IT 310
Database Planning and Design
Client Database Design and Implementation
using Access
| Instructor: | Dale R. "Zai" Fox, Ph.D. |
| Office: | |
| Office Hours: | 3:30
- 5:50 PM Monday, Wednesday other hours by appointment |
| Phone: | |
| E-Mail: | zai.fox@esaighu.net |
| Text: | We will take a sort
of dual approach to this course.
One branch will relate to the standard database approaches used in IT and IS courses across the country. In this vein will rely on the text. Hoffer, Prescott & McFadden, Modern Database Management, 8th Edition, Prentice Hall. For the other branch of our approach we will focus on Microsoft Access to get more involved in practical design and implementation. You should find a book that suits your purposes. When teaching MBAs I usually recommend Andersen, Access 2003: The Complete Reference, Osborne. Though, you should be able to make use of an earlier version of this book if you already have it or don't have Access 2003. As usual, you may find it unnecessary to buy any books. Though, in this course, particularly if you expect to be doing database work in the future you may decide you want to have some appropriate books for references. |
| Methodology: | I will take a
largely case based approach at the core of this course. I have
five reasonably realistic examples I will work from throughout the
semester. These cases can be referred to as
These cases all involve fairly standard looking sorts of databases. We will also make sure we don't have overly elaborate table structures and relationships so that a few of our examples will be toned down at least a bit from what they would be in the real world. |
| Grading: |
- 40% of your grade will be based on a final test. The test will be a mixture of multiple choice and short answer with some program debugging. - 60% of your grade will be based on two homework assignments. All of the problems need be turned in individually. On the other hand, you are expected to work together to develop your solutions. Each homework assignment will be graded on a 100 point scale. They will be due at midnight on the day they are due.
You will want to e-mail your solutions to me by the date and time they are due. Any written discussion should be placed in a Word file and attached/inserted. You will also attach/insert things such as forms and projects to your e-mail. You also need to make sure you get an acknowledgement that I have received your email and solutions. Any lateness due to things such as illnesses, illnesses in the family or other things need to be independently verified. I do not necessarily need to know the details. For example, I am quite comfortable trusting a physician's statement without knowing the specifics of an illness. But I need some sort of reliable verification so that other students in the class do not feel that anyone is getting special treatment. |
| Course Objectives: |
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Weekly Schedule