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Date	News Item
10/08/2007	Cover sheets for Assignments 1, 2 and 3 are all together here <COVER-SHEET> in pdf format.
31/07/2007	Forty-two copies of the Subject Notes have been printed and made available at the University Bookshop.
16/07/2007	The Subject Notes are now available from the University Bookshop (let me know if they run out), and they weigh-in at $43.10. Note: The price is based on the 'number of pages' and is set by the University's printing services, not by me (although I'm certainly responsible for the number of pages;). On the plus side, there is no set Text book for this subject - i.e. all you need to know is in the Subject Notes and the actual lectures, labs and tutorials.
06/07/2007	Fresh news about this subject appears here, at the top of the subject page... So do keep an eye on it through-out the second semester, to stay up-to-date with 'whats happening'.

Subject Information

Subject Description

The study of database systems and information modelling is foundational to many advanced subjects and technologies in the field of information systems and computer science. Industry practice-wise it has also been important to most organisations for a long while, but it probably has never been as important to those with a Web interface, as it is now. In his influential article What is Web 2.0 , an analysis of successful Internet-age companies including Google, Amazon and the like, Tim O'Reilly of O'Reilly Publishing, underlines the fact in a number of ways e.g. "Data is the next Intel Inside ... Database management is a core competency of Web 2.0 companies", September 2005.

The subject introduces key topics in modern information organisation, particularly with regard to structured databases, including database analysis, design and implementation. The well-founded relational theory behind modern structured query language (SQL) engines, has given them as much a place behind the web-sites and the web services of an organization, as they traditionally enjoyed on corporate mainframes.

Topics covered include: the managerial view of data, information, metadata and knowledge; database modelling in entity relationship (ER), enhanced entity relationship (EER) and UML notations; normalisation and denormalisation; agent-oriented modelling as an alternative modelling method; the SQL language; data integrity; transaction processing and data warehousing. In addition to traditional database applications, alternative technologies such as XML-hybrid systems, web services, end-user mash-ups, data mining and decision support systems are briefly surveyed as domains for the employment of data modelling skills.

Objectives

This subject aims to help the student:

• Develop an understanding of the different technologies available to manage structured information, and the evolutionary process that led to them.
• Understand the differences between data, information, meta-data, knowledge, structured data and tagged data.
• Understand the role of technology in the business environment, including notions such as the Enterprise Data Model, Corporate Data Model, Information Systems Architecture, Conceptual Schema and CASE tools.
• Be able to competently use the CASE tool: 'CASE Studio2'.
• Understand and be able to apply the Entity Relationship Model to application domains new to them.
• Ability to define key-based and fully-attributed data models.
• Become fully aware of the ongoing value and application of the Entity-Relationship ER data model.
• Be able to apply Data Normalisation to their models.
• Understand the difference between Database Analysis and Database Design.
• Understand and apply the Enhanced Entity Relationship model (supertypes and subtypes) and Business Rules.
• Become competent in basic SQL and know where to find advanced SQL commands and why.
• Understand the need and mechanism for transaction processing.
• Understand performance issues and database administration.
• Understand data warehousing, OLAP and Decision Support Systems (DSS).
• Understand the differences between ER modelling and Object-oriented (OO) modelling and appreciate how they have influenced each other.
• Recognise and understand different modelling notations with respect to databases, including UML class diagrams.
• Understand what makes a good data model and effective modelling strategies to improve the quality of data models.
• Be familiar with the technologies and techniques for putting web-interfaces in front of database systems (eg. JavaScript, HTML, CSS, ASP, JSP, ODBC, JDBC).
• Be familiar with the Web Services paradigm and terms including SOAP, WSDL and UDDI.
• Be aware of W3C languages XML (XML-DTD), XML Schema, XML Query and the DOM.
• Understand issues regarding Corporate Data Modelling and large database models.
• Able to adapt and apply the learned modelling techniques, to end-user mashups of Internet-based services and resources.

Through the combination of lectures, tutorials, labs and assignments, the student gains expertise and confidence to make informed decisions about database systems and appropriate modelling techniques for the structured informational needs within most modern organisations. They will gain considerable hands-on experience in modelling a number of diverse informational situations, drawing upon the first principles taught.

Generic Skills

The student will acquire skills in Information Modelling - a generic skill that will serve the student well throughout a career in Information Systems. Scoping within analysis is also a valuable cross-discipline skill honed during this subject.

Magazine, Journals and other Links

To give you a little idea of how active and vibrant the area of Database Systems and Information Modelling is within Information Systems, here are a few links to a number of publishers in the subject area:

Magazines:

DB2 Magazine: http://www.db2mag.com/
Datamation: http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/
DM Review: http://www.dmreview.com/
Enterprise Systems: http://www.esj.com/
Database Trends and Applications: http://www.databasetrends.com/
The Data Administration Newsletter: http://www.tdan.com
Intelligent Enterprise: http://www.intelligententerprise.com/
Oracle Magazine: http://www.oracle.com/technology/oramag/index.html
Database Programming and Design Magazine: http://www.dbpd.com/vault/issue.html
SQL Server Magazine: http://www.windowsitpro.com/SQLServer/
MySQL Newsletter: http://www.mysql.com/news-and-events/newsletter/
MySQL Blogs, news, opinions: http://www.planetmysql.org/

Journals:

Journal of Systems and Software: http://www.elsevier.com/ - Occasionally has papers on database and modelling, of interest to us.

Journal of Conceptual Modeling: http://www.inconcept.com/JCM/

Other Links of Interest:

Week 1:

What is Web 2.0?: http://www.oreilly.com/ - an influential article about business models for next generation software, with well-founded insights and claims, such as: "Data is the next Intel Inside" and "Database management is a core competency of Web 2.0 companies, so much so that we have sometimes referred to these applications as 'infoware' rather than merely software." and "SQL is the new HTML" .

Agile Development Methodologies (vs traditional 'Heavyweight' methodologies):

Extreme Programming: http://www.xprogramming.com an Agile software development resource.

Extreme Programming: http://www.extremeprogramming.org An introduction to XP.

The Agile Alliance: http://www.agilealliance.com a non-profit organization that supports individuals and organizations who use agile approaches to develop software.

Agile-to-DB Example: Applying Agile to DB design An example of applying an Agile technique, to data modelling.

Local 'Agile' Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/melbourne_XP_enthusiasts/

Student 'Quality of Teaching' feedback

We welcome your comments about this subject - those things you liked and those you think we could improve on. You can provide this feedback in several ways:

• Speaking directly to the staff member concerned - the lecturer
• Speaking to your student representative or the MIS/MIT Program Director
• Completing the Quality of Teaching survey administered towards the end of each subject.

The feedback provided by students in these ways will be communicated to lecturers and taken into account in subject planning and staff training.

Feedback for 615-570 from Earlier Years

Changes made to this years 570 in response to feedback from students in 2003, 2004, include:

• We purchased and introduced the CASE StudioV2 program into the subject, to help students analysis, design and build systems in labs and for their assignments.
• We changed the third assignment to a 'group (of 2) assignment', rather than an individual assignment, to increase the amount of interaction with other members of the class, in a 'team' (be it small) like situation.

Other comments:

"A (DIS) Teaching Award has been given to you for achieving 4.0 or above (out of a possible 5), for all 9 questions on the Quality of Teaching (QoT) survey in both Semester 1 and Semester 2 this year." Liz Sonenberg, HoD, DIS, December, 2006.

"A special congrats for achieving the (equal) best response for Question 2 'this subject was well taught' ", Head of Department, DIS, 2003.

Outline - Lectures, Tutorials and Labs

Assessment

Fifty percent of the assessment will be from the combined mark of the three assignments, and 50% of the assessment will be an exam of two hours duration. The assignments are progressively worth more marks. Of the three assignments, the first and the third are database 'design' in nature, while the second one is SQL-oriented.

Assessment Policies

Apart from normal departmental policies the following apply to this subject:

• Late assignments will incur a penalty of 5% of the maximum possible marks each working day late

Resources

References

Text books

No single textbook was found suitable to support this Subject. You will not be required to buy a text book. However, there is an extensive set of subject notes available from the University Bookshop. Also note, a number of books that are relevant to this subject are listed below, most of which can be found in the University library:

Modern Database Management (7th Edition).

J.A. Hoffer, M.B. Prescott & F.R. McFadden. Prentice Hall, 2005

This book has been superceded by Edition 8, however, the newer edition uses a different ER notation than is used in this subject. The ER notation used in Edition 7, is like what we use, as it is more appropriate to the "User-Centred Design" (UCD) approach we take in Requirements gathering in this subject.

MySQL (3nd Edition).

Paul DuBois. Sams Publishing, March 2005. ISBN: 0672326736

Covers the version of SQL we will be using in some exercise during the subject, in a thorough straight-forward manner

The Definitive Guide to MySQL (2nd Edition).

Michael Kofler. APress, October 2003. ISBN: 1590591445

Covers up to version 4 of MySQL , not Version 5 editions, but is a good alternative to DuBois, if you already have this one.

UML - A Beginners Guide (2nd Edition).

Jason T. Roff , 2003. McGraw Hill, ISBN: 0072224606.

The Data Modeling Handbook: A Best-practice Approach to Building Quality Data Models

M.C. Reingruber and W.W. Gregory, Wiley-QED. 1994.

A book dedicated to bringing quality to the field of data modelling, in theory and in practise - many data model examples. Highly regarded by professional data modellers. Good definitions of database modelling concepts and terms. Extensive examples. (An expensive book though.)

Data Modeling for Everyone.

Sharon Allen, CurlingStone, 2002.

A book written as an attempt to broaden the appeal of Data Modelling, and which goes some way in achieving it. Good introduction or refresher to data modelling. Some emphasis on data analysis.

Data Modeling Essentials: Analysis, Design and Innovation (2nd Edition).

G.C. Simsion and G.C. Witt. Coriolis Group, 2000.

Emphasis is on design rather than analysis (ie. requirements gathering). Hard-won insights by the authors into developing information systems for business. Numerous observations from real world modelling consultancy.

"This book presents a new perspective on data modelling. It focuses on the ideas on innovation, creativity and choice in the data modelling process and provides many useful practical examples. It should be read by all serious data modellers who need to be one step ahead of the usual prescriptive approach to data modelling."Reviewer: Graeme Shanks

Mastering Data Modeling: A User-Driven Approach.

J. Carlis and J. Maguire, Addison Wesley, Pearson Education, 2001

This book maintains a strong emphasis on finding out what users/clients want - hence the emphasis is on requirements gathering and analysis, rather than on the modelling and design of database systems. The word 'mastering' in the title is out of place (eg. doesn't even explain sub-type and super-type), however the emphasis on the user, on constraints and on naming conventions, gives the book some ongoing value to the practitioner.

Information Modeling and Relational Databases: From Conceptual Analysis to Logical Design.

T. Halpin, 2001, 3^rd Edition. Morgan Kaufmann.

Another book with a strong emphasis on modelling what the user wants, in the user's language - ie. very requirements/analysis-oriented. A book written for a more general audience than just professional data modellers. It introduces ORM - object role modelling - a methodology that includes its own notation and diagrams that differ from ERD and UML, which is more focused upon capturing business facts. Popular with Visio users.

Business Rules and Information Systems: Aligning IT with Business Goals.

Tom Morgan, 2002, 1st Edition. Addison Wesley Professional.

Describes how to define business rules, clearly and unambiguously. Morgan employs the object constraint language - a part of the unified modeling language (UML version 1.1). It demonstrates integration of business rules into Use Cases.

Data Modeling for Information Professionals.

B. Schmidt. 1998. Prentice Hall PTR.

Describes modelling of relational database systems using concepts familiar to the object-oriented designer. The author has a good grasp of both object-oriented design and ER design. Generally not popular with ER data modellers.

The Database Relational Model: a Retrospective Review and Analysis.

C.J. Date, 2001. 

A historical account and assessment of E.F. Codds contribution to the field of database technology by Chris Date, a major player himself. A bit of evident back-slapping doesn't overly detract from this deep long look at the relational model.

Provisional Reading references

Where possible, the following readings/articles will be available either: to download, on CD, or in print.

[Chen, 1976] - Peter Pin-Shan Chen (1976). The Entity-Relationship Model - Towards a Unified View of Data. ACM Transactions on Database Systems, Vol.1, No.1, March 1976, pages 9-36. On CD.

[Goschnick, et al, 2006] - Steve Goschnick, Sandrine Balbo , Leon Sterling and Christine Sun (2006). TANDEM - a Design Method for Integrating Web Services into Multi-Agent Systems, AAMAS-06. Handed out at lecture.

[Logic Works, 1997] - Logic Works (1997). Erwin Methods Guide. 96 pages. On CD.

[Moody, 1996] - Daniel Moody, (1996). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Data Modellers. In Database Programming and Design, 9 (October) 1996. Handed out at lecture.

[Moody & Shanks, 1998] - Daniel Moody and Graeme Shanks, (1998). What Makes a Good Data Model? Evaluating the Quality of Entity Relationship Models. The Australian Computer Journal, Vol.30, No.3, August 1998. Handed out at lecture.

[Rumbaugh et al, 1999] - J. Rumbaugh , I. Jacobson and Gary Booch (1999). The Unified Modeling Language Reference Manual. Addison-Wesley. 568 pages. On CD.

[Bhambhri, 2005] - J. Anjul Bhambhri (2005). Firing Up the Hybrid Engine - native XML storage DB Magazine. IBM, Quarter 3, pp.42-5. Handed out at lecture.

Forum 570

An SQL-driven Forum database application will be setup, when the assignments are handed out.