Test 2

date: Friday, November 30

time: 2:00-2:50

format: Open text and notes. Bring blank paper.

Sample second midterm from Fall 2003 (sample solution).

TOPICS:

• Functional Dependencies
  • reading: chapter 19
  • fair questions: Identify FDs, put a relational scheme into BCNF.

• File organization
  • reading: chapters 8 and 9
  • fair questions: Say something sensible about block accesses and buffer managers.

• Indexes and B-trees
  • reading: chapter 10
  • fair questions: Describe when one indexing method is better than another; insert values into a B+-tree

• Concurrency Control
  • reading: chapters 16 and 17
  • fair questions: Identify problems with a scheduling of some transactions, exhibit non-serializability. Know about and use different kinds of locks.

• In addition, up to two questions may be on topics covered in the first midterm.