Study guide for the Database Systems Comprehensive Examination

This serves as a guide for students preparing for the Database Systems Graduate Comprehensive Exam. The topics below cover the fundamental concepts of database systems. They include areas in design, languages, organization, implementation, and operations.

Books:

• Korth, H., Siberschatz, A., and Sudarshan, Database Systems Concepts. McGraw Hill.
• Alternate books:
  • Ullman J.D., Principles of Database Systems. Computer Science Press.
  • Elmasri, R. and Navathe, S., Fundamentals of Database Systems. Benjamin/Cummings.
  • Date, C.J., An Introduction to Database Systems. Addison-Wesley.

Topics:

• Components of a DBMS
  • Query Processor & Optimizer
  • Transaction Manager
  • File Manager
  • Buffer Manager
  • Data Dictionary/System Catalogue
• Data Models
  • Entity Relationship Model
  • Object Oriented Model
• The Relational Model
  • Relational Algebra
  • Tuple Relational Calculus
  • Domain Relational
• Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Integrity Constraints
  • Domain Constraints
  • Referential Constraints
  • Functional Dependencies
• Relational Database Design
  • Information Redundancy
  • Lossless Join
  • Dependency Preservation
  • Normal Forms: 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF, and 4NF