CSE 460/560

Data Models and Query Languages

Lecture times: T, Th, 9:30AM-10:50AM
Classroom: knox 109
Credits: 3

Dr. Sreyasee DAS BHATTACHARJEE

email: sreyasee@buffalo.edu TAs: Details in UBLearn Contact page
Office: Davis Hall 349 Office Hours/emails: In UBLearn
Office Hours (Zoom link below): By appt.

Please sign the document at the end and upload the signed copy in UBLearn by the
first week of the class. Also, please note that by signing this syllabus you agree to
follow all the rules described here.

Course Description Data Management Systems form the basis of the Big Data Economy we
now live in. A data management system is responsible for storing data, enabling efficient access
to that data, and mediating concurrent modifications. This class approaches the challenges of
designing a data management system from a principled and practical standpoint. Students will
be introduced to the fundamental data management issues: database design, query languages,
database file organization, query processing and optimization, and transaction processing. Course
lectures will focus on the conceptual basis for this system and how it forms the foundations for
implementing efficient algorithms of data mining and other data analytic tasks.
Course Prerequisites: Knowledge of fundamental data structures and algorithms, knowledge of
discrete math concepts, basic programming skills (preferably Java).
Please note that each enrolled student should possess a laptop with webcam that may
be used for video monitoring in any UB software controlled testing situation. By
registering for the course, you agree to use any UB-endorsed software (e.g. Lockdown
Browser) in the system to be used for testing.

Piazza Course Link: https://piazza.com/buffalo/spring2025/cse4560/home Access code:

xkwhp9qiyn9
Zoom Office Hour Link:
https://buffalo.zoom.us/my/sreyasee?pwd=Mlg4bmEyMGNJQVhhcUJqV3dkSFdCdz09
Grading Policy & Other Course Details: The absolute grading scale: A (93–100); A- (90–92);
B+ (87–89); B (83–86); B- (80–82); C+ (77–79); C (73–76); C- (70–72), D+ (65–69),D (65–50), F
(below 50).
Students getting less than 45% in Final will get F grade
In case of a reported AI violation, any course rule mentioned in this syllabus may be
subject to change. The changes will strictly follow the recommendations of the office
of AI at UB and will be announced in class. No further negotiation on these changes
will be allowed.
The following items are designed to make your life easier and to give you some flexibility for planning
your work:

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 • Grades are NON-NEGOTIABLE per UB policy.
• The class recordings will NOT be available. Students are encouraged to join the class in-
person.
• We may (not always though) include in-class quizzes, which will be considered for participa-
tion credit. Submitting the quiz sheets to the TAs will be your responsibility. Rest assured,
if you submit it will be graded.
• Please come prepared. Meetings in the class hour will be more effective if you come prepared.
Class participation may help in margins.
• The deadlines are hard and will not be extendable.
• You will need to submit your works in UBLearn. Wrong submissions will be awarded 0, no
re-submission will be allowed after the deadline.
• Every week (almost), a small quiz will be available in UBLearn at/after 500 pm Friday, which
will be associated with our discussion during that week. The quiz will be open in UBLearn
for the next 24 hours. .
• Students found involved in Academic Integrity related issues, will be getting 0 in
the course.
Semester Projects 25%
Class Activities 10%
Grade Composition: Weekly Quizzes 10%
Mid-term 25%
Final 30%

While I will try to make the slides as detailed as possible, there is NO alternative to
a book. I strongly encourage everyone to read the specific chapters in the textbooks,
that will be mentioned in the class as a part of the reading material for a topic. When
required, we will also try to provide some extra study materials.

Textbooks/Reference Books: The softcopies of the books are available in Piazza. The reading
materials for each topic will be mentioned in the class and also in the lecture slides.

• Avi Silberschatz, Henry F. Korth, S. Sudarshan, Database System Concepts, Seventh Edition,
McGraw-Hill, 2019.
• H. Garcia-Molina, J. D. Ullman, J. Widom, Database Systems: The Complete Book, Second
Edition, Prentice Hall, 2009.
• Raghu Ramakrishnan and Johannes Gehrke, Database Management Systems, Third Edition,
Mcgraw-Hill Cos, 2003.

Exam Schedules:

• Midterm: during Class hour, Thursday, February 27, 2025

• Final: Follow the HUB schedule

Suggested Course Preparation:

• Install PostgreSQL with PGAdmin. There are some tutorial videos available in UBLearn.
You may also follow the PostgreSQL tutorial link: https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/
install-postgresql/

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Rough schedule (each topic will take up 1-3 weeks)
1. Introduction and overview (0.5 weeks).
2. Relational Model (≈ 4-4.5 weeks): SQL, DDL, DML, Relational Algebra, Integrity
Constraints, Advanced features of SQL etc.
3. Database design (≈ 1.5 weeks): multivalued dependencies, normal forms, design
theory.
4. Indexing (≈ 2-3 weeks): disk storage, buffering, heap files, sorted files, hashed files,
B+ trees, sparse and dense indexes.
5. Transaction processing (≈ 1.5-2 weeks): concurrency control, recovery, distribution.
6. (Optional, based on time availability)Data Mining & Information Retrieval (≈ 1
week)
Relationship to CSE 562: This course is not a prerequisite of CSE 562. However, it provides a
helpful background for the latter course.
Accessibility Resources: If you have any disability which requires reasonable accommodations
to enable you to participate in this course, please contact the Office of Accessibility Resources, 25
Capen Hall, 645-2608, and also to the course TAs (with a copy to the instructor of this course).
The office will provide you with information and review appropriate arrangements for reasonable
accommodations. http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/ods/

Academic Integrity:
(Short) Don’t cheat! You will be caught and punished. Our department is serious about graduat-
ing ethical and upstanding computer scientists. The policy has recently been updated and will be
enforced.
(Long) All academic work must be your own. Plagiarism, defined as copying or receiving ma-
terials from a source or sources and submitting this material as one’s own without acknowledg-
ing the particular debts to the source (quotations, paraphrases, basic ideas), or otherwise rep-
resenting the work of another as one’s own, is never allowed. Collaboration, usually evidenced
by unjustifiable similarity, is never permitted in individual assignments. Any submitted aca-
demic work may be subject to screening by software programs designed to detect evidence of
plagiarism or collaboration. Also, do not post any of the course material outside of the Course
piazza page. It will be interpreted as an attempt to get non-approved help. For the com-
plete policy please see: https://engineering.buffalo.edu/computer-science-engineering/
information-for-faculty-and-staff/academic-integrity.html

Classroom Etiquette: For the complete policy please see:https://catalog.buffalo.edu/policies/

obstruction.html
Violations of any of these, will fetch serious consequences.

• Paying attention in class

• Not coming to class late or leaving early
• Not talking with other classmates while the instructor or another student is speaking. If a
student has a question or comment, he or she should raise a hand, NOT starting a conversation
about it with a neighbor
• Turning off electronic devices including cell phones, pagers, and beeper watches
• Focusing on class material during class time. Sleeping, talking to others, doing work for
another class, reading the newspaper, checking email, and exploring the Internet are unac-
ceptable and can be disruptive
• Not packing book bags or backpacks to leave until the instructor has dismissed class.

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Approved Resources:

1. Any material posted in the slides.

2. Material from the text-book (will copy relevant content to slides). Note, the code solutions
from the book’s website are NOT approved unless they are explicitly posted on the piazza
page.

3. Sites (one click away) from the approved resources list on the Piazza page. I will add to them
as appropriate for throughout the semester.

Working with others: Please do help each other! This material is fun, but can be challenging.
Discussing it with peers can deepen your understanding. You can talk about the homework problems
and ways of approaching them, however, every person must write up solutions and code separately.
We will compare all submissions with each other AND non-approved sources. I you can find
something online, so we can we.

(Student’s Signature)

(Student’s Full Name)