T. Andrew Yang: CSCI 5533

Course Description: Distributed transparency, distributed data base design, distributed query processing, distributed concurrency control and recovery, distributed DBMS.

Prerequisite: CSCI 5333 - Database Management Systems

Course Objectives: This course will provide students the theories, algorithms, and methods of distributed information systems, in particular those involving distributed database systems.

Learning Outcome:

Describe what and why distributed database systems, and their architectures.
Design a distributed database through various fragmentation strategies and algorithms.
Enforce distributed data security through distributed authorization control, and guarantee distributed database consistency through distributed integrity control.
Handle distributed query processing through query decomposition and data localization.
Optimize distributed queries through join ordering and semi-join.
Integrate databases through schema translation and integration.

Class Format: Lectures are combined with discussions and, if applicable, student presentations and discussions of advanced topics. Students are expected to be active participants, by studying the relevant chapters and/or research papers, and participating at in-class discussions.

A note about Bloom's Taxonomy and your learning …

(source: https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomy/ )

Instructor: Dr. T. Andrew Yang

(office) Delta 174

(phone#) (281) 283-3835 (Please leave a message if not available.)

NOTE: If the suite office (D161) is locked, you may use the phone outside the office to call me (by entering the extension 3835).

(email address) yang@uhcl.edu

Important notes:

Emails without a subject line or a signature will be considered as potentially malicious and be discarded. Here is a sample subject line: "CSCI5533 lab#1, question 3".

Although email messages tend to be informal, please check the grammar and spelling of your messages to ensure their legibility.

(Web site) http://cse.uhcl.edu/yang (or http://sceweb.uhcl.edu/yang)
NOTE: Find the assignments and/or projects at the Assignments & Projects page.

Office Hours : See http://cse.uhcl.edu/yang/teaching/officeHours.htm

NOTE: In addition, you are highly encouraged to send your questions to me by e-mails (yang@uhcl.edu). Try to provide sufficient details in your email message, such as the problem(s) you have encountered, the solution(s) you have tried, and the outcome you have got from these solution(s).

Teaching assistant info and office hours:

TA - To be announced

Office Hours –

Location – Delta 2^nd floor computer lab

Note: Contact the instructor immediately if you have got any problem with the TA or the office hours.

Required Text:

M. Tamer Özsu and Patrick Valduriez, Principles of Distributed Database Systems, 3rd edition, Springer, 2011. (ISBN 13: 978-1441988331).

+ Instructor's handouts in the class and/or on the Web

Topics and Notes
NOTE: The following schedule will be adhered to as closely as possible, although changes are probable. Always check with your instructor if you are not sure what would be covered next week.

week (dates)	Topics & Slides (Book: Chapters)	Due Dates
1 (1/21, 23)	Syllabus - Introduction to Distributed Systems
2 (1/28, 30)	- Introduction to Distributed DBMS (Ch 1)
3 (2/4, 6)	- Background and Review (Ch 2)
4 (2/11, 13)	- Distributed Design (Ch 3)	Assignment 1 (2/13)
5 (2/18, 20)	- Design Integration (Ch 4)
6 (2/25, 27)	- Data and Access Control (Ch 5)	Assignment 2
7 (3/3, 5)	- Distributed Query Processing: overview (Ch 6)	3/3: Post the abstract of your research project to the discussion group.
8 (~~3/10, 12~~)	Spring break. No class meeting.
9 (3/17, 19)	Midterm Exam - Distributed Query Processing: query decomposition and localization (Ch 7)	Midterm (3/17)
10 (3/24, 26)	- Distributed Transaction Management: transaction concepts & models (Ch 10)
11 (3/31, 4/2)	- Distributed Transaction Management: concurrency control (Ch 11)	Hands-on Lab (3/31)
12 (4/7, 9)	- Distributed Transaction Management: reliability (Ch 12)
13 (4/14, 16)	Project presentations
14 (4/21, 23)	Project presentations
15 (4/28, 30)	Project presentations - Review for the final exam > Fill out your online evaluation at https://apps.uhcl.edu/OnlineEvals
16 final exam week	Final exam: comprehensive, open-book (Thursday, May 7, 1pm - 3pm)	Final exam

Evaluation:

category	Percentage
Assignments (5% each X 2)	10%
midterm exam	30%
final exam (open book)	30%
Hans-on lab	15%
Research project	15%
Total:	100%

⁺⁺ Attendance Policy: You are expected to attend all classes. There will be no penalty for a person’s first two absences without documented excuse. 1% will be taken for each of the absences after the first two absences without excuse. Note: Being tardy is no excuse when a person is found to be absent from the class.

Note: If you ever miss a class, it is your responsibility to get hold of whatever may have been discussed in the class.

⁺⁺⁺ Class Participation: Participating in the class is expected. You should ask or answer questions during the in-class or online discussions.

Grading Scale:

The accumulated points from all the categories determine a person's final grade. There will be no extra-credit projects.

Percentile	Grade	Percentile	Grade
90% or above	A	70% - 73%	C
87% - 89%	A-	67% - 69%	C-
84% - 86%	B+	64% - 66%	D+
80% - 83%	B	60% - 63%	D
77% - 79%	B-	57% - 59%	D-
74% - 76%	C+	Less than 57%	F

Exemption from the final exam: Students who have performed fantastically before the final exam may be exempted from taking the final exam.

Tests & Exams:

Both analytic and synthetic abilities are emphasized. Being able to apply the learned knowledge toward problem solving is also highly emphasized in the tests.

Unless due to unexpected, documented emergency, no make-up exams will be given. No make-up exams will be granted once the exams have been corrected and returned to the class.

Assignments and Late Penalty:

Assignments and projects will be posted at the class web site. Assignments & projects are due before the beginning of the class on the due day. See Topics and Notes for the due dates.

Points will be deducted from late assignments: 20% for the first 24 hours after the due time, 40% for the next 24 hours, 70% for the third 24 hours, and 100% after that. No extension will be granted except for documented emergency. Starting to work on the assignments as early as possible is always the best strategy.

Assignments Guidelines:

a. Identification page: All assignments must have your name, and course name/number/section number (e.g., CSCI5533-01) at the top of the first page.

b. Proper stapling: Staple all the pages together at the top-left corner. NOTE: Do not use paper clips.

c. Order ! Order! Arrange the solutions following the sequence of the questions. Write the question number at the top-right corner of each page.

d. Word processing: It is required that you type your reports (e.g., print them using a printer). Use a word processor and appropriate typesetting and drawing tools to do the assignments. Spell-check the whole document before printing it. You may lose points due to spelling or grammatical errors.

Projects:

The projects will involve the design and implementation of encryption/decryption algorithms and/or application of the algorithms to real-world problems. Students are expected to employ the theories and techniques learned in the class to design the system.

Details of the projects will be later made available at Assignments & Projects.

NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, all assignments and projects are individual work. Students should take caution not to violate the academic honesty policies. Check out the details at this link.

Instructor's Notes:

Important: If you think you have lost some points due to grading errors, make sure you approach the instructor within a week after the assignment, project, or test has been returned to you.
To get the most out of this class, you need to read the textbooks and spend time using computers regularly. Be prepared for a class by previewing the material to be covered in that class and participate in discussions and problem-solving exercises, if applicable, in the class.
Due to the intensive nature of graduate classes, 15-20 hours per week are expected of students in studying the textbook/notes and working on the assignments, in addition to class attendance. Expect to spend more hours during summer sessions.
As a student being trained to become a professional person, you are expected to behave according to the professional codes of conduct (e.g., the IEEE Code of Conduct) or code of ethics (e.g., the ACM Code of Ethics). As a starting point, listed below are some of the common behaviors that do not conform to the codes of ethics:

Being regularly late for the class.
Chatting with another person while the instructor or someone is giving a speech in class.
Being regularly late when submitting assignments.
Asking the instructor or the TA for a favor when submitting a late assignment.
Checking out others’ answers during an exam.
Continuing to write on the paper when an exam’s time is up.
Violating academic honesty when working on the assignments or projects.
Using others’ write-up without proper citing when writing a paper or report.
…

Related Links:

· UHCL General Program Requirements: http://www.uhcl.edu/XDR/Render/catalog/archives/125/06/

· Withdrawals, Appeals, GPA, Repeated Courses, and the 6 Drop Rule: http://www.uhcl.edu/XDR/Render/catalog/archives/125/06/%23A0110#A0110

· ASSESSMENT FOR ACCREDITATION:

The School of Science and Computer Engineering may use assessment tools in this course and other courses for curriculum evaluation. Educational assessment is defined as the systematic collection, interpretation, and use of information about student characteristics, educational environments, learning outcomes, and client satisfaction to improve program effectiveness, student performance, and professional success. This assessment will be related to the learning objectives for each course and individual student performance will be disaggregated relative to these objectives. This disaggregated analysis will not impact student grades, but will provide faculty with detailed information that will be used to improve courses, curriculum, and student performance.

· UHCL Disability Policy:

If you believe that you have a disability requiring an academic adjustment/auxiliary aid, please contact Disability Services by phone at 281-283-2648, or email disability@uhcl.edu, or go to the office in the Student Services Building (SSCB), Room 1.302.

The University of Houston System complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, pertaining to the provision of reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids for students with a disability. In accordance with Section 504 and ADA guidelines, each University within the System strives to provide reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids to students who request and require them.

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