Overall Description of the Course

Data is the lifeblood of modern organisations. From the 200 million-strong population records of the Nigerian National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), to the millions of daily transactions processed by Flutterwave and Access Bank, to the health records managed by Nigerian hospitals effective data management determines whether organisations thrive or collapse. DTS 304: Data Management I introduces students to the science and practice of organising, storing, retrieving, protecting, and managing data efficiently and reliably.

This course builds a strong conceptual and practical foundation in database systems the core technology behind virtually every digital application in use today. Students will learn to model real-world information, design efficient database schemas, write powerful queries in SQL, and understand the mechanisms that keep data safe, consistent, and available even when things go wrong.

Overall Course Objectives

The course has been designed with the following objectives:

1.    To introduce students to fundamental concepts of information management and database systems.

2.    To develop the ability to model real-world data using Entity-Relationship and Relational models.

3.    To equip students with proficiency in SQL for data definition, manipulation, and querying.

4.    To teach the principles of database design including normalisation and integrity constraints.

5.    To introduce students to database security, concurrency control, and recovery mechanisms.

6.    To expose students to semi-structured data models (XML, JSON) and modern data management trends.

Overall Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1.    Describe the components of a database system and give examples of their use.

2.    Describe the differences between relational and semi-structured data models.

3.    Explain and demonstrate entity integrity constraint and referential integrity constraint.

4.    Apply queries, query optimisations, and functional dependencies in relational databases.

5.    Describe properties of normal forms and explain the impact of normalisation on efficiency.

6.    Describe database security and integrity issues and their importance in database design.

7.    Explain the concepts of concurrency control and recovery mechanisms in databases.

General Description of Teaching/Learning Methods

This course employs a Blended Learning approach:

1.    Face-to-face lectures with illustrated slides, diagrams, and worked examples

2.    Hands-on computer laboratory sessions using MySQL and SQLite

3.    Online resources including tutorial videos, SQL exercises, and e-readings

4.    Group project work involving real database design scenarios

5.    Self-assessment quizzes and peer discussion forums

General Description of Modes of Assessment

Assessment Component

Weight

Continuous Assessment, quizzes, class participation

10%

Lab practicals

20%

Assignments (3 submitted assignments)

10%

Mid-Semester Test

10%

Final Semester Examination

50%

TOTAL

100%

 

Reference / Readings

Ramakrishnan, R. & Gehrke, J. (2003). Database Management Systems (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill. [Primary Textbook]

Silberschatz, A., Korth, H. F., & Sudarshan, S. (2020). Database System Concepts (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Elmasri, R. & Navathe, S. B. (2016). Fundamentals of Database Systems (7th ed.). Pearson.

Date, C. J. (2004). An Introduction to Database Systems (8th ed.). Pearson/Addison-Wesley.

Connolly, T. & Begg, C. (2015). Database Systems: A Practical Approach to Design, Implementation, and Management (6th ed.). Pearson.

MySQL 8.0 Reference Manual. dev.mysql.com/doc

Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019. NITDA. www.nitda.gov.ng