Databases

The module COMP518 Database and Information Systems will cover the following topics:

• Fundamental concepts in information systems
• The relational database model and its advantages over file-based storage
• Relational algebra operations and compound expressions
• Conceptual database design (entity-relationship modelling)
• Logical database design
• Functional dependencies and normalisation
• SQL syntax and its role in a modern DBMS
• Using SQL for data definition and efficient queries
• Transaction management, atomicity and serialisability
• Concurrency control mechanisms

The following material may help you to prepare for this module:

• For an online book on the topic of this module see

  A. Watt and N. Eng: Database Design (2nd Edition). Victoria, B.C.: BCcampus, 2014. https://opentextbc.ca/dbdesign01/ Links to an external site.

  Note that the notion used for ER diagrams used in this book may differ from the one used on the module.
• For an introduction to SQL with exercises see

  W3 Schools: SQL. Refsnes Data, 2023.
  https://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp Links to an external site. [accessed 2023-06-19].