Teaching Databases

1
Teaching Databases Whats the Point?

• For New and Emerging Environments
• David Nelson

2
Example Emerging Applications

• GRID
• File systems, e.g. Windows XP registry, Vista NFS
• Data Streams
• Mobile applications, e.g. games, satellite
  navigation
• Insurance systems

3
Solutions

• Good database design
• Object-relational databases
• Object-oriented databases
• Interoperability and database integration
• Data streams

4
What do we teach?

• Database theory
• Database design, including normalisation
• Database applications, e.g. Oracle Forms
• Data models
• Database integration
• Internet databases
• Security, performance, etc.

5
What do the students understand

• Some quotes
• How do I create a table in an OODB
• Before I started doing my PhD I never linked
  tables in my databases and it worked perfectly
• SQL was written by Microsoft
• Why cant I just use Access?

6
Future needs

• We need to ensure that students have an
  appreciation of more than just relational
  databases if technology is going to advance
• So that tomorrows developers have skills in
  newer technologies
• But do we have
• Separate database modules
• Or integration with other areas?