CST 363 Final Learning Journal

Three Main Learning Outcomes from CST 363

1. Learning SQL with MySQL

One of the biggest takeaways from the class was learning how to code in SQL. In this class, we had multiple opportunities to practice creating queries with given sets of data. I was not familiar with SQL before this class, so it was a learning curve for me. Reflecting back, I feel more comfortable writing queries in SQL, joining tables to obtain the correct data, and using subqueries in queries as well as views.

2. Creating Entity-Relationship Diagrams between tables

Another important takeaway from this class was understanding the relationships that tables can have with each other in an SQL database. We had the opportunity to create and understand an entity's definition, the relationship between two entities, and its attributes. From these relationships, we can create an entity-relation diagram that describes how tables are related. Tables can have 1:1, 1:Many, or Many: Many relationships and those relationships can be described as weak or strong. This was the part I struggled with the most, but it became clearer after feedback from my peers and professor. We also learned about the importance of normal forms in tables. Knowing how to modify a table so that it is a third normal form or Boyce-Codd normal form is important as it reduces redundancy. 

3. Implementing a Web application using a SQL and NOSQL database

The last important learning outcome from this class was being able to apply what we learned about databases and implementing a Web application with both a SQL and NOSQL database. It was a good experience to see that code that allows us to use Java and Javascript to implement queries from both MySQL and MongoDB, respectively. The group project (Lab 19 and Lab 21), as well as Lab 17 and Lab 20, further supported the work we completed in CST 338.