CS 487 Database Systems

Quick Facts

Required Textbook:

Title	Fundamentals of Database Systems, third edition
Author	Ramez A. Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe
Publisher	Addison-Wesley Publishing
ISBN	0805317554

Optional Textbook:

Title	Practical PostgreSQL
Author	John C. Worsley and Joshua D. Drake
Publisher	O'Reilly
ISBN	1-56592-846-6

Final Exam: Tuesday December 14, 15:00-17:30

Documents

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Homework

• September 16, 2004

  • From the book: Chapter 1, most of 1.1 should be familiar
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of a database compared to another storage paradigm?
  • Identify two examples where a database is (or might be) employed. Going through the list of advantages from using a DBMS that the book provides consider which ones are the most important for this use of a database. If you ignore that factor would it still make sense to use a database?
  • Chapter 2, most of 2.1 should be familiar, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.11 and 2.12 (on a small scale).
  • Try to recall (and draw) the basic structure of a database from memory. What does each part do?
  • What implication does having a three schema architecture have on the task of integrating database schemas developed by separate groups?
  • Chapter 3, most of 3.3 should be familiar, 3.9, 3.12, 3.13, consider the other exercises and try some out.
  • From the book: 4.1, 4.3, 4.9, 4.17
  • From the book 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.6, 14.14 a-g (In the third edition of the book, these are in chapter 6).

• October 7, 2004

  • From the book Chapter 5 (new)/7 (old): 1, 4, 6, 8, 9
  • What is the difference between Natural Join, Cross Product, and Division.
  • Describe the return type from each of the algebraic operations. What significance does this have?
  • What are the relational algrebra operators? Give an example of how each is used.
  • What is the smallest set of relational algebra operators necessary for full expressive power?
  • Be able to translate between natural language, relational algrebra, relational calculus, domain calculus, and SQL.
  • What are the existential and universal quantifiers and how are they used?
  • What are safe expressions and be able to indicate if an expression is safe.
  • What are well formed formulas? What role do they play?
  • Be able to map ER and EER models into the relational model.

• November 12, 2004

  • From the book Chapter 20 (new)/11 (old): 2, 3, 5, 6, 11, 14
  • From the book Chapter 21 (new)/12 (old): 1, 7-9, 11
  • From the book Chapter 10 (new)/14 (old): 2-5, 7, 8, 9-11, 13, 14, 19, 21 (If you are using the old book add one to all problems higher than 4 and less than 19).
  • How are relationships represented in an OODB? How does this compare to the relational model?
  • Compare how you would write a simple query in the Object Query Language as compared to SQL.
  • What is the Object Relational model?
  • Describe the following, having clause, limit and offset, and case when statements.
  • How can a subselect be used in a query?
  • Describe a sequence and what it is used for.
  • Describe triggers.
  • What are the different ways that a view can be implemented? What is the advantage of each?

• December 7, 2004

  • From the book Chapter 11 (new) / 15 (old): 1-3, 5-9, 13, 14
  • From the book Chapter 17 (new) / 19 (old): 1, 5-11, 17, 22
  • From the book Chapter 18 (new) / 20 (old): 1-10
  • Be able to sketch conflict graphs, wait-for graphs, and two phase locking protocls.
  • Give an example of something that is livelocked but not deadlocked.