| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor and Lecturer
Frances Louise
Contact via Unit email
Check on iLearn
Lecturer
Charanya Ramakrishnan
Contact via Unit email
Check on iLearn
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
COMP6150
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces students to the principles and concepts of data storage, management and modelling, including the role of data and information in organisations. The unit will cover conceptual modelling techniques, converting conceptual data models into relational data models and verifying its structural characteristics with normalisation techniques, and implementing and utilising a relational database using a database-management system. Fundamental data modelling tools, techniques and query languages such as Structured Query Language (SQL) will be used. An introduction to the concepts and issues relating to data warehousing, governance, administration, security and privacy and alternative database structures such as distributed and object-oriented databases will be provided. Ethical and green approaches to the collection, backup, use and storage of data and the construction of systems are emphasised. The unit concentrates upon building a firm foundation in information representation, organisation and storage with particular emphasis upon the application of database systems. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
We strongly encourage all students to participate actively in all learning activities. Regular engagement is crucial for your success in this unit, as these activities provide opportunities to deepen your understanding of the material, collaborate with peers, and receive valuable feedback from instructors to assist in completing the unit assessments. Your active participation enhances your learning experience and contributes to a vibrant and dynamic learning environment for everyone.
To pass this unit, you must:
There are no hurdle requirements for the unit.
Database Design Group Project
This is a group assignment to be submitted on iLearn. Each student must contribute to every part of the task, and to encourage collaboration in identifying the best solutions. If it is submitted late, the entire group will be penalised unless special consideration applies.
Skill Exercise
This is an individual assessment held on campus and invigilated during the practical class for which you are registered.
Final Exam
This is an individual formal examination that will be conducted on campus and invigilated. The time and place will be published on https://iexams.mq.edu.au/ closer to the date.
Release Dates
For all your assignments and your professional life in the future, you are encouraged to:
Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted
Short extension does not apply for any assessment in this unit.
The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable, and significantly disruptive and may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please submit a Special Consideration request through https://connect.mq.edu.au.
If you have no extensions or have submitted after the new extension date,
5% penalty per day: If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends), up to 7 days.
Example 1 (out of 100): If you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.
Example 2 (out of 30): If you score 27/30 but submit 1 day late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.
After 7 days: Submissions more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.
Invigilated assessments have been designed with universal design strategies in mind, which may remove the need for individual reasonable adjustments. All students will have up to 50% extra time to complete these assessments. This extra time has been applied to all students.
For more information, please see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/assessments/ai-and-assessment
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due | Groupwork/Individual | Short Extension | AI Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Database Design Group Project | 30% | No | 18/09/2026 | Group | No | Open |
| Skills Exercise | 20% | No | In Week 10, during the registered Practical class | Individual | No | Observed |
| Final Exam | 50% | No | Exam Period | Individual | No | Observed |
Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 18/09/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open
You will design a database using a top-down approach. You will be assessed on how well you develop an entity-relationship diagram, complete the logical transformation for the given problem description, and plan the physical design.
Assessment Type 1: Experiential task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: In Week 10, during the registered Practical class
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed
You will execute database queries to demonstrate your knowledge of SQL. You will be assessed on how successfully your SQL queries solve the given problem statements.
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Exam Period
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed
You will undertake a final examination during the formal examination period.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.
3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.
Each week, you should engage and participate in:
For details of days, times and rooms, consult your personal timetable on eStudent. For details of scheduled classes, consult the Classfinder tool on eStudent.
Week 1 Classes
Note that both the lecture and practical classes commence in week 1.
Please attend the practical class for which you are registered on eStudent.
We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn.
For queries:
Notes are available each week on iLearn, but they are intended as an outline of the lecture only and are not a substitute for your own notes or reading of any textbook or other additional material.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such, we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link on the iLearn page.
Student feedback from the previous offering of this unit was very positive overall, with students pleased with the clarity around assessment requirements and the level of support from teaching staff. As such, no change to the delivery of the unit is planned, however we will continue to strive to improve the level of support and the level of student engagement.
Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook