CSC 436 - Database
Management Systems
Fall
2008
Independent Paper/Project Proposal
Due 9/30
Each student in class will turn in a substantial independent project,
either a research paper, or an implementation project. You will be
expected to turn in a proposal on or before 9/30. The
final paper/project will be due on December 6.
Research Paper:
A research paper can be on any topic involving databases. You
will be responsible for choosing the topic yourself, but I will make suggestions
and give you feedback on your choice. As a guideline, the paper should
be 8-10 pages. This is a guideline. The content of the paper
is more important than the length.
One possible format for a paper might be:
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Introduction – Short description of background material, establish
the point that you will make.
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Background – A summary and review of background literature.
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Your Opinion - State your opinion. Make novel points that are based
on your deductions. Compare and contrast points from the literature to
each other and to your points.
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Conclusion – Summarize your point and arguments. Discuss any further
work that you think can be done.
This is only one possible structure. Remember, this assignment is purposely
unstructured, so choose something that interests you. You will receive
feedback on the proposal that will help you refine your topic.
Suggested Paper Topics:
You may choose any topic that interests you. Below is a short
list of possible topics to start from.
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Comparison of data models
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Case study of a real database
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Description of a research database
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Extensions to SQL language
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Databases in bioinformatics
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Elaborate on topic in textbook chapter not covered
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Sensornet Data Management
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Concurrency Control in Real-Time Databases
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Implementation Project:
An implementation project can be any implementation involving databases.
You can use whatever system resources are available to students in the
Computer Science Department, and any other resources you may have available.
Under certain circumstances, special arrangements may be made to use resources
that are not generally available to all students. This will be decided
on an individual basis.
Suggested Project Topics:
You are encouraged to explore whatever kind of project interests you.
Below you will find some suggestions for typical projects.
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Create a database in PosgreSQL - show design (ER model), constraints,
some
potential SQL queries, functional dependencies, etc.
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Implement a database algorithm. For example, concurrency control,
indexing, query optimization.
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Other specific projects can be suggested by the instructor.
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Proposal:
Your proposal should include at least the following information:
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Objective: Two or three sentences describing the objective
of your proposed paper/project.
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Methodology: This will include a description of how you will
go about reaching your objective. For a paper, an outline of the
paper will suffice. For a project, a list of steps you will take
to reach your stated goal.
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References: Include in your proposal at least 2 references
or sources of material you will use for your paper/project. This
will indicate to me that you have spent some time thinking about the project
before writing the proposal.
Please submit your proposal on the due date. Email submission is
preferred, but hard copy will be accepted. I will give you feedback
on your proposal within a few days to give you direction on how to start
your project.
Suggested Sources:
You may use whatever sources you find. Here is a list of suggested
sources:
Please also see the Database
Links and Other
Interesting Links provided on the CSC 436 web site.