Practicing is important in this course in order to learn the issues and to master them. Some tasks for self testing are embedded in the web-based e-learning material. These tasks are aimed to provide feedback on how you have learnt the topic. They do not give any credit points.

SQL practicing

SQL queries and database maintenance operations are practiced using the SQL-Trainer software.

Study groups

The goal of a stydy group is to study the kernel structures and the design principles of the relational databases by the use of example cases. The stydy group has 4 official meetings and as many unofficial meetings as you want to. The course assistant is available as the instructor in the official meetings.

• The assignment for the study group in English is the design of a library database.

• First meeting: organization on work.
• The second meeting concentrates on the kernel structures of the relational databases: domais, keys, foreign keys and dependencies between data items.
• The third meeting concentrates on verifying that the database design is practical and serves the operations properly.
• In the final meeting study groups present their database designs to other groups and evaluate the plans of other groups.

Database design task in study groups

Each study group designs a small database and presents their plan as a written document. This document consists of:

• Title
• Description of the problem
• Definition of the information contents of the database
  • UML diagram + associated text definitions
• Descriptions of the tables
  • database schema as a diagram (either using the technique used in the course or a technique available in some design tool, the image must, however, be embedded in the document)
  • SQL create table statements with comments like the ones of the Pizza database - what values there are in columns
• Database quality analysis
  • how did the group ensure the quality of the plan
  • dependency analysis and the potential changes it caused
  • some (at least 6) important use cases and their use of the database - dependency matrix (use case vs relation) or sql-queries
  • example relations
  • changes made due to the quality analysis

In the last stydy group session groups presents their plans to other groups. The group should prepare for the presentation by making slides about

• the problem
• database schema as a diagram and
• some examples of the tables