EECS 4/5560

DATABASE
MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS Spring 2025
Lecture 01: Course Introduction

© Dr. Larry G. Thomas – University of Toledo/LCCC

 Welcome to EECS 4560 / 5560
 Instructor: Dr. Larry Thomas
 Office: UPRC 130-I
 Phone: (440) 366-4341 (but e-mail is much better)
 E-Mail: Larry.Thomas@UToledo.edu
 WebEx: https://utoledo.webex.com/meet/lawrence.thomas
 Office Hours: Still TBD
We can ALWAYS schedule something via WebEx
 We meet at: M/W 9:35 – 10:55 AM (lecture)
 We meet in: Snyder Memorial 2110 / RC 301 – FOR EXAMS
ONLY Lectures in Blackboard Collaborate
 Welcome to EECS 4560 / 5560
 About me
BS – University of Tennessee (the “other UT”) ’84
○ Started as a co-op in their (non-mandatory) program
20+ years of corporate experience
Left the corporate world for grad school, with teaching at the college level
as the eventual goal
Vanderbilt University (Nashville) M.S. ’05; Ph.D. ’08
○ Dissertation “An Analysis of Software Quality and Maintainability Metrics with
an Application to a Longitudinal Study of the Linux Kernel” – 2008, 352 pp.
Taught for Toledo at LCCC since Jan ’10: EECS…
○ … 1030, 1510, 2000, 2500, 2510, 3540 (Operating Systems), 4/5760 (Security),
3550 (Software Engineering), 4/5560, 4/5/6980 (Open-Source Software),
4/5640 (Cryptography), 4100 (Theory of Comp), 4990 (Independent Study)
 Welcome to EECS 4560 / 5560
 About you
See “Your First Assignment – Part 2” (below)
 Philosophy for the Course
 I could teach this course from a purely conceptual, theoretical
standpoint
We could cover relational algebra and calculus, set theory, and the other
purely-academic underpinnings of a modern database system, with no
hands-on work
 I could teach it from a completely hands-on, how-to standpoint
We could cover SQL alone, and I could teach you what you can do with it

 Previous offerings of this course were a bit too much of the former
 If we veer too far into the latter, you’ll know what, but not why
 We’re going to go somewhere in-between
 About Textbooks
 Some textbooks are purely academic.
Consider your calculus textbook; rarely does someone just need a “how-
to” on calculus – we study calculus to give us a foundation as a means to
some other end
 Other books are for practitioners (how-to)
Suppose you’re an experienced programmer at your company, and they
suddenly want you to work on the database team
You don’t have time to take a 15-week course in database theory; you
need a book for practitioners to get you going quickly.
 Consider the difference between a book on the chemistry of food
and how it reacts as we cook it vs. a how-to cookbook of recipes
 About the Textbook(s)
 Textbook (required):
Murach’s SQL Server 2022 for Developers, by
Bryan Syverson and Joel Murach

Mike Murach and Associates, 2023, 656 pp.

○ ISBN-10 / 13: 1943873062 / 978-1943873067
○ It’s available in:
Print for $59.50,
E-book for $54.50, and
Both for $72.00
Search on www.BigWords.com for used copies.
I found new and used for $44.19 and $31.99, respectively, on 1/6/2025
This is a book aimed primarily at practitioners
 About the Textbook(s)
 Textbook (optional):
Fundamentals of Database Systems, 7 th edition,
by Elmasri & Navathe
Pearson Higher Education, 2015/6, 1280 pp.
○ ISBN-10 / 13: 0133970779 / 978-0133970777
○ There is also a paperback edition available, and an
e-text version is available via subscription for
$50.94 / 6 months (See HERE)
This book is aimed primarily at academicians, and is more “how it works”
than it is “how to use it”.
We will cover only a chapter or two from this book, and I will give you a
PDF of the relevant chapter(s), so this book is OPTIONAL.
 What (Exactly) Will We Cover?
 I’m still working on that.
 Here’s the Murach Text’s Table of Contents:
 We have 15 weeks, and 19 chapters
 I also plan to cover a chapter or two
from the Elmasri & Navathe text
 We will also cover one chapter from
Murach’s Java Programming textbook
(yes, I’ll make that chapter available,
too, so you don’t have to buy the book for
one chapter)
 Exact coverage & timing on all of this is TBD
 Welcome to EECS 4560 / 5560
 Technological Requirements:
We will be using MS SQL Server 2022, Developer Edition (details to
follow)
○ No, you may not use MySQL, Oracle, SQLite, or any other DBMS

We will be working with Java, using Eclipse. Details to follow, but we’ll
standardize on Eclipse 2024-12 (see www.eclipse.org)
○ If you haven’t used Eclipse in a while, it now includes its own JDK; I don’t think
you’ll need to download anything OTHER than Eclipse itself for the Java part
○ Go ahead and get the zip file for 2024-12; when 2025-03 becomes available,
DO NOT switch to it; stay with 2024-12 all semester!
○ Connecting Java code to SQL server is done via the JDBC, which I’ll provide,
along with setup instructions, when we get to that part of the course
 Welcome to EECS 4560 / 5560
 Technological Requirements:
If you have a Mac:
○ You’re going to have to handle a couple of things differently
○ First, SQL Server installs in a Docker container (see here, but don’t worry
about appsmith; you don’t need it). This YouTube video may help
○ Second, I’ll be using SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio), which doesn’t
run on a Mac; instead, you’ll have to use Azure Data Studio instead
○ I don’t have a Mac, so I can’t be your “tech support” for getting it to work.
○ If you have an Intel Mac (x64; not M1/M2/M3), consider running SQL Server
under a Win 10 VM using VMWare’s Fusion Pro (free) [Fusion doesn’t support
Apple Silicon, however]
 Welcome to EECS 4560 / 5560
 You will be required to use 7-zip archives (ZIP and RAR will not
be accepted)
 7-zip is available for Windows from 7-zip.org
 7-zip.org does not provide a version for Mac.
You may want to dual-boot Windows (solves several problems)
You may want to run Windows in a VM for this class (resource-intensive)
I don’t have a Mac, but I have heard that Keka (https://www.keka.io/en) is
free, runs on a Mac, and can produce 7-zip archives
 Welcome to EECS 4560 / 5560
 My Lectures:
Almost universally PowerPoint presentations
○ If you don’t have PowerPoint, you can get MS Office free from
www.UToledo.edu/it/Office365.
I strongly suggest you read the material as assigned (prior to class),
making your own notes before lecture, and then annotating them during
class. Just coming to class, listening (passively) to the lecture, and
reviewing the slides later will not be enough.
I will post my slides to Blackboard AFTER the lecture
○ http://blackboard.utdl.edu
○ If you can't access Blackboard, contact me ASAP!
○ It's up to you to keep up with class via Blackboard
○ Assignments will be submitted via Blackboard (as .7z archives – see syllabus)
 Welcome to EECS 4560 / 5560
 A note about lectures in general:
“A college lecture is the process whereby the notes on the page in front of
the professor get transferred to the page in front of the student, without
passing through the mind of either.”
○ This is far too cynical, but all too often far too true.
○ I don’t want this to be the case
○ Plug in: Participate in discussions, and ask questions!
○ I try to start each lecture with an opportunity for you to ask questions on any
old material, and I will try to clarify at the end of each lecture anything you
didn’t get during the lecture.
○ If something doesn’t make sense as I cover it, stop me and ask for clarification;
don’t just hope it will magically make sense later. If you’ve already read the
text, and listened carefully to the lecture, and you’re still confused, ASK!
 Expectations
 Be here (in Blackboard Collaborate), and be punctual
 Be adequately rested – it could be worse; this class used to meet at 8:00!
 Do your reading / homework outside of class, ahead of time
Devote adequate time to both
There's a LOT of material to read / digest / absorb
Don’t just skim the book, assuming I’ll tell you all you need to know; some
of what you’ll need to know is presented so well in the book I may not even
mention it, but I’ll assume you read and understood it, unless you ask about it.
Read the text, make your own notes, come to class and augment those notes
 Ask questions: In class, during office hours, by e-mail / WebEx
Don’t fall behind hoping it will “just make sense later”
It’s much, much easier to keep up than it is to catch up!
If something doesn't make sense during lecture, post in chat or “raise your hand”
 Welcome to EECS 4560!
 Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is required of all students. Unless specifically directed, all work
turned in must be your own individual work. Students may bounce ideas off
one another, but you must write your own code, solve your own homework
problems, etc. You may share ideas at the conceptual level, but not your individual
approaches to solving a particular problem. You must be prepared to prove that
your work is your own, by explaining it to me or with written evidence. You may not
use material from any other source, including the internet. Cases of academic
dishonesty will be dealt with most severely (F for the semester for this course, a
notation on your permanent record, and expulsion on a second offense).

Students may request help from the instructor before or after class, during office
hours, or by e-mail. You may not post any class materials (including individual
questions) online seeking answers from others.
 Welcome to EECS 4560!
 Academic Integrity, continued:
Websites like Chegg (and CourseHero, GeeksForGeeks, StackOverflow, github, etc.) can be great
tools to help you learn. They can also be an avenue to get unscrupulous (or perhaps unsuspecting)
people to do your work for you, or for you to just go looking for answers. The temptation can be
great, but so is the punishment. It’s a slippery slope – BEWARE: you’ve been warned.

Your “right to privacy” at such sites ends the moment class materials appear on their site, or material
from their site appears on what you turn in. If you can find an answer online, I probably can, too –
you didn’t invent “look it up”.

You have most likely grown up with one or more computers at your disposal since you were in
diapers, and lived with “the answer to everything can be found online”. However, one thing you
can’t obtain online is experience.

This class isn’t a scavenger hunt, in which finding the answer as quickly and with as little effort as
possible makes you the winner; you need to learn how to work your way through to the answer;
there’s a (big) difference. The former leads to a dead-end career; the latter leads to success in life.
 Welcome to EECS 4560!
 Academic Integrity, continued:
You are expressly forbidden from using any materials other than what is provided (in the text) or by
me. Using materials (code, exams, homework solutions, etc.) from others in the class, others who
have taken the class previously, or from any online source, is expressly forbidden. Violations of this
rule will result in your receiving an F for the semester. Multiple violations will result in expulsion.

If you are caught plagiarizing material you submit, you may not withdraw from the course to avoid
the failing grade, nor to prevent a record on your permanent transcript.

Your class materials are all copyrighted. This includes lecture slides, exams, assignment, etc.
Posting any of them online is a violation of the copyright act, and will be considered a violation of
academic integrity.
 Welcome to EECS 4560!
 Accommodations:
There are about 100 students in this class
The date of the mid-term is most likely 2/26 (our last class meeting before
Spring Break). The final exam will be either during exam week or on the
last day of classes.
Nevertheless, I will announce in class well in advance when they will be
If you have an accommodation for an exam (extra time, alternate testing
location, etc.), please remind me at least three business days before the
exam, so I can make arrangements
If you don’t remind me and just show up at the exam, I will assume that
you are electing to not use your accommodation, and you will take the
exam in class, during the normal class time (80 minutes)
 The Remaining Syllabus
“Stuff”
 The Syllabus has been posted on Blackboard.
 It will be our “contract” throughout the semester.
 If there are questions about the policies for the course, refer first to
the syllabus.
 If the syllabus does not answer your question, please contact me
(e-mail is likely to be the fastest way to reach me)
 Your First Assignment – Part 1
 I have covered the highlights of the syllabus
If the syllabus gets edited / amended, I will post an update on blackboard
and send out a mass e-mail to everyone about any changes
 You are responsible for all of it
 Print out the last page of the syllabus, and sign & date it
 Submit a JPG of your signed page to Blackboard
Due Friday night at 11:59 PM, but don’t wait until then to get it done.
This is a low-workload assignment – don’t start the semester by submitting
this one late!
 Your First Assignment – Part 2
 I have had some of you in class before; some not
 If you’ve never been in one of my classes, please submit (to
Blackboard) a brief intro about yourself – your background,
interests (both academic and outside), any interesting co-ops
you’ve been on, etc.: Help me get to know you a little bit.
 Feel free to ask any questions of me – about the course, what to
expect, etc.
 If you HAVE been in one of my classes, please submit a brief
update – what have you been up to? Any co-ops since last time?
Plans after graduation, etc.
 …
 Your First Assignment – Part 2
 Please have this (and the syllabus page) submitted by Friday
 If you ask questions in your intro (feel free to), it may take me a
while to respond; I have over 100 students this semester! If your
question is time-sensitive, please e-mail it to me directly
 Next Steps
 If you haven’t already, read (carefully) the Introduction
(pp. xvii – xx).
You should always read the front matter (Introduction, Preface,
Forward, About the Author(s), Guidelines for Using This Book, etc.)
for any textbook; it will help you get your mindset about the book in
sync with the author’s mindset.
○ It gets you and the author “on the same page” (yes, pun intended)
There is often some excellent background information in the preface.
 Next Steps
 If you haven’t already, read Chapter 1 (30 pp.) carefully (i.e., every
word, sidebar, footnote, etc.)
See “Expectations” (above)
 These lecture slides will be on Blackboard at 11:00 AM today.
 I will always try to have the slides posted immediately after class.
If much time goes by and you don’t see them on BB, send me an
e-mail reminder!
 Between Now and Wednesday
 I plan to cover Chapter 1 next (now), and then move on to Chapter 2
on Wednesday
 It would be an excellent use of your time, while the semester is
not yet too crazy, to even do the unthinkable – read ahead a
chapter or two.
 The exact pacing through the textbook is still TBD. It may go
faster in some places, and slower in others – BE PREPARED!
 Install SQL Server 2022 and SSMS.
I have created (and posted on Blackboard) a step-by-step, screenshot-
based, “click here” document to guide you. FOLLOW IT CAREFULLY.
If you have a Mac, use the Docker container instructions
 ? Questions ?

?? Questions ??