This is the course home page for the Spring 2024, Section 002 of COMS W4111 - Introduction to Databases.

From the Columbia (Course) Bulletin: "The course covers what a database system is, how to design databases effectively and in a principled manner, how to query databases, and how to develop applications using databases: entity-relationship modeling, logical design of relational databases, relational algebra, SQL, database application development, database security, and an overview of query optimization and transaction processing. Additional topics generally include NoSQL, graph, object-relational, and cloud databases, as well as data preparation and cleaning of real-world data. The course offers both programming and non-programming paths for homework and projects, to accommodate students with different programming skills and backgrounds.”

Core Information

  • Lecture: Fridays, 10:10am to 12:40pm, IAB 417
  • Office Hours:
    • Friday 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM, Computer Science Building 488
    • (Sometimes) Friday 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Computer Science Building 488
  • There is a GitHub project and repository associated with the class.
    • The repository will contain lecture material, examples, project templates, etc. You can clone the repo or access through the web links.
    • The repository will contain additional information about HW and project information. There are updates and additions during the semester as the course evolves.
  • Other interaction Forums:
    • The courses uses ED Discussions. You can access the forum through the left navigation menu on the CourseWorks page for the class.
    • Slack: Join group and channel w4111s23

Contact:

Donald F. Ferguson
Dept. of Computer Science
Columbia University
West 116th St. and Broadway
New York, NY 10027
E: dff@cs.columbia.edu
Slack: dff9@dff-columbia