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Courses >
Database Management & Programming > Introduction to Database Development
Syllabus:
All
courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two
lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course.
You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must
complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new
section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each
month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure
to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
Who
can benefit from a database? Anyone who needs to store data and later
retrieve meaning from that data. In this lesson, you'll see where
databases came from, explore the major types, and see how the various
parts fit together.
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
In
this lesson, we'll define and describe the major components of a
database system. You'll learn about the System Development Life Cycle,
which practically guarantees the success of any database system you
produce.
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
Today,
you will learn how important the non-technical portions of a
development project are. You'll see why it's not enough to build a
system that meets design goals--it also needs to satisfy the people who
will use it. You'll learn how to build an Entity-Relationship model
that is based on a consensus of what all the stakeholders need.
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
This
lesson will teach you how to find out what the client organization
really needs from the development project--it may be very different
from what they originally asked for! We'll discuss the pros and cons of
either upgrading an existing system or building a new one from scratch
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
Relational
databases are by far the most commonly used database type today.
They're the most likely type of database that you will find yourself
designing and using. In this lesson, you'll learn the relational model:
how to create relational databases that have the right combination of
performance and reliability to meet your needs.
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
This
lesson is the pivot point of our course: Today, you will learn how to
translate the Entity-Relationship model into a relational model that
you can implement directly as a database. A model that accurately
describes the system you are modeling is your best guarantee that the
system you deliver will perform as you need it to.
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
Today,
we move to the hands-on portion of the course. You will take what you
have learned so far to build an actual database, using the popular
Microsoft Access database management system. The database will track
important information for a fictitious nonprofit organization.
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
In
this lesson, you will learn how to build a database with the SQL
language--a language that is supported by all relational database
management systems. You'll also learn how to protect it from accidental
or intentional harm.
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
Databases
store data. That's important, but it's not worth much if you can't pick
and choose the information you want to retrieve from the database.
Today you will learn how to create a database application that will
give users a turnkey tool for retrieving exactly the information they
want with a minimum of hassle.
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
It's
more important than ever to ensure that your company's organizational
data does not fall into the wrong hands. This lesson teaches you how to
control who accesses your data. We'll also cover how to protect your
data if your hardware fails or if some other unexpected disaster occurs.
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
This
lesson takes you to the next level--creating sophisticated database
applications by combining code written with procedural languages such
as Visual Basic, or C with SQL statements. We'll go on to discuss how
to make databases and database applications available on an
organization's network and on the World Wide Web.
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
This
lesson emphasizes the critically important (but often overlooked) human
aspect of a database development project. Your client may not have a
clear idea of what they want at the outset of your database project.
That means your communication and interpersonal skills are going to be
just as important as your technical expertise. After we complete this
final piece of the database puzzle, you'll be ready to create database
systems that truly meet the needs of your client organization.
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This
course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide
you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your
questions. The instructor for this course will be Allen Taylor.
 Allen
G. Taylor is a 30-year veteran of the computer industry and the author
of 19 computer-related books, including "Database Development for
Dummies" and "SQL for Dummies." He has been teaching computer courses
for over ten years.
Requirements:
Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins
(two free and simple downloads you obtain at
http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and
Get Adobe Reader). any type of computer, and a database management
system, including Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle,
PostgreSQL, or MySQL.
Student Reviews:
"Allen, thanks very much for your help!! I wish the course
were longer, but all good things must come to an end. I look forward to
future contact with you. Again, thanks for a good course!!!!!"
"An Excellent Course. Thank you, Allen!"
"As someone whose use of computers began in the days of
punch cards, this was a very good course. Professor Taylor's discussion
of database history was very helpful to me. Even though I have a
Microsoft Certification in Access, I learned quite a lot about basic
database structure and how to deliver a proposal to clients. It is
obvious that Professor Taylor has done all that - many times over. The
supplementary material links with each lesson were great."
"Good course overall ... informative, basically clear and definitely well worth my efforts in taking."
"Great class - thanks! I got a lot out of it and am looking forward to more. Thanks!"
"Great class - thanks! I I will refer back to it I am sure. And I will take more classes like it soon!"
"Great course and helpful in my work. I still need an
advance course to do my in Access but for now I can continue to
experiment with the additional information that I gained. I would take
more courses from him and tell others."
"Great course! This week I was able to contribute in a
conversation about ODBC and API in a 3-tier environment. I couldn't do
that before taking this course. Thanks!"
"Great illustrations of user data model, E-R model, MS Access, SQL, and Database Application using Access."
"I am a QA Engineer between jobs. I've been testing database
heavy applications for years and have been using lots of different
databases in my job, but I have never had formal training in it. I am
using my "free" job searching time to learn more about developing
databases. It seems I got into an excellent class. Your writing, Allen,
is so precise -- I am enjoying reading your class material. Thanks so
much! I wish other classes were written as well as this one."
"I am a very busy professional and I found this course to be
EXACTLY what I needed to expand my knowledge areas. The instructor is
very knowledgeable and was in-step 100% with the current industry
leaders opinions and best practice recommendations."
"I'd like to thank you for a WONDERFUL and productive class!
Not only has this class given me the update to the materials I will be
tackling next (SQL Server 2K Administration and Design), but it has
given me a MUCH better understanding of the DBMS's in my current place
of employment AND given me some tools and ideas to work with on my
websites that use mySQL. Thank you so much again…this was an EXCELLENT
experience to have and I would take another class with you as my
instructor any day. You were clear, precise in your explanation, and I
think you designed the subjects of your lessons as a Scope of Work all
their own."
"I enjoyed this course and would not hesitate taking another course with this instructor."
"I found this course extremely useful to me,a
non-professional individual attempting to understand the science of
database management for application to personal use.While I don't have
a background in computer work, I could decipher most of the technology
except for definitions."
"I liked the course very much and it has changed my view (in
a positive and constructive manner), on how to approach building a
database. I especially liked the introduction to the course as it gave
me an insight as to the background of students undertaking this course.
This is especially interesting as students are from different parts of
the world."
"I really learned a lot from this class. I wish I had taken it earlier."
"I recommended this course to many others. It was great."
"I thought the course was very interesting, and the way the
course was formatted really got your attention. It shows that the
instructor was very knowledgeable about the course. I would recommend
it to anyone who is just learning Database Development, and even if you
are familiar with the Developmental areas it can help you look at the
process differently."
"I truly enjoyed this course and plan to take the next
levels of database devlopment as time allows. I do look forward to
additional courses offered by this same instructor."
"Thank you Allen for a very interesting and challenging
course. I think the last two lessons have made me realize how much more
I have to learn in this area."
"The class on normalization and E-R models really helped me. I learned a lot. Thank you Professor Taylor!"
"The course was great! I really liked the online discussion
area because I knew I could post a question and get a response in a
very short period of time. In many cases, course mates may have already
posted the same or similar question and all I had to do was read and
gain more clarification on the material. What's even cool is that
questions that I might not have asked were asked in the discussion
area. The impact was an even greater understanding of the material for
me and looking forward to my next visit upon completion of reading each
lesson. Now that I have a clear understanding of what database
development is about, I look forward to taking additional courses and
possibly pursuing a career in this direction."
"The course was very useful. I was designing a database when
I took the course. With this information, I went back through the
porcess and re-designed the database. It was greatly improved."
"These first four lessons have been a valuable reminder to
me how important good design and research is in a database development
project. No way to blow through these design steps if I want a good end
product! I think I tried to do careful planning in my earlier database
project, but did not do as well as I should have/could have done
because I did not have the benefit of the organized and methodical
information you are giving us in these lessons. Thanks! I am excited to
continue."
"This course helped me to better understand the database
software and how the components relate. The additional reading was very
helpful."
"This course was just what I needed to get me started on a
project I was assigned at work. I has no prior database experience and
I now feel comfortable enough to complete a project that is in no way a
simple database."
"This course was very beneficial to me in developing my professional skills."
"This course was very helpful to me. It gave me a good start
in developing a database of orders/parts/inventories. The lessons were
well-written and easy to follow, but were also challenging."
"This is my 3rd on-line course and I found them all to be
excellent. I'm really impressed on how well these courses are written.
It's great to be able do all your course work, at any hour of the day,
from home and not to have to drive to a pre-scheduled class and listen
to a live lecture. Thank you for these on-line courses."
"This lesson was well done and easy to follow. Really helped me get a more thorough grip on the material."
"This was a good course overall. Although I have worked with
databases extensively over the last few years, I learned quite a bit of
new information especially on the underlying theory."
"This was a great help in refreshing database design. Thanks
for a wonderful course. You covered more in the 12 lessons than two
extremely boring Access all-day courses [from another provider]."
"This was my first online course and I now I feel I could
take another. The course material was designed well and enhanced my
knowledge in this area. I also took a class on campus during the summer
and will, hopefully, be able to do so again in the Fall. It was a
wonderful experience and I wish to thank all for a job well done!"
"Very interesting course. I liked it."
"Very much enjoyed the course and feel that the course
offered a great deal of useful knowledge - am especially impressed with
the instructor's writing style which is very succinct, leaving no room
for misinterpretation - extremely effective course style in all ways."
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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A
number of powerful tools are available to help you build databases and
database applications. However, if you do not apply a systematic,
structured approach to the use of those tools, you will probably
produce systems that fail to meet user needs. Many projects bog down or
are never completed for lack of a disciplined approach to development.
This course will guide you step-by-step through all the phases of a
system development project to guarantee that the resulting product will
not only work as it was designed to work, but also that the design
truly responds to user needs.