Instructors

Prof. Dr. Tilmann Rabl, Dr. Pedro Silva, Lawrence Benson, Ilin Tolovski

Contents

Databases are at the core of almost all large applications and are used in all enterprises. In this lecture, we will discuss database systems from an application perspective. We will start with an introduction to the SQL querying language, i.e., how we can create, update and search data tables. Next, we will look into modelling databases by using ER diagrams and relational models. We will also dig into the relational algebra that enables us to operate on top of the relational models. In the second part of the lecture, we will discuss advanced topics such as transaction management, programming database systems through database-access APIs such as JDBC. We will touch on the topic of security, discussing threats such as SQL injection.

Announcements

• The moodle page for the course is now open for students. You can enroll here.
• Course management will be done using the HPI Moodle
• Non-HPI participants: please send us an email to get access to the Moodle
• Due to the ongoing corona virus situatuion, the course will be conducted online (at least for the beginning). 

Schedule

The lectures will be available in video format on tele-TASK or in the HPI Moodle. The live exercise sessions will take place in smaller groups in Zoom conferences on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11am. The assignment of students to exercise groups will be done once the list of participants is complete.

Topics

Will be announced in Moodle.

Grading

• The grade will be determined in a written exam.
• The time and location of the exam will be announced at least 6 weeks in advance.
• The prerequisite for admission to the exam is the successful completion of the exercises (> 50% of the total points of the exercises, and > 50% of the programming exercise).
• In case of low participation, the exam might be replaced by an oral examination.

Structure

Lectures

The lectures will be conducted online and available in video format on tele-TASK or in the Algorithm Engineering Moodle.

Exercises

• There will be 7 graded exercises in the form of homework exercises or moodle quizzes. 
• Each week there will be group sessions where we will discuss problems and solve examples related to the exercises. 
• The students will need at least 50% of the total points to be eligible to take the final exam. 
• These points will not count when forming the final grade.

Programming exercise

• There will be 1 graded programming exercise. 
• In order to be eligible for the final exam, the students need to achieve at least 50% of the points of this exercise. 
• These points will not count when forming the final grade.
• Submission deadline: TBD

Final exam

• Date: TBD
• Prerequisites: > 50% of the total exercise points, > 50% of the programming exercise points
• Written exam, 100% of the final grade.

Literature

Hector Garcia-Molina, Jeffrey D. Ullman, Jennifer Widom: Database Systems - The Complete Book, Pearson Education International, 2008 (available in the UP library and at our chairs library)

Other books

• Alfons Kemper, André Eickler: Datenbanksysteme - Eine Einführung, De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2015
• Gunter Saake, Andreas Heuer, Kai-Uwe Sattler - Datenbanken: Konzepte und Sprachen, mitp Verlags GmbH & Co, 2018
• Elmasri Ramez And Navathe Shamkant: Fundamentals of Database Systems, Pearson India, 2017