Information of Value Before the Semester Starts

Class Policy The class policy statement include rules about grading, due dates, withdrawals, etc. Class Policy statement

Credit/NoCredit Info on the option of taking this course as a (Pass/Fail) class

The midterm and final exam are in-person exams to be held on the Phelan campus on Saturday Oct 8 and Saturday Dec 17, 2011 in Science Hall room 5.
It has no other required in-person meetings.

Software Versions: This classes uses MS SQL Server 2008. Work done in earier versions of SQL Server is not accepted.
See information below about obtaining the software.

Textbook: Coles; Pro T-SQL 2008 Programmer's Guide; Apress; isbn 978-1-4302-1001-6

Email address: Your CCSF Email account Class email, including info on Insight and email I send you about adding from the Waitlist, is sent to the email account that CCSF displays on the class list. Check your email address from the Web4 page.

WaitList: This class has a waitlist set up. If the class is full when you try to enroll, add yourself to the waitlist. Waitlisted students will be added by the system if other students drop during the preregistration period. Refer to this Link for information on waitlists. I generally add all students on the waitlist. If you are on that waitlist, I will contact you at the start of the semester to see if you still want the class. Other requests for AddCodes will be handled after the waitlisted people.

NoShow Policy If you do not log into the Insight page for this class by Monday Morning Aug 22, 2011 10:00 am, I will consider you a NoShow and may remove you from the class list. Email me by that date if this is a problem and you want to continue in the class.

Insight Notes for my classes This is a document that explains the way my classes are set up on Insight; this is sufficient for most students to use Insight for this class. Remember that the class is not open to login until the semester starts. Orientation Notes

Plan: When are you going to do the work for this class?
Organization Ideas This is a 4 unit class so you need to set aside a period of time to work on the class material on at least two days during the week. This is not a "self-paced" class. There will be weekly readings and assignments will be due almost every week.

Software: We will be using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Visual Basic Pro 2008.
You do not need VB until the the last few weeks of the class. It is advisable to install Sql Server before installing VB. You will need the Pro version of VB.

1. You can borrow discs to install the software from the CCSF library to install of your home system
2. You can use the Microsoft DreamSpark system to download SQL Server 2008 Developer- use the url dreamspark.com. Some students have reported troubles with this site; other students have no troubles with it.
3. You can use the Microsoft download page system to download SQL Server 2008 Express. Do a search for "Download SQL Server 2008 Express" to find the download site.
4. I purchased a disc for the SQL Server 2008 Developer edition for less than $50.00 from Amazon. ( I like having the discs for software I use.)
5. You can use the software in the ACRC on the Phelan/Ocean campus. Consult their web page for hours and orientations.

It would be a good idea to install the software before the semester starts. I cannot provide individual help for installation issues.
How to:Search for disc status at the CCSF library

On the First Day or Two of Class, You Need to Do the Following

Log into the class Insight web site. Please click on this Orientation Link for info on Insight.

General Preparation for Classes

You can visit http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/Distance_Education/students.htm to prepare for learning online.

Students who need academic accommodations should request them from the Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) located in the Rosenberg Library,Room 323 on the Ocean Campus. Telephone: 415-452-5481 (V) 415-452-5451 (TDD). DSPS is the campus office responsible for verifying disability-related need for academic accommodations, assessing that need, and planning accommodations in cooperation with students and instructors as needed and consistent with course requirements.

General Information for CS 152A

This is a second semester course in the use of SQL Server using T-SQL. This class focuses on the programming aspects of T-SQL as opposed to standard non-procedural SQL access to data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why learn SQL Server?
A1: It's hard to ignore Microsoft.
A2: Many people/companies started their database projects with Microsoft Access. SQL Server is a natural next step for these databases.
Many companies use SQL Server because it has the familiar Windows interface and integrates with other Microsoft products.

Q: Why Programming - why not just use SQL?
A: If you are going to develop SQL Server solutions, you need to know how to use the available tools. For some tasks, non-procedural SQL is the best tool. For other tasks, being able to write your own stored procedures and functions using procedural programming code is the way to go. The programming approach lets you write triggers and handle transactions and errors which are necessary components of an application.

Q: What background do I need for this class?
A: The prerequisite is CS150A (SQL Server T-SQL) or 151A (Oracle SQL) or CS 155 (MySQL) but this prerequisite is not enforced at registration. You need to have experience with using SQL to create tables, access data, and make changes to the data. If your only experience using a database is using QBE, where you fill in a grid to create queries, you will need to spend some time with the SQL language.

Q: Which version of SQL Server are we using?
A: Currently we are using SQL Server 2008.