Course Syllabus

International Technology University

MISY 910 Business Database Applications

Course Description

This course focuses on the concepts and technologies targeted to

permanent storage of data and various methods of handling data and
data-intensive applications. This course will provide an overview of
database concepts covering database management systems, database
application design and the relational database model. It includes
reference to and use of systems such as MySQL, Microsoft Access,
SQL, and Oracle. Through a term project, students will gain hands-on
experience with the design and development of database related
applications.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this course, you should:

 Develop an appreciation of the role of data, files and databases

in business applications and information systems.
 Be familiar with data modelling concepts and their use in
database development.
 Be able to create databases and pose complex SQL queries of
relational databases.
 Develop an appreciation for several DBMS's (MS Access, MySQL
and ORACLE)
 Be familiar with a broad range of database management issues
including data integrity and security.

Required Textbook

Bryla, Bob. (2004). Oracle Database Foundations. San Francisco, CA:

Sybex Inc. (ISBN: 0-7821-4372-5)
Required Software

Oracle Database, Express Edition (Available FREE). Instructions for

download and install will be provided in class.

Microsoft Access (Available with Standard Microsoft Office)

MySQL (Available FREE) Instructions for download and install will be

provided in class.

Grading

Homework 20% You will be assigned 4 homework assignments.

Assignments Each assignment will be worth 5% of your total
course grade
Class Project 40% The individual class project involves three steps.
Step 1 is worth 5 points. Step 2 is worth 15
points. Step 3 is worth 10 points. Your final
report and oral presentation is worth 10 points.
Please read the “Class Project Grading Criteria”
section below for more information about how
the project will be graded. More specific details
about the project and oral presentation
requirements will be discussed in class.
Final Exam 30% There will be one comprehensive final exam,
which will count for 30% of your course grade.
The final exam will be given on the last day of
class. More exam details and a study guide will
be handed out in class.

CSLO 10% Course Student Learning Objective Essay

Academic Dishonesty

All of your web programming and other assignments should represent

your own effort. Programs should be done without consultation with
other students and you should not share your source code with others.
Any program submitted that is essentially the same, as someone else’s
will not be accepted.

Grading Formula

A 93 - 100 B 80 – 86
A- 90 – 92 C 60 – 79
B+ 87 - 89 F 0 – 59

Course Schedule and Assignment Due Dates

Week Topic Text Reading Assignment

Relational Database Read Chapter 1

concepts
1
Introduction to
Database Design
Techniques.
Data Modeling (ERD Read Chapter 8
Modeling)

Introduction to Oracle
and MS Access
Databases
2
Installing Oracle and
MS Access

Installing Sample
Databases
 SQL and SQL *Plus Read Chapter 2 Homework
3
Basics Assignment 1 Due
Restricting, Sorting Read Chapter 3
and Grouping Data
4
Using Multiple Tables
Reporting Techniques Read Chapter 4

5 Creating & Project Step 1 Due

Maintaining Database
Objects
Introduction to Read Chapter 5
6
Internet Databases
Internet Databases Read Chapter 9
Homework
7 and Concepts using
Assignment 2 Due
MySQL
Scripting Languages Read Chapter 10
and their use with
8
Database Driven
Internet Applications.
Scripting Languages
and their use with Homework
9
Database Driven Assignment 3 Due
Internet Applications.
Building Applications
10
with Microsoft Access
Building Applications
11 Project Step 2 Due
with Microsoft Access
Building MS Access
12
Reports
Building MS Access
Homework
13 Forms and User
Assignment 4 Due
Interfaces
Class Project
14
Presentations
Class Project
15 Project Step 3 Due
Presentations
16 Take Final Exam CSLO Due
 Class Project Overview

Overview: This course requires an individual class project which

involves designing and implementing a database
system for an organization. The class project involves
several steps. The steps will be completed in order
since each step builds on the result of a prior step. The
final project report includes all the steps and is due on
the last day of class. You will also be presenting your
final project to the class. The class project may be
implemented using Oracle, Microsoft Access, MySQL or
another database of your choice.
Project This project requires building a database application
Description: for a real-world scenario of your choosing. You will
design schemas for the database and you will create
an actual database using a relational database
management system. You will populate the database
with sample data, write interactive queries and
modifications on the database and develop user-
friendly tools for manipulating the database.
Try to pick an application that is relatively substantial,
but not too enormous. For example, when expressed
in the entity-relationship model, you might want your
design to have in the range of four or so entity sets,
and a similar number of relationships. Note that this is
a ballpark figure only! You should certainly include
different kinds of relationships (e.g., many-one, many-
many) and different kinds of data (strings, integers,
etc.)
Step 1: Describe the database application you propose to work
with throughout the course. Your description should be
brief and relatively informal. If there are any unique or
particularly difficult aspects of your proposed
application, please point them out. Your description
should be about a page or less in length and does not
need to include the database application you intend to
use. Your description will be graded only on suitability
and conciseness.
Step 2: Specify an entity-relationship diagram for your
 proposed database. Don’t forget to underline key
attributes and include arrowheads or letters indicating
the multiplicity of relationships. We will use a simple
methodology to translate your ER model to equivalent
tables (relations). For each entity set create a table.
Also for each many-to-many relationship, create
another table. A many-to-one relationship can be
included in the relation that is at the many side of the
relationship. A one-to-one relationship can be included
in either of the related entity sets.
Step 3: The user interface of your application should be menu-
driven and include a MAIN menu. It should provide the
end user with the following choices at the minimum:

Step 3a: Data Update (insertions, deletions, and

modifications)

Step 3b: Reports to retrieve data from your database.

The report should take the user to a submenu with
options for retrieving information from any relation (by
Primary/Secondary Key) or from a join of two or more
relations. Develop your own retrieval possibilities
depending on the particular application you have
chosen. Flexibility of retrieval is desirable.

In addition to these you may come up with other

choices that might also include a choice for exiting
back to the operating system, WINDOWS.

The "Data Update" should take the user to a submenu

with options for

 Updating (an) attribute value(s),

 Deleting a row,
 Inserting a row,
 Etc. in any one of the underlying relations as
appropriate.

The “Reports” option of the Main Menu should take the

user to a submenu of appropriate report choices that
can either be displayed or printed. Try to include a
chart or graph in your report derived from the data
stored in the database.
Rationale: Feel free to use the Command Language, Report
Generator, Forms Generator, Applications Generator,
SQL and any other facilities of the database system
(Microsoft Access or Oracle) in completing your
application.

This project has the sole aim of giving you an

opportunity to take a real world situation and
implement a database application. However simple it
may be, model it as a database and develop an
implementation for it that might even be actually used
profitably. In other words, make it as realistic as
possible.

The specifications of the project are too loose on

purpose, so that you can exercise a substantial
amount of personal innovations and creativeness to
the extent that the limited time you have allows it.
Topic Some suggested applications are:
Suggestions:  Video Cassette Rentals (Video Cassettes,
Customers, Borrowing),
 Library Circulation Systems (Library Materials,
Readers, and Borrowing),
 Stocks Market Brokerage Houses (Stocks,
Customers, Portfolios),
 Football Federation License Records (Football
Players, Football clubs, Licenses),
 Doctors office system (Patients, Treatments,
Prescriptions),
 Car Insurance Application. (Customers, Policies,
Claims),
 Dental office,
 Restaurant,
 Tracking web accesses or collecting data on the
web,
 Of course, you are welcome to come up with
your own application ideas.

Class Project Grading Criteria

Project steps will be graded on the basis of correctness, completeness,
ease of use and efficiency of design.
 A correct design accommodates all functionalities specified in the
assignment.
 A complete design meets all of the requirements specified in the
assignment and is documented in a clear and concise manner.
 A design is easy to use if all interfaces to the design obey a
consistent design protocol and are as self explanatory and
inviting to a user as is possible.
 An efficient design meets the conditions specified using a
minimum of resources and executes functionality in as short a
time as possible.

These criteria are selected as these are the criteria used to evaluate all
commercial applications of Database Management Systems, thus a
student mastering these criteria in their design projects will be
acquiring skill required in the workplace. High achievement in the
course will constitute fulfilling all of these criteria on all work
submitted.