BCIS 4620--Introduction to Database
Applications
Fall 2006
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Jack Becker
OFFICE: 338E Business Building
PHONE: 565-3113 or 565-3110 (ITDS Office)
OFFICE HOURS: By Appointment and Tue/Thur: 2:00-3:00 p.m. & 5:00-6:00 pm
E-MAIL: becker@unt.edu; WEBCT Vista preferred email for group messages
URL: http://www.coba.unt.edu/ITDS/faculty/becker/bcis4620/
Additional course materials will be distributed in class or electronically.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
WELCOME! BCIS 4620 is an introduction to database and database management
technology within the framework of a business environment. It includes the study
of the analysis, design, development, and implementation of database-oriented
business applications. Upon completion of the course the student will be able to
define, load, and navigate a database system [IBMS’s DB2 as provided on the
MicroFocus Net Express 4.0 with SQL for DB2 CD] using both COBOL with embedded
SQL and SQL query language applications. Students will also learn to use
Entity-Relationship and Semantic Object data modeling tools.
COURSE FORMAT
BCIS 4620 will be an intensive programming language learning experience. The
amount of knowledge gained is limited only by each individual's motivation and
interest. Students will study all required readings, complete several individual
programming assignments, and participate in class discussions. There will be
required midterm and final examinations.
COURSE PREREQUISITES
A grade of "C" or better in each previously taken ITDS course or consent of
the Department. UNT ITDS GPA of 2.75. BCIS 3610 and BCIS 3690 and all
pre-business required courses.
TEXTBOOKS & SOFTWARE REQUIRED
(K) Kroenke, David M., Database Processing: Fundamentals, Design, and
Implementation, 10th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006.
(CD) MicroFocus Net Express Version 4.0 UE with SQL for DB2. This CD was
purchased in your BCIS 3620 class. If you have Version 3.0, it may be exchanged
for a “free” copy of Version 4.0. Copies of this software may be purchased in
the bookstore.
OTHER REFERENCES
IBM Manuals & Reference Guides (UNT CD ROM Library on the COBA network).
ASSIGNMENTS and OTHER COMPUTING AIDS
COURSE WEBSITE
WEBCT will be the primary sources for communication and distribution of
materials. Additional materials for this class may also be found at my course
home page on the ITDS Department website:
http://www.coba.unt.edu/ITDS/faculty/becker/bcis4620
You have authorization to use COBA microcomputer and terminal labs to do your
class assignments.
A number of course-related datasets will be made available through the course
website.
Specialized tutorial assistance will be provided for students registered in this
class. The location, dates, and times for this service will be announced in
class and also on the Class website. The tutor’s primary responsibility is
debugging assistance. Each student is responsible fr the successful completion
of all assignments. The tutor is NOT responsible for incorrect interpretations
of assignment instructions.
Schedule of Assignments
ASSIGNMENTS/EXAMS POINTS BONUS Comments
H1: SQL Examples 10
H2: SQL Case 10
H3: SQL/COBOL Examples 10 10
BONUS5: (FILE OUTFILE1 or 2?) 5 (opt)
H4: SQL/COBOL Queries 10
H5: SQL and TableDesigner 30
H6: Database Design/Table Creation 40
H7: SQL Table loads/queries 40
H8: SQL Updates 20
FP: Final Case Project Folder 100 25 Extra requirements
Early presentation Bonus (optional) 10 (opt) First 25 volunteers basis
Midterm Exam 120 10 Bonus questions
Final Exam 120 10 (opt) Bonus questions
Special Course Innovation Awards;
For special help to other students or faculty 20 cumulative maximum Points based
on overall contribution to course
Total/ Bonus: 500 90 Bonus points at instructors discretion
BONUS Assignments (at instructors option). Bonus assignments will always be
authorized at the complete discretion of the instructor. When offered they will
always be made available to every student in the class. While most bonuses will
be first offered during class, please, check you course email for these offers,
also.
Assignment Delivery Instructions:
All assignments are to be placed in the Instructor’s Project Cabinet in the ITDS
Suite on the 3rd floor. Projects must be in the cabinet 5 minutes prior to your
class meeting time on the date the assignment is due. The cabinet will be locked
at that time. Any projects turned in after that time will be graded as late. See
late project penalties in Course Polices below. Projects will be returned and
placed back in the cabinet when they are graded. You will be notified by email
when they may be picked up. Please be careful to not remove or disturb other
students’ project folders.
COURSE POLICIES
1. You should complete all reading assignments prior to class. Written
assignments are due, and will be turned into the instructor, BEFORE the
beginning of class (IN THE STORAGE CABINENT OUTSIDE 338E IN THE ITDS FACULTY
SUITE AREA; THIS CABINENT WILL BE LOCKED AT 2:00 pm) on the due date. Late
assignments will be penalized (10% for first day; 20% each additional day late),
even if only a few minutes late. Repeated late assignments will NOT be accepted.
Incomplete work will receive partial credit. Missing work will receive a grade
of zero.
2. The grade of "I" (Incomplete) is not given except for rare and very unusual
emergencies, as per the General Catalog.
3. Class roll will be taken at the beginning of the first two classes. Class
attendance is your responsibility. Students should be in their seats before
class is scheduled to begin. Do not come into the classroom after class has
started. If you know you must leave a class session early, please alert the
instructor and sit near an exit.
4. Missed exams for validated reasons of illness or death will be made up with a
comprehensive exam at the end of the semester. This exam, if needed, will be
scheduled at the instructor's convenience during final exam week. These
rescheduled exams do not participate in any curve that may have been applied to
the regularly scheduled exam.
5. Students will adhere to the highest professional and ethical standards.
Plagiarism of any form will not be tolerated. Software plagiarism, piracy and
theft should be understand by senior level ITDS majors. All submitted
assignments and exams will consist of only the student's own work. Obtaining the
assistance of or copying the work of others is expressly prohibited. Violators
of this policy will be prosecuted to the maximum extent allowed by University
policy. An assignment of a final course grade of "F" and referral to the Dean of
Students for disciplinary action can be expected. See Ethics Statement Attached.
6. Students will use structured programming procedures. Students may use the
report writer feature for all COBOL programs. Students will use MF COBOL. All
supporting documentation will be typed.
7. All submitted work will meet or exceed the standards expected of highly
prepared and motivated information systems professionals. Students will be
graded on programming style, format, and program accuracy. Students will first
be given assignment and field specification, they will use their own test data
to do unit and system testing. Production data will be made available near the
time the assignment is due. In some cases, the instructor may not make
production data available but will execute the student's programs against the
production data.
8. It is the student's responsibility to satisfy all the requirements of this
course as specified by this course outline, the instructor, the academic
calendar, and University regulations. Hence, ignorance of class or University
requirements will not be accepted as an excuse.
9. The instructor, tutors and teaching assistants will not debug student
programming errors. We will, however, answer specific questions about course
topics.
10. In class presentations will be evaluated for quality of communication skills
as well as technical quality. When making a presentation, assume that you are
"selling" your system to the customer. See PRESENT.DOC on website.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT INFORMATION
The College of Business Administration complies with the Americans with
Disabilities Act in making reasonable accommodation for qualified students with
disability.
If you have an established disability as defined in the Americans with
Disabilities Act and would like to request accommodation please see me as soon
as possible.
ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS
1. Assignments will be neatly prepared. Place all materials in a secure
protective cover (for example, a soft cover 3 hole binder) of appropriate size.
Clearly label all assignments. Include an itemized Table of Contents (with tab
references). Use dividers and labeled tabs. Clearly type on the front of each
computer listing its name and purpose.
2. Generate summary details in your transaction processing and error reports.
Give detailed record count (selected, not-selected, total, etc.) subtotal and
grand total information. Document your programs in COBOL and all programming
languages used in the course. Use MIXED upper and lower case in your reports and
screens. Verify and validate your input data.
3. COBOL programs should use 88s with VALID VALUES ARE; LABEL RECORDS ARE
STANDARD; one READ at the beginning of the process section; Report Writer
multiple detail lines and declaratives, if appropriate; Avoid nested IF clauses.
Avoid having too many 1 or 2 sentence SECTIONS.
4. Update transaction processing reports will list what was changed or deleted
(print both the old and new information). HIGHLIGHTING changed or updated
information is strongly recommended. Do not simply list the transaction
information. Desk check your reports. Reports MUST be accurate.
DATABASE FINAL PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
The purpose of the Database final project is to give you experience in analyzing
a problem, designing an appropriate database solution, and implementing your
solution. You will turn in a complete and formal application project system
document at the end of the semester. The project will follow all of the normal
assignment course requirements.
The reading assignments, lectures and assignments all combine to give you the
necessary tools to be able to complete the application project successfully. The
course modules and assignments are cumulative.
You will turn in, at milestone points in the semester, designated components of
your DB2 application project. These will be reviewed and returned.
You will correct any noted deficiencies in the milestones before including that
material in the final project system document.
FINAL DATABASE PROJECT -- SAMPLE OUTLINE*
The project system document will contain all of the following*:
Title Page
Detailed Table of Contents
Executive Summary (1 - 2 pages; Recommendations included); See EXECSUM.DOC.
Project Specifics (narrative form; approximately 1 page for each section below):
A. Overview of the business environment; discussion of the business, its
organization structure and the environment (competition, etc.) in which it
operates. This section may take several pages.
B. Description of the system design:
1. Technical specifications (what hardware, system software, etc?)
2. Operational functionality (major systems functions)
3. Operational procedures ("manual" start-up, run, etc. instructions; similar to
the READ.ME files in software packages)
4. Description of database design
5. Assumptions made and system limitations
6. Recommended future enhancements
7. Description of end of quarter and year close out procedure (by file). What
was implemented and what will/should be implemented?
8. Test procedures followed; how did you test the system to "prove" it works
accurately.
9. Anomaly prevention features & data integrity controls
10. Systems security and control features
C. Conclusions
Appendices
A. Diagrams:
1. Relation Listing
2. Semantic Object Diagrams (TableDesigner or equivalent)
3. E/R diagram showing keys, foreign keys, binary and mandatory/optional
relationships (Oracle Designer; ACCESS, or equivalent)
4. Hierarchy Chart for Menu System
B. Relation and Data Definitions (Reports from TableDesigner and ACCESS):
1. Relation and Key Definitions (SOMs from TableDesigner or equivalent)
2. Domain Definitions in alphabetical order (ERDs from ACCESS or equivalent)
C. All Table CREATEs and DATA LOADs: SQL files, and listing of ALL tables
showing their data contents
D. Menu System programs and screen prints
E. Example output of the execution of each of the programs, procedures, and
screen prints as needed.
F. Proof of System Operation (Add, Updates, Deletes)
*Additional requirements will be added as the student becomes more familiar with
DB2/SQL