DM26, Fall 2006 - Weekly Note 3

In this course, we will be using PostgreSQL as DBMS for the practical DB exercises, as well as for the project (along with Java). For Dat-HA students, see alternatives below.

PostgreSQL is installed on the IMADA computer system, and can be accessed from IMADAs terminal room, as well as by remote login from outside the department. For this, you need to have an IMADA account (to log on to IMADA machines) as well as a (separate) account for the PostgreSQL DBMS. In order to get the account for the PostgreSQL DBMS, you should this week write a mail to the lecturer (rolf at imada dot sdu dot dk) stating your IMADA login. Please use "DM26, DB account request" as the subject. In response, you will a few days later get a mail with a username and password for the IMADA PostgreSQL DBMS. This will be sent to your IMADA mail account, which therefore must be set up to forward mail in case you read mail using another account (e.g. your student mail account) - see instructions for this.

Participants without an existing IMADA account should first acquire one by contacting Anders Fredslund. The lecturer should be contacted afterwards as described above, for creation of PostgreSQL user name and password.

The following note on using PostgreSQL at IMADA explains how to use the PostgreSQL system at IMADA.

For HA-Dat students, it is allowed (but not required) to use MySQL instead of PostgreSQL, and for the project to write a web-application using PHP instead of a command-line application using Java.

Lecture September 15

More on the E-R Model. Relational model, conversion from E-R model to relational model (slides: pdf).

Reading

Ramakrishnan and Gehrke: Sections 2.4-6. Sections 3.1-3, and 3.5.1-2.

Remarks

At the lectures, I for conceptual clarity try to keep the relational model and SQL separated (unlike the book). I have therefore not discussed any SQL syntax yet, and you should read lightly the SQL syntax appearing in the sections above (some exercises are phrased using this SQL syntax, though).

Lecture September 22 (expected contents)

More on conversion from E-R model to the relational model. Relational algebra. Start on SQL.

Reading

Ramakrishnan and Gehrke: Section 3.5, sections 4.1-2, sections 5.1-3, and rest of Chapter 3 (you can skip 3.8).

Exercises September 25

Remaining exercises from last time: 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5 in Ramakrishnan and Gehrke.

Exercises 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.11, and 3.12 in Ramakrishnan and Gehrke.