CS157b Fall 2003 Sec2 & Sec3 Home Page/Syllabus

Database Management Systems II

This class continues where CS157A left off. To begin the design of database applications both on and off the web will be covered. Then the physical implementation of databases will be considered. Indexes, B+-trees, record structures, storage devices, etc will be discussed. The focus will then switch to how query evaluation is implemented and techniques such as external sorting will be presented. Then we will cover transaction processing and concurrency control techniques. As the semester winds down, recovery methods, database tuning and benchmarking, as well as OO databases will be described.

Below is a tentative time table for when we'll do things this quarter:

Grades will be calculated in the following manner: The person or persons with the highest aggregate score will receive an A+. The lowest scoring person with a score above 55 will be the cut-off for a C-. That is, that person will receive a C-, but no one below him will. The region between this high and low score will be divided into eight equal-sized regions. From top region to low region, a score falling within a region receives the grade: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-. If the boundary between an A and an A- is 85, then the score 85 counts as an A-. Scores below the lowest C- but above 50 receive the grade D. Those below 50 receive the grade F.

If you do better than an A- in this class and want me to write you a letter of recommendation, I will generally be willing. Be advised, though, that I write better letters if I know you to some degree.

Links to the current list of assignments can be found on the left hand frame of the class homepage. After an assignment has been returned a link to its solution will be placed off the assignment page. Each homework will consist of a reading, a writing, and a programming part. Material from assignments may appear on midterms and finals. Homeworks for this class will be submitted and returned completely electronically. The written and programming parts of an assignment are submitted by clicking on the submit homework link for your section on the left hand side of the homepage and filling out the on-line form. I will not accept hardcopies or e-mail versions of your assignments. The written parts of an assignment will be submitted as text documents. Homeworks will always be due by the start of class on the day their due. Late homeworks will not be accepted; however, your low homework score will be dropped.

The midterms will be during class time on: Sep 24 and Nov 5.

The final will be: Dec 15 12:15pm-2:30pm (Sec 2) and Dec 15 5:15pm-7:30pm (Sec 3)..

All exams are closed book, closed notes and in this classroom. You will be allowed only the test and your pen or pencil on your desk during these exams. Beeper or cell-phone interruptions will result in immediate excusal from the test. The final will cover material from the whole quarter although there will be an emphasis on material after the last midterm. No make ups will be given. The final exam may be scaled to replace a midterm grade if it was missed under provably legitimate circumstances. These exams will test whether or not you have mastered the material both presented in class or assigned as homework during the quarter. My exams usually consist of a series of essay style questions. I try to avoid making tricky problems. The week before each exam I will give out a list of problems representative of the level of difficulty of problems the student will be expected to answer on the exam. Any disputes concerning grades on exams should be directed to me, Professor Pollett.

If you believe an error was made in the grading of your program or exam, you may request in person a regrade from me, Professor Pollett, during my office hours. I do not accept e-mail requests for regrades. A request for a regrade must be made no more than a week after the homework or a midterm is returned. If you cannot find me before the end of the semester and you would like to request a regrade of your final, you may see me in person at the start of the immediately following semester.