Student Syllabus

Contents of this Document

The Course Syllabus contains information to help you understand what the course offers, and what is expected for students to succeed. Please read it carefully, and ask the instructor if there is anything you don't understand.

• Catalog Course Description
• Course Objectives
• Text and Materials
• Grading
• Attendance Requirements
• Additional Information

This is an introduction to relational database theory and practice. Topics covered include terminology, normal forms, design of database tables, SQL (structured query language), and application generation. The student will incorporate SQL in procedural files to program applications. This course is intended for anyone possessing a basic knowledge of programming who is interested in database theory and practice. Prerequisites will be checked on the first day of class. [The title of the course was changed from Small Systems Database.]
Level II Prerequisites: CPS 120, CPS 171, CPS 185, CIS 175, or CIS 265 minimum grade "C" This means that you can enroll in CIS 282 whether or not you have taken any of the courses listed, but the instructor will check with you on the first day and if you have not passed any of these courses, you will be advised to withdraw.

1

1. Typical database applications and their advantages
2. The tasks necessary to develop a database
3. The elements of a database and the functions of a DBMS

2

1. Learn and apply data modelling
2. Learn and apply the entity-relationship model
3. Learn and apply the semantic-object model

3

1. The relational model and its importance
2. Learn and apply concepts of normaliztion and their importance
3. Transform entity-relationship models into DBMS-independent, relational designs
4. Transform semantic-object data models into DBMS-independent relational designs

4

1. Use basic operators of relational algebra to manipulate relational data
2. Use Structured Query Language (SQL) to manipulate relational databases
3. Use a knowledgeof the major functions of a database to design an application

5

1. Learn and apply concurrency control, transaction management, describe backup and recovery, and learn and apply security functions in multi-user applications.

6

1. Database terminology such as client-server technology, and data warehousing
2. Learn how downloading centralized data, OLAP, data warehousing, and data administration can increase the effectiveness of enterprise data in databases
3. Learn about examples of various enterprise database models in use

Required: Fundamentals of Database Management Systems, by Mark L. Gillenson. Wiley, 2005. ISBN 0-417-26297-8

These activities will contribute to your grade:

Class Participation consists of:

Timely attendance, asking and answering questions.

Final letter grades will be assigned as follows:

When is an Assignment considered late?

Late exercises will have their value reduced as shown here:

For details see Grading Weights page.

Missed Quizzes and Exams

If you miss a quiz or exam, the procedures and penalties differ according to whether or not you informed the instructor in advance.

1. If you know you'll miss a quiz or exam, let the instructor know as far in advance as possible. You and the instructor can arrange to make up the quiz or exam without penalty, if you complete the make-up according to the instructor's alternative instructions.
2. If you miss a quiz or exam unexpectedly, contact the instructor as soon as possible.
   • Quizzes may be made up with a late penalty of 10% for each weekday late.
   • You may not be allowed to make up an exam. If you are allowed to make it up, there will be a late pentaly of 10% for each weekday it is late.
   • A quiz or exam is considered "late" if it is taken after its officially scheduled time. However, the instructor may move the "late" date/time back if you can document an emergency that directly prevented you from taking the quiz or exam at the officially scheduled time.

Independent Work:

All students are expected to work independently, except when assigned specifically by the instructor to work together in groups or teams. Writing assignments should be done entirely by each individual student, though proof-reading and language critique by others is acceptable. Material quoted or inserted from other authors' work must be properly referenced, and may not exceed a reasonable proportion of the student's work. Students violating this principle will be subject to discipline as described in the WCC Student Handbook. Specifically, in this class:

1. The first violation will result in a zero (0) grade for the assignment.
2. The second violation will result in automatic failure (F grade) in the course.

Email to the Instructor:

Because email is one of the primary ways business professionals communicate, we will treat class email as business communication. Also, because busy people (like you and your instructor) can get overwhelmed with email, we will follow certain rules for identifying email. This means:

1. In the subject line of your email, include your name, your class and section, and the name of the assignment the email is about. Example:
   Subject: Sarah Strong, CIS 100 sec.03 W21h
   If you have a question or need help, please put question or Help in the subject line.
2. Check your spelling and grammar. Poor spelling or English usage is unacceptable in business communication.
3. Don't use informal email-lingo - but emoticons and common abbreviations are acceptable in some circumstances.

Email that does not meet these standards will be returned with the note, "Please use business email standards". (This could result in an assignment being counted late.)

Disruptive Behavior

Disruptive behavior is any behavior that makes it difficult for you or other students to learn. Disruptive behavior is unfair to everybody in the class, and cannot be tolerated.

Disruptive behavior will be handled as follows:

• First occurrence: disruptive student(s) will be asked to stop the disruptive behavior.
• Second occurrence: disruptive student(s) will be required to leave the room. WCC Security will be called upon to assist if necessary. The student will be counted as not having attended class that day.
• Third occurrence: disruptive student(s) will be required to leave the room, and will be referred to the Vice President for Student Services with a recommendation for suspension. The case will then be handled in accordance with Board of Trustees Policy 4095 "STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES".

Visitors in the Classroom

According to WCC Policy, only registered students are allowed in classrooms. Exceptions will be made only at the instructor's discretion. Visitors who disrupt the educational process in any way will be required to leave. If the visitor is a child, the student responsible for the child will be required to leave the class as well.

Getting Help

The CIS Department and WCC are committed to giving you every possible chance to succeed in this class. Several sources of help are available if you find your work difficult or hard to understand:

1. Ask for help in class! We're here to help, and people who ask for help are the ones who succeed.
2. See me! I'll be glad to help you. Since I'm retired, I don't come in to the office on a regular basis, but if you ask I'll see if we can find a time that works for both of us to get together. Before and after class often work best.
3. Request a tutor! If you start falling behind and need more help than the lab assistants or I can give you, visit Learning Support Services and ask for a tutor.
4. Request special needs accomodation if you are eligible! This is also available through Learning Support Services, and I will be happy to refer to you LSS or take you over to see them.