General Notes:

Chapter 8 focuses on data base design. Those of you who have already completed 410 will have a big advantage with this one. Those of you who haven't will find this to be a lot of stuff to try an grasp in one go. I think in this context, the important things to try and understand are the difference between file-oriented systems and data base oriented systems (250-252), and the various concepts associated with a database management system (252-263). Normalization (266-277) is one of the toughest things to try an understand in a data base course, and I don't think it's realistic for me to expect you to grasp it here. However, you should read the final part of the chapter, pages 278 onward.

I'll be demonstrating some data base management system technologies in class if we have time.

Discussion Topics and Preparation:

1. Identify at least five benefits of a DBMS based system over a file based system for the Personal Trainer system. Identify at least two disadvantages of the DBMS approach in this context.
2. The main thing that you have to learn from this chapter is how to draw an Entity Relationship Diagram. To practice this let's work together in class on one of the case studies from earlier in the textbook, Original Kayak Adventures. Sketch out an ERD for this system. To make it easier, here are some entities: Equipment (Kayaks and other major items for rental), Inventory Item (small items for sale), Customer, Reservation, Staff Member. Adding more is fine if you think of any.

Page copyright Thomas Haigh -- email thaigh@computer.org.    Home: www.tomandmaria.com/tom. Updated 11/27/2007.