Laboratory Exercises

1. Accessing the Database: The first laboratory exercise is to connect to a database, populate it with data, and run very simple SQL queries.
   • In case a shared database is provided for course students, user accounts need to be created on the database. Otherwise, the lab should also cover setting up a database system. Information on setting up a database may be found here
   • The next step is to connect to the database. Although most databases have their own text-based interface, we recommend using a graphical interface such as the database browser of the Netbeans IDE, or a database specific interface. More information on accessing these interfaces may be found here.
   • The next step is to create tables and load sample data. Scripts for these tasks can be found here.
   • Try out some queries, and see what they do. Some example queries:
     • select * from instructor
     • select name from instructor where dept_name = 'Comp. Sci.' and salary > 70000
     • select * from instructor, department where instructor.dept_name = department.dept_name
2. Basic SQL This lab covers simple SQL queries. A sample lab (for a 2 to 3 hour session) can be found here.
3. Intermediate SQL This lab covers more complex SQL queries. A sample lab (for a 2 to 3 hour session) can be found here.
4. Advanced SQL This lab covers even more complex SQL queries. A sample lab (for a 2 to 3 hour session) can be found here.
5. Database Access From a Programming Language This lab introduces you to database access from a programming language such as Java or C#. A sample set of exercises can be found here; although phrased using Java/JDBC, the exercise can be done using other languages, OBDC or ADO.NET APIs.
6. Database Metadata Access From a Programming Language This lab introduces you to using metadata when writing programs. A sample set of exercises can be found here; although phrased using Java/JDBC, the exercise can be done using other languages, OBDC or ADO.NET APIs.
7. Building Web Applications This lab introduces you to construction of Web applications. A sample set of exercises can be found here; although phrased using the Java Servlet API, the exercise can be done using other languages such as C# or PHP.