Note you can also download a pdf version of this syllabus.

 

Instructor:	George Wyner
Email:	wynerge@bc.edu
Twitter:	@geowyn
Voice:	617-871-0427
Office:	Fulton 254D (@Fulton254D) and Zoom
Office Hours:	See geowyn.com/da2hours for a current list of all professor and TA office hours. Please send email or go to https://geowyn.youcanbook.me to schedule individual appointments.  All office hours will be on Zoom.
Teaching Assistants:	Mercedes Kephart (kepharme@bc.edu) Paddy Murphy (murpasl@bc.edu) Yun Tong (tongyd@bc.edu)

About This Semester

The current semester is being conducted under extraordinary circumstances. Boston College is highly committed to your safety and continued learning. To ensure this, we ask you to be flexible and follow all University safety protocols during class, including wearing masks at all times and following social distancing requirements. Although class attendance remains as valuable and important as ever, you should only attend class in-person if you feel healthy and well that day; otherwise, you should attend remotely. Specifically, this class will be conducted in-person with all students able to attend class in the classroom each day during our regularly scheduled class time. The class will also be on Zoom to accommodate remote attendance.  Please be diligent in monitoring class communication via email and Canvas, and be ready to shift learning methods and channels if it becomes necessary.

Overview

Data has become an ever more powerful source of competitive advantage for modern enterprises. New technologies and business practices have led to an “orders of magnitude” change in the amount of data available for analysis, as well as to techniques, often referred to as analytics or business intelligence, which are now available to derive meaning from that data. It is essential that managers develop a deep understanding of how data can be structured, captured, and queried in order to support operations, decision-making, and strategic insight. This course provides students with a deeper understanding of data (1) by exploring the methods by which data is modeled, databases are designed, and data is queried from those databases, and (2) by developing an understanding of how this capability can be integrated into an organization to obtain a competitive advantage. Topics include entity relationship diagramming, the relational database model, and in-depth coverage of SQL, as well as systems analysis and design techniques for developing analytics to support an organization’s strategy.

Learning Objectives

In this course students will:

• Learn to design a database and to describe the resulting data model using Entity Relationship Diagrams.
• Learn the SQL language and how to use it to query, create, and update databases.
• Learn to identify opportunities to deploy data assets and analytics for strategic advantage in an organization.
• Understand the key technologies which underlie the deployment of data assets in an organization.

Readings

There is one required book for the class:

Sam’s Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes, Fifth Edition by Ben Forta.  Sams, 2019.  ISBN 978-0135182796.

You will also need a deck of playing cards.  Any deck with 52 playing cards is fine (suitable for poker or bridge).  The BC bookstore actually carries some decks of cards and knows they are required for this course.  We will use the cards early on in our study of SQL to have a physical experience of sorting, filtering, and grouping data.  Each card will represent a row of data.

In addition, there is one required teaching case for the course:

• 1-888-Junk-Van

This case can be purchased from the Harvard Business Publishing website for a cost of $4.25.

I will also be assigning several online readings (links will be posted on Canvas).

Grading

The course grade will be based on the following items, each of which will be explained below:

Exercises	20%
Problem Sets	35%
Strategy Quiz	10%
Team Exercise	10%
Final Exam	25%
Total	100%

Exercises.  For some classes, students will be asked to complete a brief exercise before class.  This will usually involve demonstrating familiarity with some SQL technique.  I am asking students to learn about and practice these SQL techniques before we discuss them in class.  I will assign specific videos as well as readings to help students learn the concepts and techniques needed to carry out the exercises.  These exercises will typically take under 60 minutes to complete.  Students will have an opportunity to resubmit these exercises after class for an improved grade.  This option to resubmit allows students to engage with the material in advance of class without requiring them to master it prior to the class in which it is covered.  Note that the last day to resubmit exercises will be Friday, December 18.

Problem Sets.  Problem sets will test database skills, including the ability to use SQL to manage and analyze business data.  There will be three problem sets assigned during the course.  Each problem set will include several challenging problems and will take a significant amount of time (a minimum of several hours and possibly longer).   Unlike exercises, there is no option to resubmit a problem set for additional credit.  There will be optional additional sessions and ample office hours available to students for problem set help. Problem sets will be made available on Canvas and submitted online.

Strategy Quiz.  The purpose of the strategy quiz is to assess your understanding of key concepts introduced in the non-SQL portion of the course.  The quiz will be closed book and closed notes and will be 20-30 minutes in length. Information about the precise format and content of the quiz will be provided in advance on Canvas. I do not expect you to commit every slide and reading to memory, but instead to focus on the concepts that are worth having at your fingertips in practice.  To facilitate this, I will be providing a detailed study guide in advance of the quiz.

Team Exercise.  We will conclude the course with a team exercise in which you will apply the skills you have learned to an actual situation of your own choosing.  You will form small teams, select an organization, identify an issue or opportunity related to the use of data, and then describe how data might be deployed for advantage, what that data might look like, and how you could query this data to produce the desired results  Details on this assignment will be provided later in the semester.

Final Exam.  The final exam will take place on Thursday, December 17.  The exam will include questions covering all topics in the course, including the material covered in the Strategy Quiz and also material from the exercises and problem sets.  I will be providing lots of detail including practice questions, well in advance of the final.

Gradescope

I will be using Gradescope for grading and assignment feedback.  Most assignments will be submitted through Gradescope (not Canvas), and grades and comments will be returned through Gradescope. As soon as grades are posted, you will be notified immediately so that you can log in and see your feedback. Grades will always be posted to Canvas as well, so you can check your course grade on Canvas at any time.  I will be providing instructions on how to access Gradescope and how to submit assignments and access feedback.

Recording Classes

This class will be recorded by the instructor to assist students enrolled in the class who miss any sessions due to an excused absence, such as illness. In addition, the recordings can be a resource for all students who would like to review the material covered in class. All recordings will be stored within the Canvas site and will only be available for viewing by members of this course. Students may not record/stream video or audio, or take photos in the classroom, or share portions of any recorded video or audio of the class with anyone outside the class except with the written permission of the instructor and such other permissions as may be required by law or University policies. 

To access lectures, go to the Panopto Recordings link on the left-hand navigation menu.  Note that the recording runs for the full 2 hours.  If class ends early, the recording will still be running.  While I will generally edit out any non-class time at the start and end of the recording, you should not count on that, Instead, if you have any concerns about lectures being recorded in general or for any particular session, please let me know.  I can always edit or delete any part of any recording session.

Core Values

Academic Integrity

We are committed to promoting the highest standards of honesty and integrity to ensure that all members of the community recognize the inherent benefits of living these ideals and to guarantee that academic performance is evaluated reliably and rewarded fairly.

Mutual Respect

We are committed to fostering an environment in which every member of the community nurtures the spirit of trust, teamwork, openness and respect that is necessary to embrace and fully capitalize on our professional community.

Pursuit of Excellence

We are committed to creating an environment where all members of the community pursue the highest possible level of academic performance and personal development for themselves and other members of the community.

Personal Accountability

We are committed to fostering an environment where every member of the community understands and accepts responsibility for upholding and reinforcing our values.

Use of Laptops and Mobile Devices

The success of the class depends on all of us being fully engaged.  I ask that you treat your electronic devices as you would in an important business meeting in which you are highly visible.  The challenge is that we will be making frequent use of laptops in class for group activities and hands on use of technology and, obviously, to access the class remotely via Zoom. 

Please restrict your use of devices to what is absolutely needed for class purposes.  When you are not using your laptop, I suggest you keep it closed.  Cell phones and tablets should be silenced and, where possible, you should enable do not disturb or turn off notifications.  If you are going to be distracted by a vibrating phone, please turn it off completely. 

Given that research suggests that students learn more when they take notes by hand rather than using a computer, consider experimenting with written notes.

If you have an urgent need to use your device during class time, please be discrete about it and respect those around you.  If you need to briefly leave the class in order to attend to urgent business, that would be preferable to staying in class and distracting others. 

Accommodations for Students

If you are a student with a documented disability seeking reasonable accommodations in this course, please contact Kathy Duggan, (617) 552-8093, dugganka@bc.edu, at the Connors Family Learning Center regarding learning disabilities and ADHD, or Rory Stein, (617) 552-3470, rory.stein@bc.edu, in the Disability Services Office regarding all other types of disabilities, including temporary disabilities. Advance notice and appropriate documentation are required for accommodations. If you are feeling stressed, having challenges managing your time, sleep, or making choices around alcohol and food, the Office of Health Promotion (OHP) offers Individual and Group Health Coaching appointments with a trained Health Coach. Please reach out by going to the Health Promotion website or walk over to Gasson 025 and talk with a staff member. University resources can be found at this link: Accommodations for Students.

Technology Support

You may call the BC Technology Help Center at (617) 552-HELP (4357), email help.center@bc.edu, live tech support chat, or visit the Technology Help website at www.bc.edu/help. Staff at the BC Help Center are always available to help you. You can get technology help regardless of where you buy your computer.