A database management system (DBMS) is a computer application program designed for the efficient and effective storage, access and update of large volumes of information. This course will look at such systems from two perspectives:

• A user-centered perspective focusing on how a DBMS is used to support a data intensive application. This perspective includes a look at the common data models, query languages and design techniques.

• A system implementation perspective focusing on the policies, algorithms and data structures used to design and implement a DBMS.