Syllabus for CMP 420: Database Systems
Lehman College, City University of New York
Spring 2003

• Catalog Description: CMP 420: Data Base Systems. 4 hours, 4 credits. Introduction to theory of data base systems and database management: theory of relational, hierarchical, and network database organization, with emphasis on the first; views of data, data organization, data dependency and redundancy, normal forms, query language. A database language will be taught and a project assigned in that language. PREREQ: CMP 338.
• Textbook: A First Course in Database Systems, second edition, by Ullman and Widom, Prentice Hall, 2001 (ISBN: 0-13-035300-0).
• Programming Environment: We will be using PostgreSQL on the departmental Linux machines. More information about using both Linux and PostgreSQL will be available during the lab sessions.
• Grading: The grading for the course will be based on:
  • Homework Quizzes: 15%
  • Lab Programs: 10%
  • Project: 15%
  • Midterm Exam: 25%
  • Final Exam: 35%
• Exams: The exams will be
  • Midterm Exam: Tuesday, 25 March
  • Final Exam: TBA
    
  Since the final is comprehensive, if you do better on it than on one of the midterm exams, the score on the final may replace one of the midterm scores. Note that the final will be long and difficult, so, it is an exceptionally bad idea to plan on taking advantage of this. There will be no makeup exams, and you must pass the final to pass the class.
• Assignments: Homework assignments are posted on the class website. These are not to be turned in but are the subject of the quizzes. More information about the quizzes can be found here.
  Lab programs should be turned in the day of the lab. The deadline for turning in a program is usually several weeks after the lab and is on the top of every lab. No program will be accepted after the last laboratory session of the semester. If you wish to improve a grade on any program, you may resubmit it for grading.
  Full credit will only be given for those programs that run correctly and have good documentation and programming style.
• Honor Code: You are encouraged to work together on the overall design of the programs and homework. However, for specific programs and homework assignments, all work must be your own.
  You are responsible for knowing and following Lehman's academic integrity code in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
  All incidents of cheating will be reported to the Vice President of Student Affairs.
• Computer Accounts: You will be assigned a computer account on the Linux machines for work relating to this course only. More information about the computer accounts and Linux machines will be available at the first laboratory session.