Note: On campus with online option. Required sections to be arranged. Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $2,400. See http://www.extension.harvard.edu
Main course website: http://sites.harvard.edu/~cscie66 The assignments will be posted here, as will the lecture materials.
Requirements
- Problem sets: five assignments, including a combination of written exercises and programming problems. Several of the programming problems must be completed in Java. Students taking the course for graduate credit will complete additional work on each assignment.
- Midterm exam
- Final exam
Important note: The problem sets – especially the programming-intensive ones – tend to be fairly time-consuming. If you have other major time commitments, you should reconsider whether to take this course.
Exam Policy for the Distance Education Program Students whose primary residence throughout the term is in the six-state New England region (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) are expected to take the midterm and final examinations on campus as scheduled. Students whose primary residence throughout the term is outside of New England are expected to arrange to take their exams at alternate locations by finding a qualified proctor and submitting an online proctored examination form no later than one week before the on-campus exam date. See the course website for instructions on how to submit the proctor information online. Students should contact Academic Services, 617-495-0977, if they have any questions about this policy.
Grading Policies Late penalties: Homework is due prior to the start of lecture. If it is submitted more than 10 minutes after the start of lecture, it will be considered a full day late. There will be a 10% deduction for homework that is up to four days late, and a 20% deduction for homework that is 5-7 days late. We will not accept any homework that is more than 7 days late. Plan your time carefully, and don't wait until the last minute to begin an assignment. Starting early will give you ample time to ask questions and obtain assistance.
Determining the final grade: problem sets 50% midterm exam 17% final exam 33% The exams will count for a total of 65% (and the problem sets 35%) if doing so improves your final grade. The final exam can also replace the lowest assignment if doing so improves your final grade.
An EXT (extension) grade will be granted only in extreme circumstances (e.g., serious illness), and only when appropriate documentation has been provided. Please bring any such circumstances to Dr. Sullivan's attention as soon as possible.
Academic Conduct Unless otherwise stated, all work submitted as part of this course is expected to be your own. You may discuss the main ideas of a given problem with other students (provided that you acknowledge doing so in your solution), but you must write the actual solution by yourself. This includes both programming assignments and other types of problems that we may assign.
Prohibited behaviors include:
- copying all or part of another person's work, even if you subsequently modify it
- viewing all or part of another student's work
- showing all or part of your work to another student
- consulting solutions from past semesters, or those found in books or on the Web.
You are also responsible for understanding Harvard Extension School policies on academic integrity: www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student-conduct/academic-integrity
Not knowing the rules, misunderstanding the rules, running out of time, submitting "the wrong version", or being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not acceptable excuses. There are no excuses for failure to uphold academic integrity.
If we believe that a student is guilty of academic dishonesty, we will refer the matter to the Administrative Board of the Extension School, who could require withdrawal from the course and suspension from all future work at the School.
Other Extension School Policies We also expect you to know and adhere to the general policies and procedures of the Extension School. You can find more information here: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies
Disability Services The Extension School is committed to providing an accessible academic community. The Disability Services Office offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with documented disabilities. Please visit the following site for more information: www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/disability-services-accessibility
Textbooks
- Computer Science E-66 coursepack. This will be available for download from the course website after the first lecture. More information will be given during the first lecture.
- Optional: Database Systems: The Complete Book (2nd edition) by Hector Garcia-Molina, Jeff Ullman, and Jennifer Widom (ISBN 978-0131873254, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009). This book is not required, but you may find it useful to purchase it.
Calendar (tentative)
1
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January 27
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introduction; database design and ER models
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2
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February 3
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the relational model, relational algebra and SQL
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3
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February 10
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storage and indexing
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4
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February 17
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the logical-to-physical mapping; a key-value store Problem Set 1 due
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5
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February 24
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transactions
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6
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March 2
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midterm exam
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7
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March 9
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concurrency control Problem Set 2 due
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March 13-19
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Spring Break. No lectures or sections.
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8
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March 23
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recovery and logging
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9
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March 30
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semistructured data and XML Problem Set 3 due
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10
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April 6
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XML (cont.); object-oriented/object-relational models
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11
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April 13
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distributed databases and replication
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12
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April 20
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NoSQL Problem Set 4 due
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13
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April 27
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performance tuning; wrap-up and conclusions
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14
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May 4
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review session Problem Set 5 due; no late submissions after Sunday, May 8.
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15
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May 11
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final exam
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Other important dates: January 24: registration ends February 1: late registration ends; course drop deadline for full-tuition refund February 8: course drop deadline for half-tuition refund April 22: last day to withdraw for a grade of WD (no refund)
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