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Unit of study_

ISYS2120: Data and Information Management

2025 unit information

The ubiquitous use of information technology leaves us facing a tsunami of data produced by users, IT systems and mobile devices. The proper management of data is hence essential for all applications and for effective decision making within organizations. This unit of study will introduce the basic concepts of database designs at the conceptual, logical and physical levels. We will place particular emphasis on introducing integrity constraints and the concept of data normalization which prevents data from being corrupted or duplicated in different parts of the database. This in turn helps in the data remaining consistent during its lifetime. Once a database design is in place, the emphasis shifts towards querying the data in order to extract useful information. The unit will introduce the SQL database query languages, which is industry standard. Other topics covered will include the important concept of transaction management, application development with a backend database, and an overview of data warehousing and OLAP.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Engineering

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit Computer Science
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
INFO1113 or INFO1103 or INFO1105 or INFO1905 or INFO1003 or INFO1903 or DECO1012
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
INFO2120 or INFO2820 or COMP5138
Assumed knowledge:
? 
Programming skills

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. understand the concept of a DBMS, differences from other ways to store and share data, DBMS role in organisations, and the types of work done with a DBMS
  • LO2. understand the relational data model: connect relational data to real world facts, and vice versa; know limitations and benefits of the relational model approach
  • LO3. work with data stored in a relational database management system: understand table definitions including integrity constraints, extract information through SQL queries, modify information through SQL queries
  • LO4. design a suitable schema which says how information about a particular domain will be stored in a relational DBMS: create a conceptual data model for a domain, produce relational schema (including integrity constraints) from a conceptual model, apply normalisation theory to evaluate or improve a relational schema
  • LO5. understand how application software can use data stored in a relational DBMS, and understand the basic architectural alternatives for data management applications
  • LO6. understand goals, threats, and protection techniques, for ensuring data security and privacy, including use of SQL views, access control, integrity constraints, stored procedures
  • LO7. understand some concepts of dbms implementation that impact on application quality and performance, including query processing, index structures, transactions
  • LO8. connect general database concepts to both theoretical abstract formulations, and details of specific software platforms.
  • LO9. work effectively in a team with members whose skills and interests differ

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

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