COMU114 - Introduction to Database Development
Announcements for this module will be posted on Blackboard.
Note that resit information is now available on Blackboard.
Module
Descriptor:
COMU114 Module Descriptor
This module provides an introduction to Database technologies. These technologies include basic Relational Data Modelling concepts and practice, and simple data querying. Students will develop and query a simple database which provides a specific functional element of an information system.

Click on a title to see the list of topics in that chapter.
Use the download links to get full notes or lecture slides in PDF
format.
Download
- notes | slides
Contents
What is a
database?
Databases vs. Database Management Systems
Relational and other database systems
Databases and
enterprise information systems
The language of relational
databases – SQL
Popular relational database systems
Designing a database
The data model
From data model to relational database
Download
- notes | slides
Contents
Database normalisation
Problems with un-normalised data
Functional dependencies
Normalisation and normal forms
First normal form (or 1NF)
Second Normal Form (2NF)
Third normal form (3NF)
Summing up the first three normal
forms
Higher normal forms
When to use
normalisation
Some notes are in PDF format - you may need Adobe Reader to view and print them. You can download it using the link below:
Tutorials:
Tutorial 1 |
solution
Tutorial
2 | solution
Tutorial
3 | solution
Tutorial 4 | solution
Tutorial 5 | solution
Lab
2 | Access SQL datatypes quick reference
solution to tasks 1 to 4 is now available on
Blackboard under Course Documents as an Access database
Lab
3 | solutions
database gcutours.mdb
available on Blackboard under Course Documents
Lab
4 | solutions
database gcutours_app.mdb
and Java files available on Blackboard under Course Documents
Lab 5 | solutions
databases gcutours.mdb, gcucars.mdb and normalisation_demo.mdb available on Blackboard under Course Documents
solution to task 2 (gcucars_solution.mdb) is now available on
Blackboard under Course Documents as an Access database
Resit details are available on Blackboard.
There
is no set text for this module, but you
may find the following books useful:
Beginning
Database Design: From Novice to Professional (Clare
Churcher, Apress, ISBN 1-59059-769-9)
Head First SQL
(Lynn Beighley, O'Reilly, ISBN 0-596-52684-9)
Inside
Relational Databases with Examples in Access (Mark Whitehorn
& Bill Marklyn, Springer-Verlag, ISBN 1846283949
Staff:
Jim
Paterson, Room M628, 0141 331 3028, James.Paterson-at-gcal.ac.uk
Dimitrios Korentzelos, Room M714, 0141 331 8569, D.Korentzelos-at-gcal.ac.uk
When sending e-mail please substitute -at- with the usual internet e-mail name/address separator

