Principles of Database Systems - 605.641

This course examines the underlying concepts and theory of database management systems. Topics include database system architectures, transaction management, data models, query languages, conceptual and logical database design, and physical organization. The entity-relationship (ER) model, using ER diagram (ERD) and Enhanced ERD, as well as relational models, are investigated in detail. Object-oriented databases are introduced along with legacy systems based on the network. Hierarchical models as well as big data and NoSQL are also briefly described. Mappings from the conceptual level to the logical level, integrity constraints, dependencies, and normalization are studied as a basis for formal design. Theoretical languages such as the relational algebra and the relational calculus are described, and high-level languages such as SQL, triggers and Stored Procedures are discussed. An overview of file organization and access methods is provided as a basis for discussion of query optimization and execution. The course also covers the causes of performance problems and how to improve database application performance during database design and implementation. Course prerequisite(s): EN.605.202 Data Structures.