Relational Persistence

 

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

1          Demonstrate competency in designing, implementing and manipulation a relational database schema for a rich problem domain

2          Be able to explain the issues and solutions to maintaining its integrity in a multi-user environment.

3          Understand the role of XML as a framework for defining domain specific languages and be able to define simple schemas using both DTD and XML Schema. Appreciate the application of this technology to the object relational persistence domain.

4          Demonstrate an understanding of a subset of tools for processing XML documents, including persisting, parsing, querying and transforming.

5          Understand the object-relational paradigm mismatch and be able to demonstrate competency in applying the mapping concepts and strategies provided by a best-of-breed ORM framework to a domain model

6          Demonstrate an understanding of an ORM framework’s support for conversational object processing, including querying, fetching strategies, caching, business transactions.

 

Syllabus Content:

This module is focused on persistence strategies appropriate for an object-oriented software paradigm. As relational databases dominate this technology space, the module’s first section will be a condensed look at its fundamentals from both a designer and application developer perspective. From an OO application developer perspective, the student will get hands-on experience in programming the abstractions layer provided by a leading open source solution to the object/relational paradigm mismatch. A third section covers XML, as an enabler of ORM, an alternative persistence strategy and more generally an information structuring technology.

 

Indicative syllabus content:        

 

1.       Relational Databases             

• Design
• Querying
• Transactions and Concurrency

2.       XML                                          

• Schema language definition – DTD; XML Schema
• Querying – XQuery; XPath
• Document transformation
• Parsers

3.       Object Relational Mapping  

• The paradigm mismatch
• Mapping - Entities, Collections, Associations, Inheritance
• Entity management.- querying, persistence lifecycle,
• Performance – transitive persistence, fetching strategies; caching,

 

Practical Programme:

The practical programme will involve 3 assignments based on the three main syllabus areas, SQL, XML & Object Relational Mapping.

 

The assignments may be integrated with a software assignment for another module and/or the dissertation.