KC4000 - Relational Databases

There will be a series of lectures to introduce theories and concepts, supported by practical workshop sessions and self-study tasks. The workshop sessions are designed to provide an opportunity for you to gain practical experience based on the material covered in the lectures and will help you prepare for the assessment of the module.

All module material will be available on the eLearning Portal (ELP) so that you can access information when you need to. The university library offers support for all students through its catalogue and an Ask4Help Online service.

If you are studying a Degree Apprenticeship you will also learn at work, by reflecting on your experiences and applying your knowledge from the module to your practice in the workplace. The classes will introduce you to theories and concepts and allow you to discuss with the tutors and your peers how these relate to your own work based experiences and practice. The workplace provides an opportunity for you to put your own knowledge and skills into practice and review your learning with your manager/mentor. The standard delivery is Newcastle Campus class room based, however if your employer has a contract with the university that indicates you may study remotely then you will be able to attend the classes virtually. In this case, you will follow lectures via webcasts and attend online seminars / workshops. The use of Blackboard Collaborate (or similar) will be employed to enable this

The workshop tasks are designed to map onto and to help prepare you for the module assessments. The solutions to the tasks will be reviewed in-class and you will be given feedback on our work. In addition, there will be a ‘recap’ element to the lectures where common issues with the workshop tasks will be addressed. Each workshop is designed to feed into the next one allowing you to build up knowledge and experience over time.

If you are studying for a Degree Apprenticeship additional support will be available from your work place mentor who will encourage you to reflect upon how you work and studies interact and complement one another.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Recognise and describe the main features of the relational database model and how to implement it using structured query language (SQL)
2. Understand a given relation database design (e.g. ERD) and implement it using SQL
3. Demonstrate knowledge of information security issues and an awareness of tools and techniques used in implementing information security

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
4. Identify the issues surrounding maintaining a relational database
5. Conduct data analysis for simple databases and query design.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

Formative assessment and feedback
Formative assessment – the workshop tasks are designed to map onto and to help prepare you for the module assessment. The solutions to the tasks will be reviewed in-class and you will be given feedback on our work.

Summative assessment
There will be one summative assessment for this module, the exam will take place in the January examination period at the end of Semester 1.
The exam will combine essay questions and coding questions. The essay questions will assess the theoretical principles of relational databases and the coding questions will assess the SQL knowledge of the students. The coding aspects of the paper will be based on the database system used in seminars to ensure familiarisation in an exam setting, exam is a paper based examination
And will assess MLOs 1, 2,3 4 & 5.

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This module will introduce you to the theory and practice of relational databases. You will learn about the concept of the relational model and the creation and management of relational databases, including how to develop, query and maintain the relational model in a database management system (DBMS), e.g. Oracle, MySql, Access, in an industrial/business context. This will include the generation of queries to extract data from a database and the manipulation of data in order to convert data into information. The module will also look at the nature of information security and examine the issues surrounding the implementation of information security.