CSC 43H3 -- Introduction to Databases

Summer 2019

Index of this document

Contact information and meeting times

Instructor:  Nick Koudas
Office hours: Mondays after class or by appointment
Office:  IC 468 (Scarborough campus);  BA 5240 (St. George campus)
Telephone:  416-287-7253 (Scarborough campus);  416-946-5819 (St. George campus) 
Email:  koudas@utsc.utoronto.ca

NOTE: When sending email to the above address, prefix your subject line with CSC43
Please be precise and brief. I prefer plain text emails. Do not send me pieces of code
asking me what is wrong; please see the TA's.
TAs:   Qi Lin and Andrew Leung
Office hours:  Monday 1-2pm and Friday 11am-12 room 400A;

Lecture time and location:  Monday 9-11, room IC 230;

Tutorial times and locations:  Mondays 11am-12 room IC 320, Mondays 12pm-1pm IC 320   ; 

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Course content

Course goals:   Introduction to database design. Topics covered: Entity relationship models, relational algebra, normalization theory, SQL and embedded SQL, implementation of relational databases. A thorough project to design a realistic data base following a design process will be conducted as part of the course. Implementation of the design using embedded SQL and performance testing. Post the course students will have a principled and practical understanding of implementing relational databases for specific applications.

Required Text:  H. G. Molina, J. Ullman, J. Widom : Database Systems The Complete Book, Pearson/Prentice Hall 2009.

Tentative weekly schedule:  To view the tentative weekly schedule click here .

Calendar of important course-related events:



 

Date Event
Mon May 6
First day of class
Mon   May 20
Assignment 1 handed out
Mon June 24
Assignment 1 due (at the start of the lecture)
Mon,  June 24
Midterm (in class 1 hour long) / Project handed out
Mon Jul 22
Last day to drop the course
Mon July 29
Project handed in (at tutorial). Oral tests starting at 11am at IC 400A


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Course policies

Course evaluation:   There will be 1 assignment,  one programming project a midterm exam and a final exam. The relative weights of these components towards the final mark are shown in the table below:

Assignments 1
10%
Midterm 30%
Final 35%
Project
25%



Late homework policy:  No late homeworks will be accepted. If you miss an assignment deadline because of a medical or personal emergency, you must fill out the Special Consideration Form. (In case of a medical emergency, you must also submit the U of T Student Medical Certificate, completed and signed by your physician.) 

Homework  collaboration policy:   Each assigment much be completed individually without any collaboration. For the projects you should form groups of 2 students. Group formation information will be available at a later date.

Remarking policy:   If your request concerns a simple addition error, see the instructor.  To make any other kind of remarking request, you must fill this form , attach it to your homework assignment or test, and give it to the instructor of the course no later than one week from the date the marked assignment or test was made available to the class.  Remarking requests made after this deadline will not be accepted.

Missed midterm test policy:    If you miss the midterm test due to a medical or other serious emergency, get in touch with your instructor immediately, and fill out the Special Consideration Form. (In case of a medical emergency, you must also submit the U of T Student Medical Certificate, completed and signed by your physician.)  There will be no make-up test, but if we consider your reason for missing the test to be valid, we will use your final examination mark to compute your mark for the missed midterm test.

Attendance in tutorials:  Attendance in tutorials is as mandatory as attendance in lectures.  In neither case is formal attendance actually taken. However, there will be material presented only in tutorial and not discussed in the lectures for which you are responsible and in which you may be tested in homeworks or exams.

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Announcements

MSQL Material

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Marks

Handouts

Assigments will be handed in harcopy form in class and will also be available outside the instructors office.
There will be no electronic version of assigments and/or solutions available on the course web page. Tutorial material will not be available in electronic or hardcopy form -- i.e., attendance
of tutorials is essential.
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Old exams

There are no available old exams and/or homeworks.

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