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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2013/2014
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Informatics : Informatics

Postgraduate Course: Advanced Databases (Level 11) (INFR11011)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Informatics CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Year 4 Undergraduate) Credits10
Home subject areaInformatics Other subject areaNone
Course website http://course.inf.ed.ac.uk/adbs/ Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThis course aims at furthering database systems concepts through adding complexity and a more hands-on approach. In particular, we will focus on supporting multi-dimensional data in a DBMS, query optimisation, query evaluation, transaction processing and concurrency control in both a centralised and a distributed context. In terms of centralised databases, we shall start from single and multi-dimensional indexing methods, move on to join evaluation algorithms, and talk about query opimisation paradigms. We shall then focus on the issues of transaction processing, concurrency control and crash recovery. Finally, we shall revisit the previous issues in a distributed database environment.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Database Systems (INFR09011)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Advanced Databases (Level 10) (INFR10002)
Other requirements This course is open to all Informatics students including those on joint degrees. For external students where this course is not listed in your DPT, please seek special permission from the course organiser.

A firm grasp of basic mathematics is expected; the course involves extracting cost models from algorithms.

A good level of programming is assumed and will not be covered during lectures. The coursework will involve implementing query processing algorithms in the context of a database system written in Java.
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?Yes
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1) Learn enabled:  No Quota:  None
Web Timetable Web Timetable
Course Start Date 13/01/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 20, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 5, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 71 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) Written Exam 70 %, Coursework 30 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)2:00
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
1 - Demonstrate knowledge of storage methods by enumerating various indexing techniques over single- and multi-dimensional data.
2 - Demonstrate knowledge of query evaluation by describing and implementing various evaluation algorithms used by database systems.
3 - Demonstrate knowledge of cost-based query optimisation by describing search space exploration and different optimisation paradigms.
4 - Demonstrate knowledge of transaction processing and concurrency control using lock tables and/or optimisic methods of concurrency control.
5 - Demonstrate knowledge of crash recovery by describing the methodologies and algorithms employed by a database system in the event of a crash.
Assessment Information
Written Examination 70
Assessed Assignments 30
Oral Presentations 0

Assessment
Two programming assignments. The assignments will account in total for 30% of the final grade.

Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus This is a rough overview of what will ideally be covered if time permits. If needed, the time spent on each part will be adjusted as the course progresses.

* B-trees, hash-based indexes, R-trees and Grid files.
* Query evaluation: join algorithms (nested-loops join, sort-merge join, hash join, Grace join and hybrid-hash join.)
* Query optimisation: cost-based query optimisation, dynamic programming, randomised exploration, rule-based optimisation.
* Concurrency and recovery: transactions, lock tables, optimistic concurrency control, recovery using the ARIES algorithm.
* Distributed databases: distributed query evaluation, distributed transaction processing.

Relevant QAA Computing Curriculum Sections: Databases, Data Structures and Algorithms, Software Engineering
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list * Raghu Ramakrishnan and Johannes Gehrke, Database Management Systems (Third Edition) McGraw-Hill 2003.
* Various papers available on the topics of the syllabus.
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Lectures 20
Tutorials 0
Timetabled Laboratories 0
Non-timetabled assessed assignments 50
Private Study/Other 30
Total 100
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Mary Cryan
Tel: (0131 6)50 5153
Email: mcryan@inf.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Kate Farrow
Tel: (0131 6)50 2706
Email: Kate.Farrow@ed.ac.uk
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