CS 648 Course Project Information

Projects:

1. DBMS Application:   Define and implement a database application that makes significant use of a database system, database tools or programming interfaces beyond what is used in the course assignments.  The course assignments involve static SQL queries and simple searched updates embedded in C, thus, your application should involve something more than that.  For example,
• You can define and implement an application that uses the DB2 CLI (ODBC) programming interface rather than embedded SQL.
• You can use of some of the available DB2 tools or design, implement, and use a new data type as a DB2 Extender.
• You can implement a federated system that integrates heterogeneous data and/or applications.
• You can use some other DBMS (and its tools), provided that you have access to such a system.
Subject to the above, your application can do whatever you want it to do.  Choose a problem domain that interests you.  Some kind of demonstration, preferably interactive, of your application should be possible.  In your project proposal you should define the application in some detail, outline how you plan to implement it, and summarize the expected "deliverables" including how your project will be demonstrated.
2. System Performance Comparison:  For two or more system implementation alternatives, either
• define and implement a testbed environment,  or
• define and analyze a mathematical model
in which to evaluate their relative performance and report on the results of your evaluation.   For example, you may choose to compare various storage structures, indexing techniques, query evaluation strategies, data encodings, distributed data protocols, or transaction protocols.  Your testbed/model is not required to support the complete functionality of DB2, but rather it is expected that you will concentrate on only one subsystem that is tailored for performance testing.  In your project proposal you should describe the alternatives you wish to compare, how you will implement your testbed or define your model, and how you will conduct and report on the tests.
3. Critical Examination of a Database Systems Problem:  Evaluate proposed solutions to a current database research problem of your choosing.  You may wish to examine a topic specific to some application domain (such as multimedia databases, geographical information systems, e-commerce, or health databases), a topic within some application environment (such as data mining, resource discovery, data integration, or searching the Web), or a topic specific to some database subsystems (such as view maintenance, distributed transaction control, or data security). Your evaluation must summarize and compare various approaches  to address the problem, identifying  their limitations and relative strengths and weaknesses.  A critical comparison that offers some insight into the problem and the proposed solutions will be viewed much more favourably than a superficial comparison that simply rehashes the content of various articles. As a starting point, you may wish to look at some recent conference papers, for example those that have appeared in the ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data (usually just called the SIGMOD conference), the International Conference on Very Large Data Bases (VLDB), the Symposium on Principles of Database Systems (PODS), and the International Conference on Data Engineering (ICDE).   The proceedings of all of these conferences are available through the UW library.  The first three can also be accessed (and searched) on-line through the ACM Digital Library.    (UW maintains a campus-wide subscription to the ACM Digitial Library, so you should be able to search it and retrieve from it if you are coming from any machine on the UW campus network.)  You may also be interested in exploring Michael Ley's databases and logic programming bibliography server, which is searchable and contains many links to on-line papers.  In your project proposal you should describe the problem, indicate at least two approaches that have been proposed as (partial) solutions, and identify some of the key papers you expect to evaluate.

Project Proposals:

Proposals must be short -- no more than two pages in length when printed. Each proposal should include your name(s), your student ID(s), and your e-mail address(es). Proposals must be submitted electronically, by attaching them to an e-mail message directed to your course instructor. Proposals must be submitted in one of the following formats: plain text, postscript, Microsoft Word, or HTML.

Project Status Reports:

Project Evaluation:

• Correctness (60%): Does the application behave as expected?  Have the systems, tools, or interfaces identified in the proposal been used correctly and to good advantage?
• Presentation (40%): Are the project deliverables well-organized?  Is code clearly written and documented?  Does the demonstration do a good job of showcasing the application?  Is any supporting written material (e.g., documentation, project overview) clearly written and well-organized?
• Completeness: Is the project as it was proposed to be?

• Correctness (40%):  Is the content technically sound?  Are statements and assertions justified with compelling supporting evidence?
• Originality and Depth (30%):  Is the comparison well thought out?  Does it include original observations of some substance, or is it superficial?
• Presentation (30%):  Is the evaluation clearly written, well-organized, and readable (spelling, grammar)?
• Completeness: Is the project as it was proposed to be?

Last updated 15 January 2001