Having missed taking a course starting in the spring I’ve taken two courses together. This should be a fairly straight-forward course being based around concepts I’m well practiced with. Lets see, when was I first formally trained on relational DBs… 1990? By Sybase. The course covers the formal SQL language (which you are then likely going to have to rephrase for specific DBs) as well as the deeper concepts in relational theory. Which is like set theory and Venn diagrams on steroids. It also covers the concepts in E-R data models and some simple practical implementation issues. Practicals are done on really clunky bits of software called Infomaker and SQL Anywhere originally from Sybase. It’s really frustrating to use software that is to be honest awful, especially when you’ve used more polished modern tools. The software has to be chosen at the start of the courses life cycle so materials can be built to use it, it must be free and possible to run on low spec computers for inclusivity (we are talking down to 386 here!) So you end up with something Noah might have used for an ark inventory. Oh well. If you want to learn a modern DBMS then go on a commercial course - this is teaching fundamental theory. The first assignment carries no marks so to save time I’d thus simply ignored it having explained to the tutor my time pressures. Overall an enjoyable course, but I’d really strugged to find enough time to do it well. Big spike in work seemed to destroy any hope of an easy ‘pass with merit’ The exam once again proved the problem with a disappointing score. Still a pass but it seems my head refuses to remember details it knows you can look up - and exact details make for top scores. I mean isn’t that the whole point of learning to read - so you dont have to memorise things? Its also quite disturbing how many people are not even turning up for the exams. My section had over half not present which is very noticeable compared to the desks in other subjects.