Database Management

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: Jerry Smallwood
• Assessment: problem-solving worksheets (20%) and a two-hour examination (80%)

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
• Relational Model
• Querying relational databases using SQL
• Updates, views and transactions
• Integrity constraints in the Relational Model
• Relational database design
• Non-relational databases
• SQL programming and the web

By the end of this module, you will:

• understand database concepts and, in particular, relational database technology
• be able to produce an entity-relationship model from a real-world scenario
• be able to formulate correct queries in SQL
• be able to compare relational database designs in terms of desirable properties
• be aware of the range of non-relational database systems.