Principles of Database Design
Tyler Peterson
Arienne Dwyer
http://infield.faculty.linguistics.ucsb.edu/courses/db_design.html
JUNE 24 - JUNE 27, 10:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Life Science Computing Facility B
Instructors
Arienne Dwyer
University of Kansas
Tyler Peterson
University of British Columbia
Course Overview
Databases allow us to efficiently organize and analyse language data, as well as to do most of the work in creating and storing language resources such as dictionaries, annotated texts, and pedagogical materials, as well as helping us keep track of our recordings. They make possible many different kinds of large-scale corpus analyses, such as the statistical analysis of the lexicon, phonemic reconstruction, frequency studies of common grammatical patterns, and much more. Databases allow us to systematically store information and then query the stored information, displaying all the similar results together. In these four hands-on practical sessions, we will learn what how databases can be useful for language documentation and then do a number of practical exercises in creating and querying databases useful to your projects. You will become familiar with flexible database software such as OO Base, MS-Access, and Filemaker Pro. Participants are encouraged to apply these skills towards their own projects during these two weeks.
Session 1: Introduction to design and implementation
Database theory; designing and implementing your database project; practical exercises.
Session 2: Creating databases for different linguistic purposes
Building a basic lexicographic database (to e.g. produce a dictionary), a research database, an annotating database, and a metadata database; practical exercises.
Session 3: Practice in database queries and scripts 1: exporting and importing
Microsoft-Access-specific tools; importing existing (legacy) data; exporting data for other uses; practical exercises.
Session 4: Practice in database queries and scripts 2; comparison of database software
Database maintenance; designing forms, generating reports, charts, tables; pros and cons of different databases, including database-like programs taught at InField such as Shoebox/Toolbox; practical exercises.