Course Outline

Introduction to Relational Databases· 

• The nature of data and data systems in general· 
• Relational fundamentals - tables, rows and columns· 
• Overview of the SQL language.· 
• Client-server architecture for database systems.· 
• Programming interfaces and embedded SQL.

Database Design· 

• Rules for first, second and third order normalisation· 
• Normalising via Entity Relationship diagrams· 
• Resolving many-to-many relationships· 
• Establishing key/foreign key relationship· 
• The concept of referential integrity

Table Creation· 

• Deciding on column data types· 
• Constructing tables using SQL· 
• Specifying key fields· 
• Populating the tables with data

Modifying tables· 

• Modifying rows using update· 
• Removing rows using delete· 
• Inserting rows using insert· 
• Replacing rows

Creating Queries· 

• Anatomy of the Select statement· 
• Role of key/foreign key in table joins· 
• Inner and outer table joins· 
• The On clause for avoiding Cartesian products· 
• The Order By clause· 
• The Group By clause and group functions· 
• The Having clause· 
• Creating views.

Operators, functions and formats· 

• Introduction to character, numeric and conversion functions· 
• Review of logical, relational and set operators· 
• Datetime and number formats

Database Administration· 

• SQL Data Control Language· 
• Creating users/schemas· 
• Controlling access to data