| Week | Topics | Readings | Dates | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overview of DBMSs, Course Overview, Administrative Information | DSC Ch 1 | Thu, Jan 6 | pptx pdf |
| 2 | Introduction to the Relational Model | DSC Ch 2 | Tue, Jan 11 | pptx pdf |
| SQL (1) | DSC Ch 3 | Thu, Jan 13 | pptx pdf | |
| 3 | SQL (2) | DSC Ch 4 | Tue, Jan 18 | pptx pdf |
| SQL (3) | DSC Ch 4,5 | Thu, Jan 20 | pptx pdf | |
| 4 | SQL (4) | DSC Ch 5 | Tue, Jan 25 | pptx pdf |
| DB Design: Theory of Normal Forms | DSC Ch 7 | Thu, Jan 27 - Tue, Feb 1 | pptx pdf | |
| 5 | ||||
| DB Design: E/R Model | DSC Ch 6 | Thu, Feb 3 | pptx pdf | |
| 6 | DB Design: E/R-Relational Translation | DSC Ch 6 | Tue, Feb 8 | pptx pdf |
| DBMS Architecture Overview & Physical Data Organization | DSC Ch 12,13 | Thu, Feb 10 | pptx pdf | |
| 7 | No lecture. Assignment 3 (midterm) is due | - | Tue, Feb 15 | |
| Physical Data Organization (continuation) + Indexing | DSC Ch 14 (Optional: DIA Ch 3) | Thu, Feb 17 | pptx pdf | |
| 8 | Reading Week | |||
| 9 | Query Processing | DSC Ch 15 | Tue, Mar 1 - Thu, Mar 3 | pptx pdf |
| 10 | Query Optimization | DSC Ch 16 | Tue, Mar 8 - Thu, Mar 10 | pptx pdf |
| 11 | Transactions (1) | DSC Ch 17 (Optional: DIA Ch 7) | Tue, Mar 15 | pptx pdf |
| Transactions (2) | Tue, Mar 17 | pptx pdf | ||
| 12 | Transactions (3) & Recovery | DSC Ch 18 and 19 | Tue, Mar 22 | pptx pdf |
| Topics Beyond CS348 Modern Query Processing Techniques For Many-to-Many Joins (optional) |
Optional: GDB Ch 1, 2 & 5 | Thu, Mar 24 | pptx pdf |
Crowdmark will be used to submit non-coding assignments. When the CrowdMark instance is ready, all students enrolled in the class will receive an email with a link to their individual submission site. In order to submit, upload a separate PDF file (multiple pages are allowed) to each question. You may resubmit as often as necessary until the due date. (More detailed CrowdMark information is available at https://crowdmark.com/help/completing-and-submitting-an-assignment/.)
Marmoset will be used for the programming questions. More details will be provided in individual assignments..
Assignments release dates and due dates are as follows (dates are tentative and may change):
| Assignment | Date Posted | Due (11:59pm EDT/EST) | Hand In Via | Markers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri, Jan 14 | Fri, Jan 28 | Crowdmark Marmoset | Guy Coccimiglio & Karl Knopf |
| 2 | Fri, Jan 28 | Fri, Feb 11 | Crowdmark Marmoset | Chang Liu & Jessica Saini |
| 3 | Mon, Feb 14 | Tue, Feb 15 | Crowdmark | Glaucia Melo, Guy Coccimiglio, & Karl Knopf |
| 4 | Tue, Mar 1 | Fri, Mar 18 | Crowdmark & Marmoset | Amine Mhedhbi |
| 5 | Fri, Mar 18 | Fri, Apr 1 | Crowdmark | Chang Liu & Glaucia Melo |
| 6 | Mon, Apr 4 | Tue, Apr 5 | Crowdmark | Chang Liu & Jessica Saini |
Instructions for Assignments: Your written solutions will be judged not only for correctness but also for the quality of your presentation and explanations.
Collaboration Policy: The work you hand in must be your own. Unless specified otherwise, you can always use any result from the textbook, notes, or previous assignment just by citing it. You may discuss the assignment questions verbally with others, but you should come away from these discussions with no written or electronic records and you must acknowledge the discussion. Acknowledge any sources you have used. Any assistance received (from human or nonhuman sources) that is not given proper citation may be considered a violation of the university policies.
Late Policy:
We will use Piazza for all course announcements and as a forum for students to ask and answer questions. So you should enroll yourself at your earliest convenience. During Piazza discussions, please do not reveal the solutions to the assignments by requesting or offering detailed advice. We'll delete comments that reveal too much. Violations can result in academic sanctions.
Similarly, do not solicit hints or provide hints about how to solve the homework problems on other bulletin boards, such as Facebook. Violations can result in academic sanctions.
Piazza is not the place to dispute how assignments are marked. If you have a complaint, please follow the process given below.
| Instructor | Email (@uwaterloo.ca) |
Office Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Semih Salihoglu | (ssalihog) | Mondays, 2-3pm (see Piazza for Zoom link) |
| Teaching Assistant | Email (@uwaterloo.ca) |
|---|---|
| Glaucia Melo | (gmelodos) |
| Karl Knopf | (kknopf) |
| Guy Coccimiglio | (gccoccim) |
| Chang Liu | (c589liu) |
| Jessica Saini | (j29saini) |
| Amine Mhedhbi | (mamhedhb) |
| Instructional Support Coordinator | Email (@uwaterloo.ca) |
|---|---|
| Sylvie Davies | (sldavies) |
Note: If you decide to e-mail the course staff, you must use your uwaterloo Quest e-mail account (WatIAM/Quest userID @uwaterloo.ca); otherwise we cannot verify who you are and are limited on what we can accept and respond to.
| Help Topic | Contact |
|---|---|
| Assignment: Missed Deadline | We do not accept emailed assignments.. The last files submitted before the
deadline will be marked (submit early and often, even if
not finished). If the deadline is missed due to illness or other valid, verifiable reason, see Missed Work Due To Illness below. |
| Assignment: Marking Error | Re-mark request, due within one week of release of marks on CrowdMark/Markoset. Contact the TA who marked the specific question and submit a written request. See TAs for contact information. |
| Assignment: Recording Error | Grades will be made available through Marmoset and Crowdmark. Official marks will finally be on Learn. If you notice an error in the recorded value, please contact Sylvie Davies (CS 348 ISC). |
| Enrollment | If Quest won't let you enroll or switch LEC or TUT sections without a permission/override number: Instructors and course staff are unable to help you—you must see a CS academic advisor. |
| General Course Help | Check office hours. |
| Missed Work due to Illness or Valid & Verifiable Reason (Assignments, Exams) | Validation required. See Verification of Illness Services but substitute Sylvie Davies (CS 348 ISC) for references to instructor. Make sure you also read the Math Faculty document on the consequences of submitting a VIF. |
| Accessibility Services (AAS) exam accommodation forms (request to write at AAS) | Submit to AAS at least 3 weeks before exam |
Mental Health: If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support.
On-campus Resources
Off-campus Resources
Diversity: It is our intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, and that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class. We recognize the immense value of the diversity in identities, perspectives, and contributions that students bring, and the benefit it has on our educational environment. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let us know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups. In particular:
MOSS (Measure of Software Similarities) is used in this course as a means of comparing students' assignments to ensure academic integrity. We will report suspicious activity, and penalties for plagiarism/cheating are severe. Please read the available information about academic integrity very carefully.
Discipline cases involving any automated marking system such as Marmoset include, but are not limited to, printing or returning values in order to match expected test results rather than making an actual reasonable attempt to solve the problem as required in the assignment question specification.