Database management in the undergraduate curriculum

Abstract

The development of generalized database management capabilities has been one of the most dynamic areas of computer technology in recent years. It not only presents the computer specialists with a range of technical and theoretical problems of substantial interest, but has direct and visible impact upon the operations of organizations and upon the environment of the individual in an increasingly information oriented society. Accordingly, an introduction to the technology of database management is not only relevant for the computer scientist but to managers, administrators and everyone concerned with the problems of information processing. As a result, a very real question is where in the undergraduate curriculum is this introduction taking place. Are Computer Sciences Departments offering such courses? Business Schools? Both? A second question is what do the education groups of the two professional computer societies—ACM and IEEE—have to say about database management education. A third question then becomes, how closely do the courses being taught in this area today parallel what the education committees suggest.