Course Layout

1. Scheduled Activities

There are six kinds of activities: lectures, quizzes, labs, presentations, tutorials and seminars.

1.1 Lectures

All Lectures are pre-recorded. The live lectures scheduled in the course calendar will cover the same concepts but through more interactive seminars, group activities, discussions and non-graded quiz solving (the live lectures are not going to be recorded - participation is recommended but not necessary) over Zoom Links to an external site.. Videos, lecture notes and reading instructions are presented under Modules.

1.2 Quizzes

There are both graded and practice quizzes, which can all be found both under Quizzes and under Modules. The graded quizzes are part of the LAB1 sub-course. Practice quizzes are not mandatory but can be used as practice for graded quizzes and the final examination. 

1.3 Labs

There are a number of labs, which are not mandatory. The purpose of the labs is to offer live Q&A and aid with quizzes. You will have time to ask questions regarding quizzes, and there might also be presentations and demos on practical tasks, such as installing and using related software.

1.3.1 Lab 1 SQL - Commands

The SQL commands presented in lab 1 can be found here Download here.

1.3.2 Lab 2 Normalisation - Exercises and Recording

Exercises Questions Download Questions and Answers Download Answers.

The Zoom recording of lab 2 can be found here.

1.3.3 Lab 3 Data Storage - Exercises and Recording

Exercises Questions and Answers Download Questions and Answers.

The slides of lab 3 can be found here Download here.

1.3.4 Lab 4 Transactions - Exercises and Slides

The slides of lab 4 can be found here.

1.3.5 Lab 5 Views, Joins, and Indexes - Notes

Lab notes can be found here

1.4 Project Presentation

There is a mandatory project, which is part of the LAB1 sub-course and is described further under Project. The project consists of multiple parts and is to be presented at presentation sessions at the end of the course.

1.5 Tutorials

Tutorials are opportunities to get help with project tasks. The main purpose is to give time for questions concerning the project, but there might also be short presentations giving hints on the project work. Tutorials are not mandatory.

1.6 Seminars

The purpose of the seminars is to give feedback on your solutions to project tasks. Seminars are not mandatory, but you are encouraged to attend in order to get feedback on your solutions. More information on seminars is found on the page Seminars.

2. How to Get Help?

Before the course starts you will be automatically enrolled to the IV1351 Piazza Forum Links to an external site.. This is the official forum of the course for all discussions, questions and answers. If you are not enrolled after the course starts please notify the teachers via email.

You can ask questions at labs, tutorials and seminars, which are described above, and also post questions in Piazza Links to an external site..  Don't send direct emails to teachers, instead post questions in Piazza Links to an external site., since then all students can be helped by the answers. You're also encouraged to write in Piazza about problems you encountered and have already solved. Your solutions to the problems you faced will most likely be of help to other students.

Mind that posts can be (optionally) anonymous to peer students in Piazza. Only the Instructors are able to see the author of every post.

3. Literature

Apart from provided material we recommended reading (either of) the following books for deeper understanding :

  • [Main] Fundamentals of Database Systems (7th Edition recommended, 6th edition is also fine) by Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe.
  • [Optional] Database System Concepts (7th Edition) by Silberschatz Abraham, Henry Korth, Sudarshan S.

4. Diagram Editors and Programming IDEs

Recommended diagram editors and programming IDEs are listed on the page Software.

5.1 PostgreSQL and IMDb

Instructions for installing PostgreSQL and IMDb are listed on the page PostgreSQL and IMDb.

5. Examination and Grading

The examination consists of the following modules:

  • Graded Quizzes and Project (LAB1, 4.5 credits, Grading scale: A-F ) - max 60P
  • Final exam (TEN1, 3 credits, Grading scale: A-F) - max 50P

To pass the course and get a final grade it is required to pass all five quizzes, the project and the final exam. Below is more information about each examination.

5.1 Quizzes

Each quiz gives max 4p, which makes a total of 20p for the five quizzes. You are given two attempts for each quiz (highest score wins). You need 2p to pass. In case you fail both attempts there will be an equivalent pass-only (2p) quiz at the end of the course. Note that you must pass (2p) each individual quiz.  For each quiz you do not pass, you must take the corresponding pass-only quiz at the end of the course.

5.2 Project

Each project task gives max 10p, which makes a total of 40p for the four tasks. All project tasks are graded after the project report on Jan 12. No points will be reduced for minor errors. If you fail one or more project tasks, you will have to re-report those tasks later. There is no deadline for re-reporting failed project tasks, but you can only pass a task (5p) when reporting after deadline.

5.3 Final Exam

The exam gives max 50p, you need 25p to pass. If you fail the exam you have to retake it at the next scheduled occasion. The exam is given two times per year, see schema for next occasion. You can find more information about the final exam at the Final Exam page.

5.4 Final Grade

When all examinations are passed, the final grade is calculated as follows:

total = Graded Quizzes (max 20P)  + Project (max 40P) + Exam (max 50P) = max 110P

where A: (total>=90) , B: (total>=80) , C:(total>=70), D:(total>=60), E:(total>=55),  F:(total<55). 

The grade that is calculated according to the formula above will be given for all course examinations (LAB1, TEN1, Final Grade).

Rounding up: Grades are always rounded up if the final grade is less than 1 point below a higher score (e.g., 89.1 would round up to 90 to get to A)

6. Disability

If you have a disability, you can get support through Funka, KTH's coordinator for students with disabilities, see https://www.kth.se/student/studentliv/funktionsnedsattning. In addition, if you have special needs that do not concern the written exam, inform the course coordinator and show the certificate from Funka.

Support actions under code R (i.e. adaptations relating to space, time and physical circumstances) are generally granted by the examiner.

Support actions under code P (educational adaptation) can be granted or rejected by the examiner after you have applied in accordance with KTH's rules. Normally, support efforts under code P are also granted.

7. Teachers

  • All course-related questions should be asked in Piazza Links to an external site., so that all participants can see the answer. Furthermore, the Lab sessions will also offer live Q&A via the help of the course Teaching Assistants. However, if and only if the question contains private information you can contact the teachers directly:
    • Leif Lindbäck, Examiner, Course responsible, Teacher
      email: leifl@kth.se
    • Paris Carbone, Course responsible, Teacher
      email: parisc@kth.se