MSc Data Science (Earth and Environmental Analytics)

Year of entry: 2025

Course unit details:
Understanding Databases

Course unit fact file
Unit code DATA70141
Credit rating 15
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

The unit aims to address the theory and the role of databases in organisations and help students to gain practical experience in:

  • designing and implementing databases to solve practical problems according to the relational principles
  • designing and implementing databases in non-relational formats
  •  using a contemporary Database Management System, MySQL, Python and PHP for database programming
  • designing and implementing distributed databases for data intensive systems.

Aims

The unit aims to address the theory and the role of databases in organisations and help students to gain practical experience of designing and implementing databases to solve practical problems according to the relational principles and also designing and implementing databases in non-relational formats. 

Syllabus

  • Introduction to Big Data management & Introduction to relational model
  • Relational model, data quality and SQL
  • Database manipulation
  • Conceptual design using ER
  • Mapping ER to SQL; normal forms
  • SQL and applications; embedded queries
  • Introduction to big data, distributed databases and NoSQL
  • Designing NoSQL databases
  • NoSQL and applications 

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures are standalone 90 minute lectures and practical sessions are 90 minute slot within the  co-lab. Each practical session will include a exercise where students will be asked to demonstrate an understanding of the topics covered during the session.  

Use of e-learning will be used where appropriate to prepare the students for the specific topics to be covered during the lectures and also to provide them with additional examples and practice. 

Intellectual skills

  • Demonstrate understanding of the role and importance of data and information in organisations.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the principles and objectives of data modelling.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the principles of the relational model.  
  • Demonstrate competence in relational database design and implementation.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the principles of non-relational data models.
  • Demonstrate competence in non-relational database design and implementation.
  • Demonstrate the ability to identify and classify data quality requirements, and approaches to their resolution 

Practical skills

  • Apply data modelling for a specific business problem
  • Design a relational database
  • Create (including extract-transform-load (ETL) operations) and manipulate data in a relational database using SQL
  • Design a non-relational database
  • Create (including ETL) and manipulate data in a non-relational database using NoSQL
  • Apply techniques for identifying and resolving data quality issues. 

Transferable skills and personal qualities

  • Competence in data modelling
  • Problem solving skills in creating a database (relational and non-relational) to address business problems
  • Presentation skills
  • SQL and NoSQL programming skills 

Assessment methods

Assessment TaskLengthHow and when feedback is providedWeighting
Weekly self-assessment quizzes on VLE (formative)MCQ quizzesAuto-online0%

Coursework 1 (Individual work):
Design, implement, and operate a relational database.

Deliverables:
1. Report containing a defence of the design and implementation of the database, along with relevant figures.
2. Code

Report of 400  words (not including relevant figures).

Code files can be any size required.

 

Written and/or verbal40%

Coursework 2 (group work) :
Design, implement, and operate a NoSQL database.

Deliverables:
1. Group report containing defence and analysis of the created database, along with relevant figures.
2.  Code

Report of 400  words (not including relevant figures).

Code files can be any size required

Written and/or verbal40%

Class Test

To take place in a scheduled teaching session. Questions are of MCQ type or similar. 
 

1 hoursWritten and/or verbal20%

 

Recommended reading

  • Elmasri, R. and Navathe, S., Fundamentals of Database Systems, Pearson, ISBN: 9780133970777, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fundamentals-Database-Systems-Ramez-Elmasri/dp/0136086209
  • Hills, T.  “NoSQL and SQL Data Modeling: Bringing Together Data, Semantics, and Software”, Technics Publications, 2016, ISBN: 9781634621113  https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/nosql-and-sql/9781634621113/  
  • Coronel,   C., Morris, S., Rob, P. and Crockett, K.   “Database   Principles:   Fundamentals   of   design, implementation, and management”, 2nd edition, Cengage Learning, 2013, ISBN: 9781408066362, https://www.cengage.co.uk/books/9781408066362/  
  • Fowler, A. “NoSQL for dummies”, John Wiley and Sons, 2015, ISBN: 978-1118905746. https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/NoSQL+For+Dummies-p-9781118905623 
     

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 33
Independent study hours
Independent study 117

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Pradyumn Shukla Unit coordinator
Thomas Carroll Unit coordinator

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