MLIS 557: Database Design and Management
Spring 2011 Tue 3:10-5:50 (Room 337)

Course Syllabus

Instructor

Course Description

This course is an introduction to database management systems (DBMS). It covers both theoretical and practical aspects of DBMS, such as database design, use, and implementation. An essential part of the course is the final programming project through which students design and develop a practical database system for library access, electronic commerce, information retrieval, or a similar application. The final project involves the use of the database language SQL and (optionally) a language used in Web applications, such as PhP. We will use mainly MySQL. Other DBMS may also be used in addition to these, such as Access. In the theoretical portion of the course we will examine mainly the relational model of DBMS. We will discuss the principles and problems of database design, operation, and maintenance.

Pre-requisite:

Organization of the Course and Course Calendar

Textbooks

• (required) Database Processing by David Kroenke (11th Edition, Prentice Hall): http://www.prenhall.com/kroenke
• (recommended) Managing and Using MySQL by Reese, Yarger, and King (O'Reilly, ISBN 0-596-00211-4: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/msql2/

Methods of Assesment

Assignments: There are four assignments for the course. The due date for each one is clearly indicated in the assignment description and is due before the class. Late assignment submissions will not be accepted, unless due to a medical or family emergency. Expect and plan for contingencies and technical problems. Students are expected to make the best effort.

• Assignment 1 (10% of final grade): Conceptual understanding of Entity-Relationship Model and Relational Model
• Assignment 2 (10% of final grade): Using Data Modeling tools
• Assignment 3 (10% of final grade): Relational Database design and querying with MySQL
• Assignment 4 (10% of final grade): Web-database integration using MySQL and PhP

Quizzes (20% of Course Grade): Quizzes will be "open book" to help you to check your understanding of key technical concepts and facts.

Term Project (35% of final grade)

Class participation (5% of final grade)

Grading scale

• A(92-100): Superior work of the highest standard, mastery of the topic
• B+(88-91): Very good work, substantially better than the minimum standard, very good knowledge of the topic
• B(82-87): Good work, better than the minimum standard, good knowledge of the topic
• C+(78-81): Minimum standard work, adequate knowledge of the topic
• C(70-77): Work barely meeting the minimum standard, barely adequate knowledge of the topic
• F(below 70): Wholly inadequate work

Class Attendance Policy

• Illness requiring medical attention;
• Curricular or extracurricular activities approved by the School;
• Personal obligations claimed by the student and recognized as valid (for example, death / serious illness of relative or family member);
• Recognized religious holidays (the university posts official dates in the various Catalogs); See note below.
• Severe inclement weather causing dangerous travel conditions; (note that the university formally advises via the Rutgers Web site if classes are cancelled do to weather)

Note about religious holidays:It is University policy (University Regulation on Attendance, Book 2, 2.47B, formerly 60.14f) to excuse without penalty students who are absent from class because of religious observance, and to allow the make-up of work missed because of such absence. Examinations and special required out-of- class activities shall ordinarily not be scheduled on those days when religiously observant students refrain from participating in secular activities. Absences for reasons of religious obligation shall not be counted for purposes of reporting. Students are advised to provide timely notification to instructors about necessary absences for religious observances and are responsible for making up the work or exams according to an agrees-upon schedule.

Class participation accounts for 10% of the final grade.Your instructor has the discretion to lower grades based on excessive absences or late attendance. The student is responsible for obtaining material distributed on class the day when he/she was absent. This can be done through contacting a classmate who was present or by contacting the teaching assistant during his office hours.

Academic integrity

• Develop and write all of your own assignments.
• Show in detail where the materials you use in your papers come from. Create citations whether you are paraphrasing authors or quoting them directly. Be sure always to show source and page number within the assignment and include a bibliography in the back.
• Do not look over at the exams of others or usd electronic equipment such as cell phones or MP3 players during exams.
• Do not fabricate information or citations in your work.
• Do not facilitate academic dishonesty for another student by allowing your own work to be submitted by others.

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