Databases and Information Systems
Course Overview
Databases and Information Systems (DBIS) is a 6 CFU course offered within the Bachelor’s Degree in Data Analytics at Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, A.Y. 2025/2026.
The course is composed of two modules:
| Part | CFU | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 — Introduction, E-R and Relational Foundations | 3 | Prof. Ing. Mauro Iacono, PhD |
| Part 2 — From Design to Implementation (SQL, NoSQL) | 3 | Prof. Ing. Lelio Campanile, PhD |
The course is taught in 12 teaching weeks plus the Easter break (56 academic hours total). The natural learning sequence is:
Introduction → E-R model → Relational model → ER-to-relational translation → SQL → NoSQL — with hands-on exercises and worked examples interleaved.
Textbook
| Book | Role |
|---|---|
| P. Atzeni, S. Ceri, S. Paraboschi, R. Torlone, Database Systems: Concepts, Languages and Architectures, McGraw-Hill | Main textbook — freely available at dbbook.inf.uniroma3.it |
The companion English slide decks (BD…eng) used in Module 1 are also distributed from the same website. The textbook is the canonical reference for the entire course. NoSQL is treated only in the lectures.
Course Structure
Part I — Introduction, E-R and Relational Foundations (Prof. Iacono)
| # | Topic | Atzeni et al. | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Introduction to Information Systems and DBMS | Ch. 1 | |
| 02 | Database Design Techniques and Models | Ch. 5 | |
| 03 | Conceptual Design — The E-R Model | Ch. 6 | |
| 08 | The Relational Model | Ch. 2 | |
| 09 | Logical Design — Overview | Ch. 7 |
Part II — From Design to Implementation (Prof. Campanile)
E-R Restructuring and Translation to the Relational Model
| # | Topic | Atzeni et al. | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | E-R Restructuring | Ch. 7 (restructuring phase) | |
| 11 | Logical Translation (E-R → Relational) | Ch. 7 (translation phase) |
SQL — From Schema to Advanced Queries
| # | Topic | Atzeni et al. | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | SQLite Setup and Tools | — (lab) | |
| 13 | E-R Recap on Lab Schemas | — (lab) | |
| 14 | From E-R to SQL Schema | Ch. 4 | |
| 15 | SQL — DDL and DML Introduction | Ch. 4 | |
| 18 | SQL JOIN — Theory | Ch. 4 | |
| 19 | Advanced SQL — JOIN and UNION | Ch. 4 | |
| 20 | Advanced SQL — Subqueries and Views | Ch. 4 |
Part III — NoSQL (Prof. Campanile)
| # | Topic | Reference | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | NoSQL Databases — Models, Trade-offs, Polyglot Persistence | Lecture material |
Worked Examples and In-Class Exercises
Worked E-R Design Examples (used during Part I)
Four worked examples by Prof. Campanile, each starting from a textual description of a domain and constructing the E-R diagram step by step. Used during the Conceptual Design lectures.
| # | Domain | After lecture | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | University (students, courses, exams) — simplest example | 03 | |
| 05 | Library (users, books, loans) — running example for Module 2 | 03 | |
| 06 | E-commerce platform (products, carts, orders, payments) | 03 | |
| 07 | Streaming platform (catalog, subscriptions, viewing history) | 03 |
SQL Lab Exercises (used during Part II)
Guided lab sessions with tasks and reference solutions on the Library and Swimming Pool schemas.
| Exercise | After lecture | Topic | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic SQL on the Library schema | 15 | INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, SELECT, aggregates, GROUP BY … HAVING | |
| Basic SQL on the Swimming Pool schema | 15 | Same skills on a different schema |
Study Guide
A detailed study guide with chapter-by-chapter reading advice, focus areas for each lecture, and practical tips is available here:
Exam Format
The final exam combines a written and an oral component, and offers two paths.
- Attending students (path A)
- Two midterm exams (prove intercorso) — the first in Week 8 covers Module 1 (E-R model, logical design, normalization), the second in Week 12 covers Module 2 (SQL and the relational model). Both midterms are practical, in-class tests. An oral exam then completes the assessment.
- Non-attending students (path B)
- A single 3-hour written exam covering all course topics — Database Design (E-R, logical design, normalization) and SQL with the Relational Model (algebra, queries, data definition and manipulation) — followed by the oral exam.
- Oral exam — always mandatory.
- The oral covers the entire syllabus for all students, including the topics of both modules. The final grade combines the written component and the oral.
Contact
For questions, contact Prof. Lelio Campanile at lelio.campanile@unicampania.it. or contact Prof. Mauro Iacono at mauro.iacono@unicampania.it.
Copyright Notice. The lecture slides for this course have been prepared by Prof. Mauro Iacono and Prof. Lelio Campanile and contain material adapted from the following source:
- Slides accompanying Database Systems: Concepts, Languages and Architectures by Paolo Atzeni, Stefano Ceri, Stefano Paraboschi and Riccardo Torlone. Copyright © the authors and McGraw-Hill. Used and adapted for educational purposes. The book and its companion materials are freely distributed at dbbook.inf.uniroma3.it.
All original material in the slides is © the respective authors. The lecture materials are provided for personal study by enrolled students. Redistribution or commercial use is not permitted without explicit authorization from the respective copyright holders. </small>