Database Management (Level 5)

Overview

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 5
• Convenor: Richard Brownlow
• Prerequisite: Introduction to Database Technology
• Assessment: problem-solving exercises (20%), a one-hour in-class assessment (40%) and 90-minute written examination (40%)

Module description

In this module you will become familiar with the main concepts underlying database management, and in particular with the relational database model which is the dominant database system used in corporate IT departments.

The module has three main strands: fundamental concepts introduced using the entity-relationship model; querying a relational database; and relational database design.

Indicative syllabus

• Entity-Relationship Model
• The Relational Model: algebraic and logical foundations
• Querying relational databases using SQL
• Integrity constraints in the Relational Model
• Transaction management, recovery, concurrency
• Relational database design: dependencies and normal forms
• Query optimisation
• Enhanced database capabilities: procedural extensions to SQL, database triggers
• Non-relational databases, NoSQL databases

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• explain advanced database concepts, with a focus on relational database technolog
• design and implement a relational database, including the formulation of complex operations within a corporate application
• develop an entity-relationship model from a real-world scenario, demonstrating abstraction skills
• evaluate different database designs, comparing them based on desirable properties such as normalisation, efficiency and scalability
• formulate accurate and efficient queries, emphasising the importance of precision in query formulation
• analyse problems involving the deployment and management of database applications within organisations.