This syllabus is tentative and will be finalized by the end of the second week of the semester.

Lecture Time/Location

Tuesday/Thursday 10:30am–11:50am, Catskill 130

Instructor

Amir Masoumzadeh (amasoumzadeh@albany.edu)

• Office Hours: Tuesday 2pm–3pm, Thursday 3pm–4pm, UAB 422 and Zoom (link on Brightspace)

Course Overview

This course is designed to introduce students to the foundations of database systems, with emphasis on the relational algebra, query processing, query optimization and transactions. The topics covered in this course include data models, schema design, schema normalization, query languages, query processing, query optimization, transactions, recovery, and concurrency control.

Prerequisites

C or better in CSI 521 or passing the Departmental examination in discrete mathematics.

Textbook

Database System Concepts (7th Edition) by Silberschatz, Korth, and Sudarshan (ISBN10: 0078022150, ISBN13: 9780078022159)

Communication and Submissions

The course syllabus and schedule is available on the course webpage. Most of the tasks in this class will be handled via Brightspace including announcements, lecture notes, assignment submission, feedback, and grades.

Assessment and Grading

You will be assessed based on the following:

In-Class Exercises (5%)

You will complete small in-class exercises collaboratively and submit your responses individually via Brightspace quizzes. Submissions are only permitted during designated class time and must be completed in person; submitting remotely constitutes a violation of academic integrity. While exercises may be graded to provide feedback, your credit is based solely on completion. Missing submissions, including those due to absence, will receive no credit. To accommodate unforeseen circumstances, your lowest 10% of exercise scores will be dropped.

Homework Assignments (35%)

You will work on about 9 homework assignments. Solutions to problem set assignments must be typed and submitted as PDF.

Project (20%)

You will work in teams of 3-4 students on a semester-long project.

Exams (40%)

You will take a midterm exam (during a regular class session) and a final exam (during the final exam period). Exams are non-cumulative and equally weighted.

The course uses A-E grading. Final letter grades are determined by applying cutoffs based on the overall grade distribution in the class, allowing for more flexible and potentially more favorable outcomes than a fixed grading scale.

Schedule

The following schedule is tentative and will be regularly updated. It is your responsibility to check the schedule regularly. The plus sign (+) means optional reading.

Policies

No Late Submission (Except for One Assignment)

Assignments will be typically released at least one week before their due date. You are highly recommended to study an assignment as soon as it becomes available. There will be ample opportunities to benefit from office hours and communication with the instructional team before the due date. Assignments are due at 11:59pm on the day of their deadline. Submissions after due time will receive no points. However, in order to account for unforeseen situations, you can request to submit only one assignment late. In order for your late assignment to be graded, you must email the instructor to request a late submission before the deadline. You should note that a late-submission request may not be always accepted (e.g., when the solutions need to be discussed in class immediately after a submission). Therefore, you are recommended to submit a version of your solution before the deadline if your request has not been reviewed yet. You have up to 3 days to submit after the deadline if your late-submission request is approved. Note that you only have one such opportunity during the semester. Therefore, it is advised to leave that option for truly critical situations. In the case of a team assignment, a late submission is considered for all team members.

Review of Grades

Any issue regarding your graded materials must be communicated to us no later than 5 business days after the posting day of the grades. There will be no re-grading after the 5-day period has passed.

Attending Classes

Class attendance is required for successful completion of this course.

Attending Exams

The midterm exam is given in regular hours of the class. The final exam will be during the final exam period. The exam dates are on the course schedule. The midterm exam date is tentative and will be finalized at least one week before the actual exam date. Makeup exams are not guaranteed and will be given only for valid and verifiable extenuating circumstances (e.g., a major medical situation). It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor at least a week ahead of the exam date and arrange to take a makeup exam at an alternate date/time. If an absence in exam is expected due to religious observance, the student is responsible to notify the instructor at least 30 days before the exam date. Otherwise, their request may not be granted.

Academic Integrity

It is every student’s responsibility to become familiar with the standards of academic integrity at the University. Claims of ignorance, of unintentional error, or of academic or personal pressures are not sufficient reasons for violations of academic integrity. Any incident of academic dishonesty can result in a zero grade for the affected course component and a report sent to the appropriate University authorities (e.g., Dean of Undergraduate Education or Graduate Studies). Repeated violations will result in a failing grade for the course.

For all assignments, you must submit your own work, except where collaboration is explicitly permitted or required. Providing your solutions to others or copying even parts of a solution from others (including generative AI systems such ChatGPT and Gemini) is considered plagiarism. In projects/papers, you must properly cite any resources from which you borrow ideas and clearly distinguish them from your contributions.

Use of Electronic Devices

Computers or other electronic devices may be only used during class for note-taking, in-class exercises, or other class-related activities. You are not allowed to perform any unrelated tasks during class.

Students with Disabilities

Reasonable accommodation will be provided for students with documented disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring accommodation in this class, please notify the Disability Access and Inclusion Student Services (DAISS) (Campus Center 130, 518-442-5501). That office will provide me with verification of your disability, and will recommend appropriate accommodations. In general, it is your responsibility to contact me at least one week before the relevant activity to make arrangements.

Health and Well-Being

Your physical and mental health is very important. The university has several health services when you need them. In particular, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides free, confidential services including psychological counseling and evaluation for emotional, social, and academic concerns.

If your life or someone else’s life is in danger, please call 911. If you are in a crisis and need help right away, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Students dealing with heightened feelings of sadness or hopelessness, increased anxiety, or thoughts of suicide may also text “GOT5” to 741741 (Crisis Text Line).