Introduction
Organisations depend on their databases to
provide information essential for their day-to-day operations and to help them take advantage of
today’s rapidly growing and maturing e-commerce opportunities. An
understanding of database tools and technologies is an essential skill for designing and
developing systems to support them.
Database systems continue to demand more
complex data structures and interfaces, as applications get increasingly sophisticated. Most
organisations collect and store large volumes of data, either on their
own systems or in the cloud, and this data is used not just for the operational running of their
business but also mined for other more intelligent and complex
applications.
Databases stand as the back-end of most systems used by
organisations for their operations. Database design and development is a
fundamental and highly beneficial skill for computing students to master, regardless of their
specialism. The aim of this unit is to give students opportunities to
develop an understanding of the concepts and issues relating to database design and
development, as well as to provide the practical skills to translate
that understanding into the design and creation of complex databases.
Topics included in this unit are: examination
of different design tools and techniques; examination of different development software options;
considering the development features of a fully functional robust
solution covering data integrity, data validation, data consistency, data security and advanced database
querying facilities across multiple tables; appropriate user interfaces
for databases and for other externally linked systems; creating complex reports/dashboards,
testing the system against the user and system requirements; and
elements of complete system documentation.
On successful completion of this unit
students will be able to use appropriate tools to design and develop a
relational database system for a substantial problem. They will be able to test
the system to ensure it meets user and system requirements and fully document
the system by providing technical and user documentation.
For practical purposes, this unit covers
relational databases and related tools and techniques. A brief overview of
object-oriented databases will also be covered. Students will develop skills
such as communication literacy, critical thinking, analysis, reasoning and
interpretation, which are crucial for gaining employment and developing
academic competence.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit students will be able
to:
LO1. Use an appropriate design tool to design
a relational database system for a substantial problem.
LO2. Develop a fully functional relational
database system, based on an existing system design.
LO3. Test the system against user and system
requirements.
LO4. Produce technical and user
documentation.
