Am I understanding correctly that this course is more about how to use databases than how they work and how to implement them?
Looks that way from the curriculum. That was my first thought as well.
Stanford Fall 2011 - Introduction to Databases
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Re: Stanford Fall 2011 - Introduction to Databases
#42The videos are already online if anybody would like to get a head start.
http://infolab.stanford.edu/~widom/cs145/index.html (Click on "OpenClassroom Videos")
Re: Stanford Fall 2011 - Introduction to Databases
#43Am I understanding correctly that this course is more about how to use databases than how they work and how to implement them?
This is the undergraduate DB class. You are probably looking for the graduate DB class: http://infolab.stanford.edu/~widom/cs346/
Re: Stanford Fall 2011 - Introduction to Databases
#44Can anyone offer some advice in choosing between the three courses? My background: I've only completed CS 1, and read LPTHW and Kochan's Objective-C book. I have about an hour's worth of Khan Academy videos in linear algebra, and have taken a basic prob/stats course. My university offers a database class, but not ML or AI. Based on my minimal knowledge of the subjects, ML/AI sound more interesting than databases.
You're more likely to need and use the DB course topics earlier in your career, unless you specifically get a job in ML or AI. However, those topics are also easier to learn and understand on your own without guidance. If you post your school's db course curriculum, we can help you compare it with the Stanford one. Initial instinct - go with the ai or ml course (or take a reduced course load this fall and take both,…
I did my PhD at Stanford and took all three classes. DB is a more fundamental class, and probably easier. AI and ML are both great but they are designed to be taken in sequence with AI first then ML (which is a sub-field of AI).
Re: Stanford Fall 2011 - Introduction to Databases
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're more likely to need and use the DB course topics earlier in your career, unless you specifically get a job in ML or AI. However, those topics are also easier to learn and understand on your own without guidance. If you post your school's db course curriculum, we can help you compare it with the Stanford one. Initial instinct - go with the ai or ml course (or take a reduced course load this fall and take both,…
I did my PhD at Stanford and took all three classes. DB is a more fundamental class, and probably easier. AI and ML are both great but they are designed to be taken in sequence with AI first then ML (which is a sub-field of AI).
>However, those topics are also easier to learn and understand on your own without guidance.
Yeah, by 'those topics' I meant the ones covered in the DB course, not the other two. Most aspiring programmers usually find relational theory and XML relatively easy to grok.
Re: Stanford Fall 2011 - Introduction to Databases
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
I did my PhD at Stanford and took all three classes. DB is a more fundamental class, and probably easier. AI and ML are both great but they are designed to be taken in sequence with AI first then ML (which is a sub-field of AI).
>However, those topics are also easier to learn and understand on your own without guidance. Yeah, by 'those topics' I meant the ones covered in the DB course, not the other two. Most aspiring programmers usually find relational theory and XML relatively easy to grok.
Thanks for your help! The syllabus for DB isn't up yet at my University, so I can't give more details [1]. But given that you say DB should be easier, and that I can take it at my school, I think I should take AI. Besides--I had the same gut feeling.
[1] writing this I now realize I could easily get last year's course, but I'm satisfied with my current decision