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                CSI5311 --  Distributed Databases
   
                        Iluju Kiringa
                    ++1-613-5625800x2164
                   kiringa@site.uottawa.ca

Objectives

The course will deal with both classical material and some
of the advanced developments in the area of distributed
database management systems. Classical topics covered
include, but are not necessarily confined to: distributed
DBMS architectures, distributed design, distributed query
processing and optimization, and distributed transaction
processing. More advanced and current topics include:
web-based data management, advanced transaction models
for mobile databases, and peer-to-peer distributed
databases.

Prerequisites

Required is a solid knowledge of relational database
systems at the level of CSI3317. Also having taken a
course on computer networks at the undergraduate level
is desirable.

Course Outline

     Overview of distributed database management
     Distributed architectures
     Distributed design
     Distributed query processing and optimization
     Distributed transaction management
     Distributed reliability management
     Peer-to-peer distributed database management
     Miscellaneous topics: 
        - Mobile distributed database management 
        - Web-based data management
     

Text book:

     M.T. Özsu and P. Valduriez, Principles of Distributed
     Database Systems, 2nd edition, Prentice-Hall, 1999.

References:

     A. Elmagarmid, Rusinkiewicz M., and Sheth A., 
          Heterogeneous Autonomous Database Systems, 
          Morgan Kaufmann, 1999.
     A. Abiteboul, P. Buneman, and D. Suciu, Data on
          the Web, Morgan-Kaufman, 1999.
     E. Pitoura and G. Samaras, Data Management for Mobile
          Computing, Kluwer, 1998.
     K. Aberer and H. Hauswirth, Peer-to-Peer Information
          Systems: Concepts and Models, State-of-the-Art,
          and Future Systems. Tutorial, ICDE 2002, San
          Jose, CA.
     K.R. Dittrich and A. Geppert, Component Database
          Systems, Morgan-Kaufman, 2001.

Workload

     The course is based on an introductory set of lectures
     on distributed databases, followed by the reading of
     the main papers in the area. Students will have each
     to read a paper and report on  it. The list of papers
     will be posted on due time on the web. Also, it will
     be required from them to submit an independent and
     short research paper building on the ideas they have
     reported on. All their results will be presented in
     25 minutes long sessions throughout the course.
     Active class participation will account for 10% of
     the course mark, the research paper for 40%, the
     presentation for 20%, and a problem set (or alternatively 
     a final exam) for the remaining 30%. To pass the course, 
     one must obtain at least 40% on the problem set (or final exam). 

Note -- I will limit the number of participants to at most 20!