dsc100-su25
DSC 100: Introduction to Data Management
Summer Session I 2025 — Fully Remote & Asynchronous (all lectures pre‑recorded)
Description
Databases are at the heart of modern commercial application development. Their use extends beyond this to many other environments and domains where large amounts of data must be stored for efficient update, retrieval, and analysis. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to data management, covering topics such as the relational data model, SQL, formal query languages, query evaluation, data storage and indexes, NoSQL databases, conceptual design, integrity constraints, design theory, normal forms, and data quality. Through pre‑recorded video lectures, demos, and hands‑on exercises, students will gain a strong foundation in database‑management concepts and practices, with a focus on the use of SQL and the relational model.
The course begins with an overview of course organization and an introduction to the relational data model, followed by lessons on SQL basics and different types of joins in SQL. In the following weeks, students will learn advanced SQL queries, formal query languages, and query evaluation. The course also covers topics related to data storage and indexing, including hard‑disk and file organization, index organization, and creating indexes in SQL. In the latter half of the course, students will study NoSQL databases, conceptual design, integrity constraints, and design theory, culminating in a discussion of normal forms. The course includes a discussion of data quality, including techniques for dealing with missing data and entity deduplication. Upon completing the course, students will be equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary for designing, querying, and maintaining a relational database.
Instructional Team
-
Instructor: Babak Salimi
Contact: bsalimi@ucsd.edu -
Teaching Assistant: Haoquan Guan
Contact: h3guan@ucsd.edu
Office Hours (Zoom — links on Canvas)
- Babak Salimi: Wednesdays, 4–5 p.m. PT
- Haoquan Guan: Thursdays, 3-4 p.m. PT
Delivery & Communication
- Lectures: Fully asynchronous. New video modules released Mondays–Thursdays at 09:00 PT (see calendar).
- Discussion / Q&A: Piazza — https://piazza.com/ucsd/summer2025/dsc100 (access code on Canvas).
- Submissions & Exams: Canvas.
- Announcements: via Canvas — please enable notifications.
Course Workload (subject to change)
Course Workload (subject to change) Homework (50 %) — written/programming assignments (45 %) + web‑quizzes (5 %). Teams of ≤ 2 allowed. Three 24‑hour late‑day tokens (max 1 per assignment).
Midterm — No formal exam; practice questions will be provided for self-assessment.
Final Exam (50 %) — comprehensive; remote Sat 02 Aug 2025, 15:00 – 17:59 PT.
Important Summer‑I Dates
- Mon 30 Jun 2025: Instruction begins
- Fri 04 Jul 2025: Independence Day holiday — no new content
- Fri 01 Aug 2025: Instruction ends
- Sat 02 Aug 2025: Remote Final Exam (15:00–17:59 PT)
(All assignment due dates appear on the Canvas calendar.)
Full Summer Calendar & Resources (subject to change)
Video Link: placeholder to be updated once recordings are uploaded.
| Week | Description | Discussions | Assignments / Remarks | Lectures | Optional Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intro, Data models, SQL | Slides and Recordings | Sec. 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 | ||
| Join and Aggregates in SQL | SQL practice Recording | Slides and recordings | Sec. 6.1, 6.2 | ||
| 2, 3 | Advanced SQL | WQ1 due: Introduction, Data Models, and Simple SQL HW1 due: Sqlite |
Slides and recordings | ||
| Relational Algebra | Relational Algebra Source, Recording | HW2 due: Basic SQL WQ2 due: SQL Aggregates |
Slides and recordings | ||
| 4 | Midterm: Practice questions only – no formal exam will be administered | Exam practice Questions Recording | |||
| Query Evaluation, Basics of Data Storage and Indexes | Midterm solutions Recording1 Recording2 | Slides and recordings | |||
| 5 | Cost Estimation NoSQL Databases |
Indexes and Cost Estimation Source | Slides and recordings | ||
| Conceptual Design | Homework Solutions | Slides and recordings | Sec. 4.1, 4.6 | ||
| BCNF | Conseuptual Design practice Recording | HW3 due: Advanced SQL WQ4 due: RA and Conceptual Design HW4 due: Conceptual Design |
Slides and recordings |
Grading Scheme
The grading scheme is a hybrid of absolute and relative grading. The absolute cutoffs are based on your absolute total score. The relative bins are based on your position in the total score distribution of the class. The better grade among the two (absolute-based and relative-based) will be your final grade.
| Grade | Absolute Cutoff (>=) | Relative Bin (Use strictest) |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97 | Highest 5% |
| A | 94 | Next 10% (5-15) |
| A- | 91 | Next 15% (15-30) |
| B+ | 85 | Next 15% (30-45) |
| B | 80 | Next 15% (45-60) |
| B- | 70 | Next 15% (60-75) |
| C+ | 65 | Next 5% (75-80) |
| C | 60 | Next 5% (80-85) |
| C- | 55 | Next 5% (85-90) |
| D | 50 | Next 5% (90-95) |
| F | < 50 | Lowest 5% |
Textbook
Although a textbook is not required in the course, the following textbook is optional and recommended. Lecture slides and recorded videos would be sufficient for this class.
Database Systems: The Complete Book, by Hector Garcia-Molina, Jeffrey D. Ullman, and Jennifer Widom. 2nd Edition. Prentice Hall. 2008.
Canvas
All weekly homework assignments and web quizzes should be turned in via Canvas.
Communication
All important announcements will be sent through Canvas.
Piazza
All questions that may be of general interest to the class should be directed to Piazza. You will get your questions answered faster on Piazza than via personal emails to the instructional team, because Piazza is monitored closely by everybody in the class, not just the course staff. You are highly encouraged to answer each other’s questions on Piazza (you will get extra credit for the number of good answers on Piazza!) and the instructional team would endorse/add to those answers.
Note: Some slides are adopted from the UW database group.