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Fall 2010
CMS 371 – Developing Database Applications
(CRN 90518) – Last Update July 29, 2010
Professor:
Office Hours:
E-Mail
Phone Numbers:
Class Time/Place:
Blackboard Web Site
Withdrawal Deadline
Dr. Larry M. Holt
Bush 365B – Mon and Wed 4:00-5:15pm; Tue 5:30-6:30pm
lholt@rollins.edu
(Winter Park) 407.691.1178 , (home) 321.298.6455
Tuesday 6:45pm-9:15pm in Bush 222
http://blackboard.rollins.edu/
Friday October 29, 2010
Required Resources:
Text: Murach’s Visual Basic 2008 by Anne Boehm. ISBN: 9781890774455 or
Murach's C# 2008 by Joel Murach. ISBN: 9781890774462


Software: Visual Studio.NET 2008 will be provided free of charge, however,
please note VS.NET is a Windows based application. Those who have
MACs will need to obtain software (such as Virtual PC or Parallels Desktop)
which will permit running Window apps on their computer. This software is
not available on school computers, hence you'll need your own computer to
complete.
Students who did not complete CMS340 during the summer are expected to
familiarize themselves with the basics of VS.NET
Course Overview:
Introduces the student to the fundamentals of relational databases, SQL, and the
design/implementation of applications which use databases as their primary ‘back end’
data storage mechanism. Issues such as concurrency, referential integrity, nullability,
and n-tier architecture are incorporated into the development of application projects.
Class time will typically be spent covering selected topics from the assigned reading
material and/or assignments. Lecture will be augmented with visual demonstrations
using a computer in the classroom. This approach provides the opportunity to quickly
answer "what if I do..." types of questions. The student should understand that the
format of this course has no formal lab time. Hence, you are expected and required
to spend time on a computer outside of class time.
Course Notebook:
You are highly encouraged to obtain a notebook in which you record:
 Notes/questions while reading the text
 Notes taken during class time (lecture, exercises, etc.)
 Snippits of code which illustrate a coding technique, solution to a particular
aspect of a problem, and examples of 'bad code'.
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In most software development positions, you're required to keep such a notebook. It
becomes your record of successes, failures, trials, tribulations, etc. You may as well
begin to get use to maintaining records such as these. The 'added benefit' in this
course is that you may use your notebook during any exercises, labs, and exams.
Course Prerequisites:
The prerequisites for the course are described in the text on pages ix-x and are
summarized below:
 Programming experience as typicaly learned in a CS1 course (e.g. CMS167)
 Knowledge of elementary data structures as typically learned in a CS2 course
(e.g. CMS170)
 Understanding of the fundamentals of GUI development using Visual Studio
 Familiarity with:
o object oriented design
o separation of functionality
o unit testing
Blackboard:
The http://blackboard.rollins.edu/ web site (referred to a "Bb") will be used as an
electronic interface for the course. By virtue of your enrollment in this course, you will
automatically be given access to Blackboard. To log into Blackboard go to the above
web site, click on the Login button and then enter your Rollins FoxID (ex. jdoe) as your
username and your Outlook email password. If you run into any problems after trying
several times, send an email to me at lholt@rollins.edu and describe the problem. Be
sure indicate your name, the course information, your R-card number, and exactly what
you are supplying as your username and password.
Once you can login to Blackboard, be sure to go to Tools, Personal Information, Edit
Personal Information and make sure the email address is an address that you will
be checking because all emails to you concerning this course will be sent to this
address. Also under Personal information you can select Change Password to change
your password to something more meaningful for you.
The following course items can be found on Blackboard:
st
 Syllabus – 1 item under Course Documents
 Chapter notes, assignments, and solutions – under Course Documents, there
will be a folder for each class week in which the notes, assignments, and
solutions will be placed. In general, folders will appear a week or so in advance
of the meeting. You can download an item by right-clicking and choosing to save
it on your computer. Solutions will be automatically timed to appear shortly after
the due date/time.
 Assignments are submitted using the Digital Drop Box under Tools. Please note
that in order for me to receive a file, you must use the Send File option and not
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the Add File option. So that you will know that I have received your submission,
a status announcement will be displayed when you login to this course which will
indicate from which students I have and have not received submissions.
 Questions concerning the course, the material, assignments, etc. will be posted
on the Discussion Board. Submissions there are viewable by me and anyone in
the class. Furthermore, responses can also be made by me or anyone in the
class. By using the Discussion Board, we'll develop a sense of "community" for
this course with each student having the opportunity to help out other students
and/or benefit from a question asked by another student.
 Grades can be checked by going to Tools, Check Grade. Grade sheets will be
returned using the Digital Drop Box. Normally, I'll post an announcement that
grades and grade sheets for an assignment are available.
Academic Dishonesty
By academic dishonesty I mean presenting as your own work, on any activity or
examination, material produced by or in collaboration with others; or, permitting or
assisting others to present your work as their own without proper acknowledgement. On
any activity, it is acceptable to discuss with another student the meaning of the
requirements and general approaches and strategies for handling it. Any cooperation
beyond that point, including sharing of specific approaches, algorithms, designs, code
or any other answers, is acting dishonestly. During an examination, any discussion,
exchange of information, or use of unauthorized material is acting dishonestly.
Furthermore, if you observe or have knowledge of such actions and do not report them
to the professor, you are also in violation to the honor code and will be subject to
discipline. If you commit an act of academic dishonesty on any activity or exam, you
will receive a grade of 0 (zero) and will be subject to the Rollins Academic Honesty
Policy as described in the Catalogue. Please note that in computer programming
assignments, submission of substantially similar code is considered plagiarism.
The Hamilton Holt School has requested the following information be included in the
syllabus and reinforces the stance described above.
THE ACADEMIC HONOR CODE
Membership in the student body of Rollins College carries with it an obligation,
and requires a commitment, to act with honor in all things. Because academic
integrity is fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge and truth and is the heart of
the academic life of Rollins College, it is the responsibility of all members of the
College community to practice it and to report apparent violations.
The following pledge is a binding commitment by the students of Rollins College:
The development of the virtues of Honor and Integrity are integral to a Rollins
College education and to membership in the Rollins College community.
Therefore, I, a student of Rollins College, pledge to show my commitment to
these virtues by abstaining from any lying, cheating, or plagiarism in my
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academic endeavors and by behaving responsibly, respectfully and honorably in
my social life and in my relationships with others.
This pledge is reinforced every time a student submits work for academic credit
as his/her own. Students shall add to all papers, quizzes, tests, lab reports, etc.,
the following handwritten abbreviated pledge followed by their signature:
“On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any
unauthorized assistance on this work.”
Material submitted electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies
signing the pledge.
Students with Disabilities
Rollins College is committed to equal access and does not discriminate unlawfully
against persons with disabilities in its policies, procedures, programs or employment
processes. The College recognizes its obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to provide an environment that does not
discriminate against persons with disabilities.
If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of academic
accommodation in order to participate in this class, please make appropriate
arrangements with the Disability Services Coordinator, located in the Thomas P.
Johnson Student Resource Center, (407) 646-2354.
Evaluation
 Exams questions may come from reading assignments, course notes, lecture,
assignments and provided solutions.
 For each exam, you will be permitted use of your course notebook for reference
purposes.
 Exams or quizzes taken after the scheduled date will be penalized 10% for each
class meeting the exam or quiz is taken late.
 Once an assignment solution is posted on Blackboard or discussed in class you
may no longer submit your solution for a grade for any reason …so please don't
ask. Assignments that are posted late will be penalized a minimum of 10%.
 You will submit most of your solutions for the Homework/Programming Problems to
me using Blackboard‘s Digital DropBox. Each problem's description will include the
specific details on how to submit your solution. A second method of submission is to
email your solutions to me as an attachment to the message. Please do not embed
your solution in the email message. A final, emergency method, for turning in
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solutions is on a USB disk drive (I will return the disk to you once I have copied your
solution on to my computer) or a CD. My computer does not have a zip or floppy
drive.
Please keep in mind that disks do occasionally go bad, servers can be down,
networks can fail, and email can become lost or garbled in transmission. A submittal
lost because of an avoidable faulty disk, server, or email problems may not be a
valid excuse for turning in a solution late. Make it a habit to back up your work. As
the last action you do before you turn off, or leave, your computer, save your work
on your USB disk as well as in your directory on the 'R' drive of the campus network
– especially if you are working in one of the campus computer labs. Always keep a
copy (on some media you hang on to) of all your solutions. The Blackboard Digital
Dropbox is a good way to track and manage your submissions. It saves all your
work until you delete it.
Attendance:
 Attendance will be taken each class beginning the 3 rd week. Excessive absences
will impact your final grade.
 Any canceled classes will be made up in a manner deemed appropriate by the
professor.
 Your final grade is influenced by your class participation and attendance.
Miscellaneous:
 Read the material before coming to class. In general, class time will be used to
summarize the material, answer questions that you may have from the reading, and
present applications of the material.
 Ask questions! Take the initiative to seek help from your classmates and me. Use
the Discussion Board liberally.
 Expect to expend 3-10 hours of effort outside class for each hour you spend in
class.
 Truisms
 "The sole justification of teaching, of the school itself, is that the student comes
out of it able to do something he could not do before. I say do and not know,
because knowledge that doesn't lead to doing something new or doing
something better is not knowledge at all." J. Barzun, Begin Here p. 112)

"It is the learner who must engage the learning." James E. Zull, The Art of
Changing the Brain p. 219

"Don't confuse effort with accomplishment" , Doc
 No whining… 'nuff said.
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Course Grading:
I believe that having high expectations are an indication of my respect for you and for
your capacity to work at a level of excellence you may not have thought possible. I will
follow the grading standards outlined in the college catalogue:
 Grade A is reserved for work that is exceptional in quality and shows keen
insight, understanding, and initiative.
 Grade B is given for work that is consistently superior (that is, not merely
respectable or "average") and shows keen insight, understanding, or originality.
 Grade C is a respectable grade. It reflects consistently daily preparation and
satisfactory completion of all required work.
 Grade D- is the lowest passing grade. It is below the average necessary to meet
graduation requirements and ordinarily is not accepted for transfer to other
institutions.
 Grade F is failing.
Grade breakpoints:
Item
Mid-Term Exam
Final Exam (Comprehensive)
Quizzes
Programming Assignments
Overall total
Value
150
250
50
250
700
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Breakpoints
93-100%
90-<93%
87-<90%
83-<87%
80-<83%
77-<80%
73-<77%
70-<73%
67-<70%
63-<67%
60-<63%
<60%
Note:
o "90-<93%" is interpreted as "greater than or equal to 90% but less than 93%".
The same interpretation is applied in a similar fashion to the other
breakpoints
o When a overall percentage is computed, no rounding will be applied. For
example, 86.9% will be awarded a B.
o Should the total points for Quizzes and Programming Assignments be more
or less than the target shown above, grade breakpoint percentages will still
be applied to the overall total.
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Schedule for CMS270 Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
Tuesday 6:45pm-9:15pm in Bush 222
(Note: this is a target agenda that is subject to change during the term. Any changes
will be announced in class and posted on Blackboard)
Week
1
Date
8/24
2
8/31
3
4
5
6
7
9/7
9/14
9/21
9/28
10/5
8
9
10/12
10/19
10
11
10/26
11/2
12
13
14
15
16
11/9
11/16
11/23
11/30
12/7
Agenda
 Course overview
 Review Syllabus
 Relational database fundamentals
 Using VS to access a SQL database
 Fundamentals of SQL Select statement
 SQL select continued
 SQL insert, update, delete statements
 Chapter 13 – Intro to DB Programming
 Chapter 14 – How to work with data sources and datasets
 Chapter 15 – How to work with bound controls and
parameterized queries
Midterm Exam
 n-tier architecture
 Project requirements
 MyGeneration utility
 Chapter 16 – How to use ADO.NET to write your own data
access code
 Data Applications Access Blocks
 Chapter 23 – How to use LINQ
 TBD
 TBD
Final Exam