Module 5 - CST 363

This week covered some interesting topics including concurrency, isolation transaction levels, and normalization. Some of the exercises utilizing mySQL workbench to simulate two users modifying a database at the same time were quite interesting, and it was interesting to see the differing ways the database had of handling transactions depending on the isolation level that was used. It was also interesting learning about normalization and its uses, and also when denormalization may actually be beneficial to a database manager. Overall it was a very interesting and engaging week.

Module 4 - CST 363

This week we had our first exam. It was quite interesting and I enjoyed going through the exercises and reading the articles inside. We also worked with MySQL workbench to create diagrams for our JRJ database. This was quite an interesting exercise as it showcased some of the issues that can arise when designing a database. Overall, it was an interesting week and I look forward to the next assignments.

Module 3 - CST 363

This week we began our foray into html and php programming and utilizing it to make SQL queries to our databases. Our previous courses really helped this week as I could make use of the practice gained when learning html and php in our internet programming coursework. It was interesting also to read up on various data structures and create examples for the questions in assignment 7. I look forward to the coming week.

Module 2 - CST 363

This week we continued our exploration into SQL. It was quite interesting covering some of the more advanced statements such as JOIN and COUNT. I had quite a bit of fun learning about inner versus outer joins and their applications. The assignments were interesting and the results which you receive from an odd query can be quite humorous. I look forward to beginning on next weeks assignments soon.

Module 1 - CST 363

This week we began our studies in CST 363, Introduction to Database Systems. So far I have enjoyed this course and look forward to the next few weeks as we get to work more with databases. I felt the our overview of databases in the previous course was very brief and am looking forward to getting to practice with them more. This week we set up our MySQL workbenches and began working with more simple SQL statements. It was interesting to go through the exercises in the book and practice creating statements for specific results. I look forward to the rest of the course.

Module 8 - CST 336

Overall, I really enjoyed the content of this course and what we learned throughout our 8 weeks. However, sometimes I did feel that the explanations and instructions for assignments were somewhat vague and feedback was at times unhelpful. I still enjoyed the course and feel that I have learned quite a bit. I look forward to utilizing the knowledge I have gained in this program in order to design my own websites in the near future.

Module 7 - CST 336

This week we began our foray into using AJAX to update a webpage while we are still viewing it, without reloading the entire page. It was interesting to use this in both our lab and assignment this week to update the pages we were viewing. I am somewhat amazed how quickly this course has gone by. It feels like such a short time ago when we first started learning CSS and yet we have covered many different topics in this short time. I will be preparing for the final in the next week by studying all that we have reviewed in the past few weeks.