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         CSI5311 --  Distributed Databases -- Winter 2008
   
                        Iluju Kiringa
                    ++1-613-5625800x2123
                   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 limited to: 
distributed DBMS architectures, distributed design, distributed query
processing and optimization, and distributed transaction processing. More 
advanced and current topics include: query processing and advanced 
transaction models for multidatabases, data integration, and peer 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
     Query processing and Transaction management in mutidatabase systems
     Query processing and Transaction management in Peer database systems
     Query processing and Transaction management in mobile database systems 
     
Text book:

     T. Ozsu 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.
  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.

Workload

     The course is based on a set of lectures on distributed databases. 
     Students must read a research paper in groups of 2 participants 
     and then do the following:
         - a 30-minutes presentation of the paper in class; 
         - submit an independent, 10-page research paper building 
           on the ideas contained in the paper they have presented. 
     
     The 30-minutes presentation sessions will be scheduled in the first 
     month of the course. Papers for presentation will focus on data
     integration. 
     
     Active class participation will count for 10% of the course 
     mark, the research paper for 40%, the presentation for 20%, and a 
     problem set (i.e. take home exam) for the remaining 30%. To pass the 
     course, one must obtain at least 50% on the problem set and at least 
     70% on the research paper.