awbCourse Time: 5a (MW 2:30 – 3:40pm, F 3:10 – 4:10pm)
Office Hours: I will hold weekly evening lab hours on Discord Tuesdays 8-9:30pm (Central time) You'll see me in one of the voice channels on the left, so just click it to join and say hello. A link to the CS department Discord is posted on Moodle. I also have 1-on-1 appointment slots on Thursdays from 1:30-4:00pm, use this link to sign up for a slot. I am also very happy to arrange meetings at other times, so just shoot me an email.
Course Text: Silberschatz, Korth, and Sudarshan, Database System Concepts, 7th edition
This textbook is a recommended reference for the course, and I will post textbook readings to accompany each lecture. You are not required to have the textbook, and I will be posting Andy Pavlo's excellent and concise written notes to go along with each lecture.
Announcements will be made via Moodle, so watch for those emails.
Programming Environment: We will be using C++ for this course and the projects will need to be done in a Linux-like environment.
This includes MacOS, WSL on Windows, and the CS mantis server.
Follow this guide to set up WSL (you will want to use WSL 2).
If you do decide to work remotely on a CS server, this course will use mantis.mathcs.carleton.edu.
You can access it via ssh or via JupyterHub at https://mantis.mathcs.carleton.edu:9595/.
You will need to be on the Carleton VPN to connect to JupyterHub.
x2go is an alternative way to work on mantis that doesn't require being on the VPN.
You are free to use whatever code editor you prefer, though I have found Visual Studio Code to be excellent. I will walk through setting up a C++ development environment in the week 1 lab meeting.
git resources
make and writing Makefilesvalgrind ./executableDatabase systems are used in almost every aspect of computing, from storing data for websites to maintaining financial information for large corporations. Intrinsically, what is a database system and how does it work? This course takes a two-pronged approach to studying database systems. From a systems perspective, we will look at the low-level details of how a database system works internally, studying such topics as file organization, indexing, sorting techniques, and query optimization. From a theory perspective, we will examine the fundamental ideas behind database systems, such as normal forms and relational algebra.By the end of this course, you should be able to:
Grading breakdown:
| Percentage | Letter |
| ≥ 93 | A |
| ≥ 90 | ≥ A- |
| ≥ 87 | ≥ B+ |
| ≥ 83 | ≥ B |
| ≥ 80 | ≥ B- |
| ≥ 77 | ≥ C+ |
| ≥ 73 | ≥ C |
| ≥ 70 | ≥ C- |
| ≥ 67 | ≥ D+ |
| ≥ 60 | ≥ D |
| < 60 | F |
Course grade derivation: Course grades are computed by the sum of the points earned divided by the maximum total point. Course grade percentages are converted to letters as shown in the accompanying table. The minimum percentage required to achieve a given letter grade may be adjusted downward (only to students' benefit), but never upward. If your percentage grade satisfies the constraint in the left column, then your letter grade will satisfy the constraint in the right column of the same row. Each student's grade is determined independently without consideration of other students' grades.
Late Policy: Deadlines will be given with each assignment. These deadlines are strict. There will be no credit for late work. For the entire term, you have four late days. You are advised to use them conservatively. On partner labs you may only use late days if all members of the group have them available, and all members of the group will be charged for each late day used. They must be used in 24-hour (integer) chunks. One or more late days can be activated on an assignment by emailing me before the assignment is due. There is no penalty whatsoever associated with using a late day. This policy may not be the same as in your other classes. You are responsible for understanding it if you choose to submit late work.
A note on inclusivity:
please treat your classmates with kindness and respect, both inside the classroom and out.
Classrooms can be vulnerable environments; asking questions and expanding our understanding of new concepts requires us to reveal over and over
again that we don't fully know something. It's okay to not know everything immediately! It's not okay to make people feel bad about what they
don't know. This can happen even in subtle ways - see this page for a few ideas on how to help create a friendly learning environment.
Our individual differences enrich and enhance our understanding of one another and of the world around us.
This class welcomes the perspectives of all ethnicities, genders, religions, ages, sexual orientations, disabilities, socioeconomic backgrounds,
regions, and nationalities.
Academic Honesty and Collaboration: (adapted from Academic Integrity at MIT)
Writing code is similar to academic writing in that when you use or adapt code developed by someone else as part of your project, you must cite your source. However, instead of quoting or paraphrasing a source, you include an inline comment in the code. These comments not only ensure you are giving proper credit, but help with code understanding and debugging. For these comments, the URL and the date of retrieval are generally sufficient. Add more details if it will help the reader get a clearer understanding of the source.
Labs in this class are intended to be primarily individual efforts or an equal collaboration between you and your partner (on labs that explicitly state they may be done with a partner). You are encouraged to discuss approaches with other students but your code and your write-up must be your own.
You may not use materials produced as course work by other students, whether in this term or previous terms, nor may you provide work for other students to use.
It's good to help other students. But as a general rule, during the time that you are helping another student, your own solution should not be visible, either to you or to them. Make a habit of closing your laptop while you're helping.
You should never be in possession of a (paper or electronic) copy of a classmate's code before the due date for the assignment.
Another way to articulate this: when getting help, that consultation should be in English and not in code.
It's fine to use material from external sources like StackOverflow, but only with proper attribution, and only if the assignment allows it. In particular, if the assignment says "implement X," then you must create your own X, not reuse one from an external source.
It's also fine to use any code I provide, without need for attribution.
Example 1
Academic Accommodations:
Carleton College is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students.
The Disability Services office (Henry House, 107 Union Street) is the campus office that collaborates with students who have disabilities
to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations.
If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g., mental health, attentional, learning, autism spectrum disorders, chronic health,
traumatic brain injury and concussions, vision, hearing, mobility, or speech impairments),
please contact disability@carleton.edu or call Jan Foley, Student Accessibility Specialist (x4464)
or Chris Dallager, Director of Disability Services (x5250) to arrange a confidential discussion regarding equitable access
and reasonable accommodations.