: M: 1:15-2:45, Sci Cntr 256
Lab B: M: 3:00-4:30, Sci Cntr 256

Required Text:
    Database Management Systems (Third Edition, 2002)
    by Raghu Ramakrishnan and Johannes Gehrke.

Course Piazza Page for lab Q & A: CS44 piazza page

Course Overview, Goals, and Expectations:

Databases sit at the core of all modern commercial software/systems, managing the storage, update, and retrieval of large amounts of data in an efficient manner. This course provides an introduction to database management systems (DBMS); in particular, concentrating on the theory, design, and implementation of relational database management systems. Topics covered include data models (ER and relational model); data storage and access methods (files, indices); query languages including SQL and relational algebra; query evaluation; query optimization; transaction management; concurrency control; crash recovery; and advanced topics (parallel and distributed DBMS, security, others) Lab projects that involves implementing and testing components of a relational database management system is a large component of the course.

CS35 and CS31 are required prerequisites. CS44 qualifies as a Group 2 Systems course for the CS major/minor requirements.

Course Learning Goals:

• understand the components of a database management system, and design choices for managing system resources to support efficient and correct DB storage, DB accesses, and data constraints
• understand the importance of abstraction in database systems
• learn how to represent data conceptually using entity-relationship models
• learn how relational databases maintain data integrity
• understand the importance of considering system, resources when designing and choosing data structures
• learn how to utilize SQL and modern databases to represent large, real-world datasets
• learn solutions for efficiency and scalability in database systems (query optimization, parallel and distributed databases)

Student Responsibilities

I have outlined the skills and objects this course promises to provide you. For this promises to be upheld, you will need to commit towards the policies outlined below. To succeed you should:

• Attend class.
  The primary introduction to course material is through class lecture. Additionally, we often do learning exercises during class, which give you immediate experience with the material we are covering. While I am more than happy to help with any material in office hours, priority will be given to students who attend and participate in lecture. Office hours are not to make up for missed lecture.
• Attend lecture and lab prepared.
  Lab will introduce new content and be an opportunity to work in teams on paired assignments.
Lab attendance is mandatory.
• Participate actively in learning process.
  Showing up is necessary, but not sufficient to success in the course. To fully develop your analytical skills, you are expected to participate in class discussion. This includes asking questions during lecture portions and engaging your peers during short class exercises. Studies show active involvement is the number one determinant of student success.
• Prepare for lecture
  We will use clickers in this course combined with pre-reading assignments for each lecture. You are expected to have done pre-reading before each lecture, as well as reviewing your lecture notes from prior meetings. If you do so, you will be prepared to answer clicker questions and participate in group discussions. See my Tips for Reading CS Textbooks
• Start the lab assignments early.
  I realize this one is not always easy to do, but if you can get in the habit of doing this, you will be much better off. As the labs get longer and more difficult, starting early will give you plenty of time to mull over the lab problems even when you aren't actively writing your solution.

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Schedule

This is a tentative schedule. It will be updated as we go.

WEEK	DATE	ANNOUNCEMENTS	TOPIC & READING	LAB
1	Aug 30		Introduction to Databases & Data Storage Chapter 1 Chapter 8-8.1, 9-9.3 Tips for Reading CS Textbooks	Monday Lab
	Sep 01			Lab 0: C++ Warm-up with Binary File I/O
2	Sep 06		Data Storage and Buffer Management & ER Model Intro Chapter 8-8.1, 9-9.4 Chapter 9.4, 2-2.1	Monday Lab
	Sep 08	Drop/Add ends (Sep 09)		Lab 1: Implementing a Buffer Manager
3	Sep 13		ER Model Chapter 2-2.4.2 Chapter 2-2.5, 2.8, 3-3.1	Monday Lab
	Sep 15
4	Sep 20		Relational Model Chapter 3-3.4 Chapter 3.5-3.8	Monday Lab
	Sep 22			Lab 2: ER and Relational Model
5	Sep 27		File Organization & Indexing Chapter 8.2-8.4, 9.5-9.8 Chapter 10-10.2	Monday Lab
	Sep 29			Lab 3: Heap Page
6	Oct 04		B+Tree Indexes Chapter 10-10.6 Chapter 10, 11.1	Monday Lab
	Oct 06			-
	Oct 11	Fall Break
	Oct 13
7	Oct 18		Hash Indexes Chapter 8.4.7, 10.6-10.9 Chapter 8.3.1, 11-11.2	Monday Lab
	Oct 20
8	Oct 24	Midterm Monday 7:30-9:30pm, Sci Cntr 101
	Oct 25		Relational Algebra Chapter 4-4.2 (no reading quiz Tues) Chapter 4-4.2, 5-5.2.1	Lab 4: Relational Algebra
	Oct 27
9	Nov 01		SQL Chapter 5-5.3 Chapter 5-5.5	Monday Lab
	Nov 03	Last day CR/NC or W (Nov 04)		Lab 5: Implementing a B+Tree Checkpoint 1
10	Nov 08		SQL & External Sorting Chapter 5-5.5, skim 5.6-5.7 Chapter 13	Monday Lab
	Nov 10			Lab 5: Checkpoint 2
11	Nov 15		Query Evaluation 12-12.3, 14-14.3 14-14.4, 14.7	Monday Lab
	Nov 17			Lab 5: Final Parts
12	Nov 22		Query Optimization, Parallelization skim 12.4-12.6, 22.4.3	.
	Nov 24	Thanksgiving
13	Nov 29		Transactions and Distributed Databases Chapter 16-16.5 skim: 22.6-22.8, 22.12, 22.14.1	Monday Lab
	Dec 01			Lab 6
14	Dec 06		Distributed and NoSQL Databases NoSQL Distilled Ch. 1	.
	Dec 08
	Dec 13	Final 9am-12pm, Sci Cntr 199

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Grading

Grades will be weighted as follows:

• 45% Lab and Homework assignments
• 10% Class participation, attendance, reading quizzes
• 20% Midterm (evening exam, Oct 24, 7:30-9:30 pm)
• 25% Final

The evening midterm date and time has been set prior to the start of fall classes. You should plan your fall work and activity schedule around this exam. Only conflicts for which you have no control, such as your participation in an athletic team competition or an orchestra performance will be accommodated (practices and rehearsals are not acceptable conflicts). Please read the Accommodations section if you need extra time for taking exams. You must inform me of accommodations or conflicts at least 3 weeks prior to the exam.

Participation

The class participation grade is based on:

1. lab and class attendence
2. participation in in-class and in-lab activities
3. reading quiz scores

Reading quizes will be given during most lectures. They consist of a few short questions on the assigned reading, and are designed to encourage you to do the reading prior to lecture. You should review the reading again in more detail after lecture. If you are absent from class, you will recieve a zero on that day's reading quiz; you may not take a reading quiz late. To accommodate missing a lecture due to a short illness or travel to conference or a job interview, etc. I will drop your two lowest reading quiz scores. If you miss class, you are still responsible for the material. You should get lecture notes from a classmate and review the assigned reading.

Labs

Most of the labs work will be done with a parter. The programming labs will be written in C++. If it has been awhile since you've programmed in C++, I encourage you to look at some C++ programming references before the start of the semester. We will be using a thin layer of C++ on top of C, so review class definitions, exceptions, and dynamic memory management (new and delete).

Labs will often be assigned in Monday lab. Lab due dates will vary from assignment to assignment. You will submit your assignments electronically by pushing to your assigned git repository. You may push your assignment multiple times, and a history of previous submissions will be saved. You are encouraged to push your work regularly.

About the CS Lab: I encourage you to work in one of the CS labs when possible (vs. remotely logging in), particularly when working with a partner. The CS labs (Sci Center 240, 256, 238, and Clothier basement) are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for you to use for CS course work. With the exception of during times when a class, or a class lab or ninja session is scheduled in a lab, you may work in one of the CS labs on your CS course work anytime. The overflow lab (238) is always available. The CS lab resources are for CS course work. Please review the CS Lab Rules and CS User Rules about appropriate use of CS labs. Accessing the CS labs after hours: use your OneCard to gain access to the computer labs and Science Center (near Cornell library) at nights and on the weekends. Contact public safety if you are not able to access these spaces with your OneCard.

Late Lab Work Policy

To help with cases of minor illnesses, athletic conflicts, or other short-term time limitations, all students start the course with three "late assignment days" to be used at your discretion, with no questions asked. To use your extra time, you must email your professor after you have completed the lab and pushed to your repository. You do not need to inform anyone ahead of time. When you use late time, you should still expect to work on the newly-released lab during the following lab section meeting. The professor will always prioritize answering questions related to the current lab assignment.

Your late days will be counted at the granularity of full days and will be tracked on a per-student (NOT per-partnership) basis. That is, if you turn in an assignment five minutes after the deadline, it counts as using one day. For partnered labs, using a late day counts towards the late days for each partner. In the rare cases in which only one partner has unused late days, that partner's late days may be used, barring a consistent pattern of abuse.

You may only use up to 2 late days on any individual assignment. I recommend that you save one of your late days for the B+Tree lab. After you have used up your late days, I reserve the right to refuse any late work from you (you will receive a zero). Any work I do accept after this, will incur a significantly large penalty for every day it is late.

Absence/Assignment Extension Policy

Dropping your two lowest reading quiz grades and your three late days for lab assignments are intended to help when you need to miss a class due to a minor illness or to travel for a conference or interview, or when you have a lot of work to do in another class. Extensions are not granted for any of these reasons; use your free quizes and late days.

If you feel that you need an extension on an assignment or that you are unable to attend class for two or more meetings due to a medical condition (e.g., extended illness, concussion, hospitalization) or family emergency, you must provide your instructors with official documentation from the dean's office or student health center. Their documentation will help us to provide the appropriate accommodations.

Tips for Success

• Attend class and actively participate in class.
  The primary introduction to course material is through class lecture. Additionally, we often do exercises during class. Showing up is necessary, but not sufficient to success in the course: ask questions, participate in class discussions and in class activities, and take notes.
• Read the material before you come to class.
  Don't worry about total comprehension, but at least get a feel for what we will be covering that week. If you have some understanding of the material coming into class, it will be easier for you to follow the lecture and to ask questions during class. See my tips for reading CS textbooks for guidelines on getting the most out of assigned readings.
• Start the lab assignments early.
  I realize this one is not always easy to do, but if you can get in the habit of doing this, you will be much better off. As the labs get longer and more difficult, starting early will give you plenty of time to mull over the lab problems even when you aren't actively writing your solution.
• Practice, practice, practice.
  The only effective way to learn the material and pass the exams is to consistently do the labs, and to practice example problems presented in class and in the book. Forming study groups to go over practice problems and to review lecture and reading notes is a great way to prepare for exams.
• Seek help early and often.
  Because course material builds on previous material, it is essential to your success in this class that you keep up with the course material. There are a lot of sources of help: ask questions during lecture; ask your classmates (make sure you have read the "Academic Integrity" section below first); get help during lab sessions; and come to office hours.
• Take hand written lecture notes.
  In lecture the professor often draws diagrams on the board, some of which you will need to reproduce. Taking notes with paper and pen (vs. on the computer) will allow you to copy these diagrams.

Academic Integrity

The CS Department Integrity Policy Statement:
Academic honesty is required in all your work. Under no circumstances may you hand in work done with (or by) someone else under your own name. Your code should never be shared with anyone; you may not examine or use code belonging to someone else, nor may you let anyone else look at or make a copy of your code. This includes, but is not limited to, obtaining solutions from students who previously took the course or code that can be found online. You may not share solutions after the due date of the assignment.

Discussing ideas and approaches to problems with others on a general level is fine (in fact, we encourage you to discuss general strategies with each other), but you should never read anyone else's code or let anyone else read your code. All code you submit must be your own with the following permissible exceptions: code distributed in class, code found in the course text book, and code worked on with an assigned partner. In these cases, you should always include detailed comments that indicates on which parts of the assignment you received help, and what your sources were.

Failure to abide by these rules constitutes academic dishonesty and will lead to a hearing of the College Judiciary Committee. According to the Faculty Handbook: "Because plagiarism is considered to be so serious a transgression, it is the opinion of the faculty that for the first offense, failure in the course and, as appropriate, suspension for a semester or deprivation of the degree in that year is suitable; for a second offense, the penalty should normally be expulsion."

The spirit of this policy applies to all course work, including code, homework solutions (e.g., proofs, analysis, written reports), and exams. Please contact me if you have any questions about what is permissible in this course.

For this course, it is fine to help each other with using utilities and tools (Unix, C++, Sqlite, man, git, make, ...), and with reading and understanding the assignments. However, you should avoid discussing the details of your solution with anyone other than your lab partner, and you should never look at anyone else's code for a solution to a lab (or to a similar project). In addition, there are many useful on-line resources of which you should take advantage. However, make sure that you do not use these resources in such a way that it violates the spirit of our Academic Integrity statement. For example, should you post questions to on-line forums or mailing lists seeking a solution to the specific problem you are asked to solve. Basically, the solution and code that you submit as your own should be your own. If you are unclear about what type of collaboration is okay and what type is not, ask me about your situation before proceeding.

Accommodations Statement

If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact Leslie Hempling in the Office of Student Disability Services (Parrish 113) or email lhempli1@swarthmore.edu to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs. As appropriate, she will issue students with documented disabilities a formal Accommodations Letter. Since accommodations require early planning and are not retroactive, please contact her as soon as possible. For details about the accommodations process, visit Student Disability Service Website. You are also welcome to contact me privately to discuss your academic needs. However, all disability-related accommodations must be arranged through the Office of Student Disability Services.

Resources

Below are some resources and links that may be helpful to you (I will add more over the course of the semester).

• Using Git
• C++ help (programming, compiling, debugging, C++ code style guide, language references, tutorials)
• My help pages My Help Pages and Links (Unix and Linux, gdb, git, C++, ...)
• CS Department's Help Pages
• sqlzoo.net SQL Tutorial
• sqlite.org
• an SQLite Tutorial
• Useful Unix commands
• Tools for examining system state