ClassInfo

CSC 553 Advanced Database Concepts

Alexander Rasin

Office: CDM 847
Winter 2015-2016
Class number: 26467
Section number: 801
M 5:45PM - 9:00PM
CDM 00222 Loop Campus
Course homepage: http://d2l.depaul.edu/

Summary

This course will examine the fundamental concepts and techniques for optimizing the performance of a data warehouse. The first part will cover the fundamentals of tuning a relational Database Management System (DBMS): storage and indexing, cost models, query processing, query optimization and, finally, physical database design. We will compare the approaches and system-specific features of several DBMS systems (including Oracle, DB2, SQL Server and PostgreSQL). The second part will consider the challenges of providing failure recovery, high-availability guarantees, as well as scaling DBMS performance in a distributed setting. Transaction processing, distributed query processing and optimization as well as recovery and data replication will be examined. The last part of the course will survey unconventional DBMS systems, such as column-store databases, streaming databases and NoSQL databases.



Texts

Required Text: Fundamentals of Database Systems (sixth OR seventh edition), by Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe, ISBN 0136086209 or 978-0136086208 / ISBN 0133970777 or 978-0133970777.


Grading

There will be six (6) homework assignments (with associated readings) posted on the course web site, due one week after the day they are posted, unless otherwise noted. Details of the submission process will be discussed in class; it is your responsibility to verify that your submitted files are readable and submitted in the correct locations. Grades and comments will be returned through the course web site. Late assignments will be accepted up to three days late with a 10% penalty for each day or fraction of a day that the assignment is late; these penalties will be assessed uniformly and in full to all assignments submitted at any point beyond the posted due date and time (including those submitted or re-submitted later the same day). The homework assignments will be worth a total of 55% of the course grade, the rest of the grade (45%) will be comprised of a final project. There will be no exams in this course.


Prerequisites

CSC453 or equivalent.


Regarding Email Communication

Please begin the subject line of any email to me with "CSC 553", so that I can easily identify your messages. I will reply to email messages within one business day after the day I receive them; therefore questions that are only received by me on an assignment's due date (or late the night before) are not guaranteed replies before the assignment is due. Please plan accordingly and begin the assignments early enough to ask questions and receive answers. If you are having problems, send me a detailed description of the problems you are having; I will try to guide you in locating and solving your problems yourself, rather than simply solve your problems for you.


School policies:

Changes to Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.

Online Course Evaluations

Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.

All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.

Academic Policies

All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.

Students with Disabilities

Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296