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Data and Knowledge Management

Overview

  • Credit value: 15 credits at Level 7
  • Convenor: Richard Brownlow
  • Assessment: problem-solving exercises (20%), a one-hour in-class assessment (40%) and 90-minute written examination (40%)

Module description

In this module we cover the principles and application of data and knowledge management technologies and languages including SQL. We will study the use of these in leading commercial database management systems as well as emerging approaches to data management.

Indicative syllabus

  • Database management software: origins and objectives
  • The Relational Model: algebraic and logical foundations
  • Relational algebra
  • Querying relational databases using SQL
  • Integrity constraints in the Relational Model
  • Transaction management, recovery, concurrency
  • Relational database design: dependencies and normal forms
  • Database architectures, implementations, storage and indexing
  • Query optimisation
  • Enhanced database capabilities: procedural extensions to SQL, database triggers
  • Non-relational DBMS, NoSQL databases

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will:

  • understand the origins and objectives of database management systems
  • understand the algebraic and logical foundations of the Relational Model
  • be able to write database queries using SQL
  • understand the principles of database transaction management, including recovery and concurrency
  • be able to apply the principles of relational database theory to database design
  • understand the principles of query optimisation
  • understand the applications of enhanced database capabilities, including procedural extensions to SQL and database triggers
  • have an awareness of non-relational database technologies.