Study Guide

Learning outcomes

Student is able to
- understand the basic principles of relational database design
- use database transactions in an application
- explain the uses of alternative database systems

Implementation and methods of teaching

(Note: In autumn 2020, due to the coronavirus, there are changes in course arrangements, see here for details: https://moodle.lut.fi/course/view.php?id=1875)

SQL-exercises, database design exercises, contact lessons.

Timing and attendance

(Note: In autumn 2020, due to the coronavirus, there are changes in course arrangements, see here for details: https://moodle.lut.fi/course/view.php?id=1875)

Contact session are weekly and set the stage for the week's exercises and design work. During the contact sessions the environment for doing the week's assignment is constructed so work on the actual assignment can be continued at home (or after lectures in the labs). Typically the completion time for an assignment is a week, sometimes a larger assignment is assigned for two weeks. Material provided is targeted at the LAB lab machines (Windows), but all major three platforms, Windows, MacOS and Linux, are supported. It is recommended for the students to bring their own device, but there are also exercises for which the needed tools are only available in the lab machines. Attendance to the contact sessions is _highly_ recommended unless the student's previous technical experience (including programming) is already extensive.

Learning material and recommended literature

Links to materials (books) and lecture material will be provided in Reppu.

Learning environment

In addition to the classroom and Reppu the SQL platforms needed to complete the assignment can be seen as environments the students study in. The building of these platforms is done by the students themselves, they are not provided are ready made installations.

Student time use and work load

5 credits = 127 hours

Contents

Student is able to
- understand the basic principles of relational database design
- use database transactions in an application
- explain the uses of alternative database systems

Additional information for students: previous knowledge etc.

Basic understanding of programming

Assessment criteria

Artifacts produced will be evaluated by the teacher.

Assessment scale

1-5

Failed (0)

The student is unable to design a relation database and cannot understand the concept of relations. The student does not understand the technical differences between a relation database, a simple table and a key-value store.

Assessment criteria: level 1 (assessment scale 1–5)

The student understands the advantages of a relation database and key-value stores. The student also understands their technical differences but cannot properly design and implement such systems. The student understands how and why databases are constructed.

Assessment criteria: level 3 (assessment scale 1–5)

The student can design and implement relation databases at an adequate level. The student is also able to create functional key-value stores which only have a few omissions or issues.

Assessment criteria: level 5 (assessment scale 1–5)

The student masters database design and implementation (whether using relational databases or key-value stores) completely.