CS 4307: Database Systems

Broadly speaking, this course approaches databases from two perspectives:

1. Using and designing relational databases with SQL
2. The design of modern RDBMS systems, including on-disk representation with btrees, query execution, transaction processing, concurrency control, etc.

Topics

• Intro to SQL
• The relational model
• Views and indexes
• CTE and recursive queries
• Relation design and normalization
• The BTree and its implementation in SQLite
• Navigating btrees using coroutines
• Implementing queries directly on the BTrees
• The standard subsystems of modern RDBMS engines
• Transaction control, logging
• Concurrency control

Slides

• Week one: intro to the relational model
• Week two: anatomy of a SQL query
• Textbook chapter 2: Intro to Relational Model
• Textbook chapter 3: Introduction to SQL
• Textbook chapter 4: Intermediate SQL

Misc

• Recursive CTE example

Last Updated 01/28/2026