Course Description

The course introduces students to commercially available database products such as Oracle, MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server. The course has been uniquely designed to provide students a solid foundation for designing, developing and managing relational databases operated by leading business organizations. Among many other database platforms available, Oracle will be used throughout the course and will emphasize on the relational modelling approach to represent data. A variety of hands on coding exercises are provided to students to practice SQL queries in the computer lab.  Some key topics in the course include ER (Entity-Relationship) modeling, Database design, Normalization techniques, Writing introductory and advanced SQL queries. Additionally, the course also discusses on implementation issues, data warehouses and database administration drawing practical examples from different functional and operational areas in businesses.

Terms Offered

  • Fall

  • Winter

  • Summer

Prerequisites & Knowledge

  • COMM 226 or 301
    NOTE: Students who have previously received credits for DESC 382 are not eligible to enroll in this course for credits.

  • All the material from Comm 226 that covers the drawing of ERD’s

  • The material on databases in the Comm 226 textbook, chapter on Database and Content Management

  • All of the material from the Comm 226 chapter on Decision Making and Business Intelligence

  • A brief overview of the Part 4 of the Comm 226 textbook Information System Management

Core Learning Materials

  • Introduction to Database Systems

  • Types of  Databases, Understanding Relational Databases.

  • Entity Relationship (ER) Modelling & Advanced Data Modelling.

  • Understanding Normalization. (1NF, 2NF, 3NF & 4NF).

  • Introduction to SQL (Data Definition & Manipulation Language).

  • Advanced SQL (Using SQL joins to make appropriate queries).

  • SQL Optimization.

  • Overview of Distributed Database Management Systems.

  • Business Intelligence & Data Warehousing.

Required Material

  • Database Systems: Design, Implementation and Management

  • Visio 2013

  • Oracle Database 11g Express Edition and Oracle SQL Developer

Teachers

Dr. Chitu Okoli

Associate Professor, Supply Chain and Business Technology Management

View Profile

Other Information

BTM 382 Course Outline

FAQ

How do I practice for the midterm?

The teacher is very good at varying the questions on multiple choice to test students’ knowledge on the chapters assigned. Having a very good understanding of the general knowledge the material is important to do well on the multiple choice. Moreover, reread the textbook chapters carefully because the teacher asks questions aimed to see if students are reading the book instead of only studying the ppts.Long answer questions tend to test practical skills more than knowledge. ERDs drawing will be tested, and while many students know the general drawing of an ERD, many loose points on the details such as underlining the non-null attributes or numbering the foreign keys.

How do I practice for the midterm?

The teacher is very good at varying the questions on multiple choice to test students’ knowledge on the chapters assigned. Having a very good understanding of the general knowledge the material is important to do well on the multiple choice. Moreover, reread the textbook chapters carefully because the teacher asks questions aimed to see if students are reading the book instead of only studying the ppts.Long answer questions tend to test practical skills more than knowledge. ERDs drawing will be tested, and while many students know the general drawing of an ERD, many loose points on the details such as underlining the non-null attributes or numbering the foreign keys.

How do I practice for the midterm?

The teacher is very good at varying the questions on multiple choice to test students’ knowledge on the chapters assigned. Having a very good understanding of the general knowledge the material is important to do well on the multiple choice. Moreover, reread the textbook chapters carefully because the teacher asks questions aimed to see if students are reading the book instead of only studying the ppts.Long answer questions tend to test practical skills more than knowledge. ERDs drawing will be tested, and while many students know the general drawing of an ERD, many loose points on the details such as underlining the non-null attributes or numbering the foreign keys.

How do I practice for the midterm?

The teacher is very good at varying the questions on multiple choice to test students’ knowledge on the chapters assigned. Having a very good understanding of the general knowledge the material is important to do well on the multiple choice. Moreover, reread the textbook chapters carefully because the teacher asks questions aimed to see if students are reading the book instead of only studying the ppts.Long answer questions tend to test practical skills more than knowledge. ERDs drawing will be tested, and while many students know the general drawing of an ERD, many loose points on the details such as underlining the non-null attributes or numbering the foreign keys.