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Relational Principles

Audience

IS staff analysts, programmers, or database managers requiring a technically oriented introduction to relational databases

Prerequisites

Some familiarity with databases

Course Aim

To give the student a sound appreciation of the relational model and the principles on which it is based

Learning Objectives

Contrast relational databases with those based on the hierarchical and network models, pointing out the advantages of the relational model. Evaluate a DBMS in terms of its relationality (as defined by Codd's rules) and its functionality. Use the criteria of uniqueness and minimality to identify suitable candidate keys in relational tables and use these to select a primary key. State the referential and entity-integrity rules, identify when they are breached, and relate integrity rules to requirements of the real world. Identify traditional set and special relational operators and demonstrate their usefulness. Describe the three-layer architecture of the relational model and explain how this structure ensures independence of the layers.

Topics Covered

Traditional DBMS models - Different database models - The hierarchical model - The network model - Comparing models The relational model - History of RDBMS - Relational tables - The number values - Keys - Relational advantages Codd's rules - Introduction - Rule 8 - Rule 9 - Rule 10 - Rule 11 - Rule 12 - Rule 0 - Rule 1 - Rule 2 - Rule 3 - Rule 4 - Rule 5 - Rule 6 - Rule 7 Integrity rules - Introduction - Entity integrity rule - Candidate keys - Primary keys - Foreign keys - Referential integrity rule - Implementing integrity rules Relational operators - The relational model - Traditional set operators - Special relational operators - Building expressions - Query languages Three-layer architecture - The internal level - The conceptual level - The external level - Data independence - Restructured database