CS532. DATABASE SYSTEMS

Fall 2000

Instructor: Özgür Ulusoy (Office#: EA509)

Classes: Monday 9:40; Wednesday 10:40, 11:40

Office Hours: Friday 15:40, 16:40

Textbook: None. A collection of papers will be distributed in class.

Papadimitriou, "The Theory of Database Concurrency Control" (QA76.9.D3 P344 1986).
Bernstein, Hadzilacos, Goodman, "Concurrency Control and Recovery in Database Systems" (QA76.9.D3 B48 1987).
Silberschatz, Korth, Sudarshan, "Database System Concepts" (QA76.9.D3S5637 1997).

These books will be on reserve in the library.

This course is concerned with theoretical and practical issues of advanced database systems. Topics to be covered include object-oriented and object-relational database systems, multimedia database systems, data representation and exchange on the Web, transaction management in centralized and distributed database systems (serializability theory, locking, timestamp-ordering, optimistic schedulers, multiversion and distributed concurrency control, distributed atomic commitment protocols), heterogeneous database systems, active database systems, real-time database systems, mobile database systems.

The coursework will consist of a term paper based on recent research articles on a topic in database systems, a class presentation, one-page typed critiques of the readings, and an exam.

For the term paper, you should choose a few (three to five) recent research articles on a topic in database systems. Selection of the articles require my approval. You might need to read additional articles to broaden the scope of the material discussed. For the class presentation, each student will be given a full lecture period with about 40 minutes of presentation of his/her work and 10 minutes of discussion period.

You are also required to prepare one-page typed critiques of the articles worked on by other students. When the list of articles to be studied for the term papers becomes available, you will select four of them to criticize. Each article critique will be due at the start of the presentation of the relevant term paper. Writing the critique will prepare you for the class discussion.

The following is the schedule that we will try to follow for the term papers and article critiques.

October 9: Term paper topics and articles to be studied by each student will be determined.
October 16: The schedule of class presentations will be announced.
October 23: Articles to be criticized by each student will be determined.
November 13 - December 20: Class presentations.
December 18: Term paper submission.