ISYS2120: Data and Information Management

University of Sydney•2026 S2
In Progress
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Database Design
SQL
Normalisation
Transactions
Security
OLAP

Conceptual, logical and physical database design; relational modelling and SQL; integrity, normalisation, transactions, security, application architecture and analytical data systems.

Learning Outcomes

Official unit information
  • DBMS concepts: Explain the role of database management systems, how they differ from other forms of storage and how organisations use them.
  • Relational modelling: Connect real-world facts to the relational model while recognising its strengths and limitations.
  • SQL and integrity: Define, query and modify relational data while respecting integrity constraints.
  • Schema design: Create conceptual models and relational schemas, then use normalisation theory to evaluate and improve their structure.
  • Applications and architecture: Understand how software uses relational databases and compare common architectural alternatives.
  • Security and privacy: Reason about access control, views, stored procedures and other protections for trustworthy data management.
  • Performance and reliability: Understand how query processing, indexes and transactions affect application quality and performance.
  • Theory to platform: Connect abstract database principles with the behaviour of concrete software platforms and team-based implementation.

Current Focus

This semester I am strengthening the systems foundation beneath analytics and AI. I am focusing on how schema design, integrity constraints, transactions and query behaviour determine whether downstream applications receive data that is consistent, secure and operationally reliable.