Topics List for Qualifying Examination: Databases

You do not need to know more about the topics than can be obtained from the DB textbooks ("Database Systems - An Application-Oriented Approach" by M. Kifer, A. Bernstein, P. Lewis, "Databases and Transaction Processing - An Application-Oriented Approach" by P. Lewis, A. Bernstein, M. Kifer; "A first course in Database Systems" by J. Ullman, J. Widom) and course notes and extra readings in 475 and 575.

The following topics are covered in Database Management Systems . I-II:

• Entity-relationship Data Model
• The Relational Data Model,  Normalization
• Relational Algebra and SQL
• Triggers and Active Database
• SQL in Application
• Query Processing and Optimization
• Transaction Processing
• Object Databases
• XML and Web Data
• Deductive database

Any questions on the above topics in the examination will be based on

1. the material presented in CS 582  in the last semester in which the course is offered
2. relevant sections of CS 482-level texts such as the above mentioned textbooks

Please contact the professor in charge of the class (CS 582/482) in the semester preceding your qualification exam for the list of topics that she/he covers in the class.