Course Description
Cloud computing has recently seen a lot of attention from research and industry for applications that can be parallelized on shared-nothing architectures and have a need for elastic scalability. As a consequence, new data management requirements have emerged with multiple solutions to address them. This course will look at the principles behind data management in the cloud as well as discuss actual cloud data management systems that are currently in use or being developed. The topics covered in the course range from novel data processing paradigms (MapReduce, Scope, DryadLINQ), to commercial cloud data management platforms (Google BigTable, Microsoft Azure, Amazon S3 and Dynamo, Yahoo PNUTS) and open-source NoSQL databases (Cassandra, MongoDB, Neo4J). The world of cloud data management is currently very diverse and heterogeneous. Therefore, our course will also report on efforts to classify, compare and benchmark the various approaches and systems. Students in this course will gain broad knowledge about the current state of the art in cloud data management and, through a course project, practical experience with a specific system.
News
This section collects pointers to articles about recent developments that have to do with the topic of the course.
- VMware vFabric SQLFire (ODBMS.org interview with Blake Connell, VMware), October 24, 2011
- Google Introduces Cloud Database (InformationWeek), October 7, 2011.
- Overview of the Oracle NoSQL Database (DBMS Musings), October 4, 2011.
- LexisNexis Open Sources Code for Hadoop Alternative (GigaOM), September 9, 2011
- Why does Quora use MySQL as the data store instead of NoSQLs such as Cassandra, MongoDB, CouchDB etc?, May 29, 2010
Have you seen or read something that should be listed here? Send an email to Michael Grossniklaus!
General Information
- Instructors
- Office Hours
- Michael Grossniklaus: by appointement
- David Maier: (tba)
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Class Time and Location:
- Tuesday: 14:00-15:50, FAB 150
- Thursday: 14:00-15:50, FAB 150
- Class Mailing List: cloudb_list@cecs.pdx.edu
- Textbook: none
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Grading
- 10% Reading Assigments
- 90% Course Project
- 15% Study Question 1
- 15% Study Question 2
- 20% Programming Project (Part 1)
- 20% Programming Project (Part 2)
- 20% Report/Essay
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Credits
- CS 410: 4 credits
- CS 510: 3 credits
Prerequisites
Students must have a knowledge of database design, implementation, and query languages (CS 386, CS 586 or equivalent) and must be comfortable programming in a language appropriate for systems implementation, such as C/C++, Java, or C#.
Assignments
There will be weekly reading assignments, plus a course project consisting of study questions, a programming project, and a 3 page paper.
- Reading Assigments: Each week, students will read one or two papers. Based on these papers, students either answer questions or write a short paragraph comparing the papers. There will be undergraduate and graduate questions. Undergraduate students are only required to answer undergraduate questions, whereas graduate students are required to answer all questions.
- Study Questions: As part of the course project, there will be two study questions (see here).
- Programming Project: Students will work in groups of four-five students to design and implement a prototype of a cloud-based graph data management system (see here).
- Report/Essay: The last stage of the course project is a 3 page pager that each student will be required to submit (see here).
Exams
There will be no exams in this class.
Policies
- Students are responsible for anything that transpires during a class–therefore if you're not in a class, you should get notes from someone else (not the instructor).
- Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period.
- Late assignments will not be accepted without prior approval from the instructor. If an extraordinary situation (medical, personal, work-related, or other emergency) prevents you from working for a period of time, contact one of the instructors as soon as possible to discuss your situation and arrange a special schedule.
- Requests for regrading must be submitted to an instructor in writing within one week of the time the graded assignment was made available for pickup. You must be specific in saying why you feel your answer deserves additional credit. A request for regrade may result in a re-evaluation of the entire assignment and your total grade may increase or decrease as a result.
- Students with disabilities who are in need of academic accommodations should contact one of the instructors as soon as possible to arrange needed supports. Students are also encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) for additional information on support services and available accommodations at (503) 725-4240 or (503) 725-4150.
Academic Integrity
“The policies of the University governing the rights, freedoms, responsibilities and conduct of students are set forth in the Portland State University Code of Student Conduct and Responsibility which has been issued by the president under authority of the Administrative Rules of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. Students may consult these documents by visiting our website at: http://www.pdx.edu/dos/codeofconduct. Observance of these rules, policies, and procedures helps the University to operate in a climate of free inquiry and expression and assists it in protecting its academic environment and educational purpose.”
“Academic honesty: The policy governing academic honesty is part of the Code of Student Conduct and Responsibility. Academic honesty is a cornerstone of any meaningful education and a reflection of each student's maturity and integrity. The Code of Student Conduct and Responsibility, which applies to all students, prohibits all forms of academic cheating, fraud, and dishonesty. These acts include, but are not limited to: plagiarism, buying and selling of course assignments and research papers, performing academic assignments (including tests and examinations) for other persons, unauthorized disclosure and receipt of academic information, and other practices commonly understood to be academically dishonest.”
[Excerpt from the 2010-2011 PSU Catalog, page 34]