ITEC617 - Modern Database Management

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Incompatible

ISYS617 Data and Information Management

Teaching organisation

150 hours over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period

Unit rationale, description and aim

Databases have become an essential technology for the organisations to record, process and manipulate data and information efficiently, and preserving data quality and security. This unit will provide students with foundational knowledge and practical skills in database design and implementation. The unit further develops students’ skills in identifying and modelling organisational information requirements, designing conceptual data models and verifying their structural characteristics with normalisation techniques and selecting the database technologies to address organisational needs.

In this unit, students will explore both relational and non-relational data storage and toolsets, and learn to implement and use relational database technologies and Structured Query Language (SQL) in the cloud using Microsoft Azure. In addition, the unit introduces database administration activities and ethical consideration in handling organisational data. This unit is designed in alignment with Microsoft’s curriculum and provides a pathway to the DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals certification.

 The aim of this unit is to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to select, design, implement and administer large-scale database solutions to address data and information management needs of organisations while preserving data privacy and security to support dignity of humans served by the organisation. 

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Describe core data concepts, how to work with relational and non-relational data and analytics workload on Microsoft Azure (GA5, GA8)

LO2 - Apply information requirements specification processes to capture the organisation information requirements and model them using conceptual data modelling techniques (GA5, GA8, GA10)

LO3 - Develop and implement a database solution using modern database management systems and SQL (GA5, GA10) 

LO4 - Select appropriate database tools to ensure data security and data quality for various types of database applications to ensure human dignity (GA1, GA5)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will include:

• Introduction to databases and database concepts
• Data types and unstructured/structured data
• Relational databases
• Non-Relational databases
• Conceptual and logical data models
• Database Normalisation
• Programming Databases with Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Cloud-based databases
• Database selection
• Database Administration
• Modern data warehouses analytics
• Database security
• Professional and ethical issues in data management and its impact on human dignity

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Multimode

This unit will be delivered in multimode over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period. Students will have access to all primary learning materials online through LEO, along with formative and summative assessments, all of which will be available online, to provide a learning experience beyond the classroom. Students will be required to attend fortnightly two-hour lab sessions, and weekly two-hour workshops which will include specific tasks related to achievement of the unit learning outcomes. Workshops facilitate learning by doing, which is particularly effective for information technology units as technical skills can be better learned through hands on practices.

Students should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study for this unit, including class attendance, readings, online forum participation and assessment preparation.

ACU Online

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.

Assessment strategy and rationale

To pass this unit, students are required to achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. The assessment strategy for this unit allows students to demonstrate a critical mindset in evaluating the impact of data and information management system and apply this knowledge to a variety of work situations. The first assessment provides students with an opportunity to apply database design and SQL through hands-on lab exercises. Assessment 2 allows students to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and understanding of database technology concepts and tools through Microsoft Certification Exam. In assessment task 3, students will design a database for a given case study. It also requires developing queries to generate information and manipulate data.  The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Kroenke D.M., Auer D.A., Vandenberg L. and Yoder R.C. 2022, Database Processing: Fundamentals, Design, and Implementation, 16th edition, Person.

Coronel C and Morris S 2022, Database systems: design, implementation, and management, 14th edn, Course Technology, Boston, MA.

Silberschatz, Abraham, Henry F. Korth, and Shashank Sudarshan (2020) Database system concepts. 7th Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill.

Connolly TM & Begg D 2015, Database systems: a practical approach to design, implementation and management, 5th edn, Addison-Wesley, Boston, MA.

Microsoft Online Materials:

·        Azure Data Fundamentals: Explore core data concepts

·        Azure Data Fundamentals: Explore relational data in Azure

·        Azure Data Fundamentals: Explore non-relational data in Azure

·        Azure Data Fundamentals: Explore modern data warehouse analytics in Azure