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FIT1004 Database - Summer semester , 2007

Unit leader :

Lindsay Smith

Lecturer(s) :

Gippsland

  • Shyh Wei Teng

Introduction

Welcome to FIT1004 Database for Summer semester, 2007.

Databases are so widely used today that they can be found in organisations of all sizes ranging from large government agencies and business corporations to small businesses and even home use. Every day activities such as using a credit card, purchasing a product at a supermarket via a scanning checkout and internet purchases, involve application programs which consult a database to carry out tasks such as verifying a credit limit, identifying a Universal Product Code, listing the range of products available or recording an internet purchase.

FIT1004 will give you an understanding of the techniques which are used by IT professionals to design, implement and access data stored within a database.

This 6 point unit is a core unit within the Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems and the Bachelor of Business Information Systems undergraduate degrees within the Faculty of IT. 

Unit synopsis

This unit will provide an introduction to the concepts of database management. This will include planning, designing, using and implementing a data model using an enterprise-scale relational database system. Methods and techniques will also be presented to populate, retrieve, update and implement integrity features on data in the implemented database system.

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit you will have knowledge and understanding of:

  • the major objectives of database technology;
  • the relational model for databases and competing models;
  • the phases of the database development life cycle and their correspondence to the phases of the system development lifecycle;
  • the techniques and tools to design and implement a database suitable for an information system;
  • a database retrieval and manipulation language (SQL);
  • methods that can be put in place to permit efficient operation of a database;
  • the role of a database administrator;

and you will have developed attitudes that enable you to:

  • Appreciate the privacy issues relating to storage of data in a database.
  • Practice ethical behaviour when developing, implementing and using a database.

Workload

For on campus students, the weekly workload commitments are:

  • two hours of lectures,
  • two hours of laboratory (requiring advance preparation), and
  • eight hours of self directed study - this will include reading and computer based activities.
Off-campus students generally do not attend lecture and tutorialsessions, however, you should plan to spend equivalent time workingthrough the relevant resources and participating in discussion groupseach week.

Unit relationships

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this unit.

Relationships

FIT1004 is a core unit in all majors of the BITS and in the BBIS degree.

You may not study this unit and BUS3112, CPE2005, CSE2132, CSE2138, CSE2316, CSE3180, CSE3316, GCO2815, IMS1907, MMS2801 in your degree.

Continuous improvement

Monash is committed to ‘Excellence in education' and strives for the highest possible quality in teaching and learning. To monitor how successful we are in providing quality teaching and learning Monash regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. Two of the formal ways that you are invited to provide feedback are through Unit Evaluations and through Monquest Teaching Evaluations.

One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through Unit Evaluation Surveys. It is Monash policy for every unit offered to be evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys as they are an important avenue for students to "have their say". The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

Student Evaluations

The Faculty of IT administers the Unit Evaluation surveys online through the my.monash portal, although for some smaller classes there may be alternative evaluations conducted in class.

If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to http://www.monash.edu.au/unit-evaluation-reports/

Over the past few years the Faculty of Information Technology has made a number of improvements to its courses as a result of unit evaluation feedback. Some of these include systematic analysis and planning of unit improvements, and consistent assignment return guidelines.

Monquest Teaching Evaluation surveys may be used by some of your academic staff this semester. They are administered by the Centre for Higher Education Quality (CHEQ) and may be completed in class with a facilitator or on-line through the my.monash portal. The data provided to lecturers is completely anonymous. Monquest surveys provide academic staff with evidence of the effectiveness of their teaching and identify areas for improvement. Individual Monquest reports are confidential, however, you can see the summary results of Monquest evaluations for 2006 at http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/cheq/evaluations/monquest/profiles/index.html

Improvements to this unit

Following student feedback and staff review of FIT1004 the unit content has been restructured for this semesters offering. This restructure has involved the removal of some content (10%) and the reordering of the remainder.

Unit staff - contact details

Unit leader

Mr Lindsay Smith
Deputy Head of School
Phone +61 3 990 47201
Fax +61 3 990 47089

Lecturer(s) :

Dr Shyh Teng
Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 26851

Teaching and learning method

The unit will be delivered via lectures and laboratories.

Lecture: During the lecture, your lecturer will introduce key theoretical concepts and demonstrate various approaches to database tasks. The time in lectures is quite brief, please ensure you gain the best advantage from this time by:

  • Prior to the lecture
    • reading the study guide for the appropriate week, and
    • downloading and reading the lecture notes,
  • During the lecture
    • annotate a printed set of lecture notes as the lecture proceeds, and
    • participate, question, seek clarification
  • After the lecture
    • read over you notes and make sure you understand the concepts
    • seek help if you are unsure
The labs consist of a set of graded exercises which allow you to put the theory presented in the lecture to work in creating, designing and using databases. The labs will also include issues that you will need to discuss with your fellow classmates and tutors. Before the lab you should carefully read through the lab activities. The teaching staff will presume that you have completed all the posted lab tasks each week and build subsequent activities on this assumption. For this reason it is very important that you complete all the posted tasks (please note you will not be able to complete them in the allocated 2 hours, these will be completed in your self study 8 hours). Given the cumulative nature of the learning, it is easy to fall behind if either you do not complete the required work or fail to understand key tasks/concepts. If you are having problems with lab exercises, please ensure you speak to your tutor and gain some assistance.

Off-campus distributed learning or flexible delivery

Off campus students should pay particular attention to the MUSO OCL discussion forum for matters specifically related to them

Communication, participation and feedback

Monash aims to provide a learning environment in which students receive a range of ongoing feedback throughout their studies. You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This may take the form of group feedback, individual feedback, peer feedback, self-comparison, verbal and written feedback, discussions (on line and in class) as well as more formal feedback related to assignment marks and grades. You are encouraged to draw on a variety of feedback to enhance your learning.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem that is affecting your study. Semesters are short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Summer semester dates

Key dates for units offered over the summer period vary widely. Please note the following important information with respect to the dates applying to this unit offering.

The teaching weeks of Summer semester, 2007, starts on 12/11/2007 and ends on 1/2/2008.  The exams commence the week after that.  The semester break is from 21/12/2007 to 1/1/2008.  Please note that Summer semester has only 11 teaching weeks, instead of 13 weeks in normal semester.

Unit Schedule

Week Topic Study guide Key dates
1 Database: Introductory Topics & The Relational Database Model Study Guides 1 & 2  
2 The Database Lifecycle Study Guide 3  
3 Conceptual Design Study Guide 4  
4 Normalisation & Logical Design Study Guide 5  
5 Structured Query Language (SQL): DDL Study Guide 6  
6 Structured Query Language (SQL): DML Study Guide 7 Assignment 1 Due (Friday)
7 Structured Query Language (SQL): DML part 2 Study Guide 8  
8 Structured Query Language (SQL): DDL, DCL Study Guide 9  
9 Transaction Management Study Guide 10  
10 Physical Design Study Guide 11 Assignment 2 Due (Friday)
11 Database Administration Study Guide 12  

Unit Resources

Prescribed text(s) and readings

Rob, P. and Coronel, C., Database Systems 7th Edn., Thomson Course Technology, 2006


Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Recommended text(s) and readings

Hoffer, J.A., Prescott, M.B. and McFadden, F.R., Modern Database Management 8th Edn., Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006

 

Required software and/or hardware

This unit will make use of the Oracle 10G database running on the Monash ITS server llama.its.monash.edu.au. All students will have an account on this sever which will suffice for all database work this semester.

Although it is not required, if students wish to run a database server at home they can download Oracle XE from the technet site:

  • http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/database/xe/index.html

Please note:

  1. registration (free) is required, and
  2. this is a large download (around 200Mb) and should not be attempted without first consulting your campus lecturer.

The client software for accessing Oracle (SQLDeveloper) will be available in the labs. It will also be available via a download from the MUSO site for installation at home. SQLDeveloper is also available, after registration (free), from the technet site:

  • http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/sql/index.html 

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Students studying off-campus are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the Faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access. On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook.

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

Students can download study guides, lecture notes, tutorial exercises and assignment details from the FIT1004 web site on MUSO.

Library access

The Monash University Library site contains details about borrowing rights and catalogue searching. To learn more about the library and the various resources available, please go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au.  Be sure to obtain a copy of the Library Guide, and if necessary, the instructions for remote access from the library website.

Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)

All unit and lecture materials are available through MUSO (Monash University Studies Online). Blackboard is the primary application used to deliver your unit resources.

You can access MUSO and Blackboard via the portal (http://my.monash.edu.au).

Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then Blackboard under the MUSO learning systems.

In order for your Blackboard unit(s) to function correctly, your computer needs to be correctly configured.

For example :

  • Blackboard supported browser
  • Supported Java runtime environment

For more information, please visit

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/downloadables-student.html

You can contact the MUSO Support by: Phone: (+61 3) 9903 1268

For further contact information including operational hours, please visit

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/contact.html

Further information can be obtained from the MUSO support site:

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/index.html

Assessment

Unit assessment policy

  1. obtain an overall unit result of at least 50%, and
  2. achieve no less than 40% of the marks available for practical work AND no less than 40% of the marks available in the examination.

Assignment tasks

  • Assignment Task
    Title :
    Database Design
    Description :

    Students will be supplied with a case study and asked to model this using Entity Relationship modelling. You will test your design by implementing your final logical ERD in Oracle via a set of 'create table' statements.

    Weighting :
    20%
    Criteria for assessment :
    These will be supplied as part of the assignment task.
    Due date :
    Friday 21st December
  • Assignment Task
    Title :
    Database Implementation
    Description :

    Students will be supplied with a database design via a schema file and asked to create the database under Oracle. The created database will be populated with appropriate student generated data and then used to develop a set of SQL queries and triggers.

    Weighting :
    20%
    Criteria for assessment :
    These will be supplied as part of the assignment task.
    Due date :
    Friday 25th January 2008

Examinations

  • Examination
    Weighting :
    60%
    Length :
    3 hours
    Type ( open/closed book ) :
    closed book

Assignment submission

Refer to your campus web site for details

Assignment coversheets

University and Faculty policy on assessment

Due dates and extensions

The due dates for the submission of assignments are given in the previous section. Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 5% per day. Assignments received later than one week (seven days) after the due date will not normally be accepted. In some cases, this period may be shorter if there is a need to release sample solutions.

The only exception to this is in the case of illness or other serious cause. In any such cases, proper third party documentation (e.g. a doctor's certificate) will have to be supplied.

This policy is strict because comments or guidance will be given on assignments as they are returned, and sample solutions may also be published and distributed, after assignment marking or with the returned assignment.

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Assessment for the unit as a whole is in accordance with the provisions of the Monash University Education Policy at http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/about/committees-groups/facboard/policies/studrights.html) and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Register of counselling about plagiarism

The university requires faculties to keep a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (e.g. warnings). The register is accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees) and, where requested, students concerned have access to their own details in the register. The register is to serve as a record of counselling about the nature of plagiarism, not as a record of allegations; and no provision of appeals in relation to the register is necessary or applicable.

Non-discriminatory language

The Faculty of Information Technology is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in all forms of communication. Discriminatory language is that which refers in abusive terms to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or nationality, ethnic or language background, physical or mental ability, or political or religious views, or which stereotypes groups in an adverse manner. This is not meant to preclude or inhibit legitimate academic debate on any issue; however, the language used in such debate should be non-discriminatory and sensitive to these matters. It is important to avoid the use of discriminatory language in your communications and written work. The most common form of discriminatory language in academic work tends to be in the area of gender inclusiveness. You are, therefore, requested to check for this and to ensure your work and communications are non-discriminatory in all respects.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:

Deferred assessment and special consideration

Deferred assessment (not to be confused with an extension for submission of an assignment) may be granted in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement. Special consideration in the awarding of grades is also possible in some circumstances. Information and forms for Special Consideration and deferred assessment applications are available at http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html. Contact the Faculty's Student Services staff at your campus for further information and advice.