The Certificate Program in Database Management Technologies

The Database Management Technologies Certificate program, as part of Oracle Corporation's Academic Initiative (OAI), prepares students for the requirements and rigors of becoming an in-demand Database Administrator or Developer. Centered on the industry-leading Oracle 11g/12i™ product suite, students engage in a progressive learning experience. Hands-on skill building throughout the program will prepare students for challenging and highly rewarding positions in today's data-driven industry. In addition to preparing for Oracle Professional Certification, students may apply all courses towards a degree in Information Technology. Whether pursuing an academic degree, a certificate or both, our Oracle-certified faculty will help students gain valuable technical skills as a marketable enhancement to their overall academic program of study. Students choose three electives from either the Developer or Administrator Tracks, depending upon their specific area of interest.

Required Courses: (4)

90.450 Database Administration I: Introduction to Oracle 11g
90.453 Database Administration II: Advanced Oracle 11g
90.454 Oracle 11g SQL Development - Available Spring 2012!
90.459 PL/SQL I: Introduction to Oracle 11g PL/SQL - Available Spring 2012!

Note: Students with experience equivalent to any of the required courses may substitute up to two electives for the required courses, with prior approval of the program coordinator.

CHOOSE 3 ELECTIVES FROM EITHER OF THE FOLLOWING TWO TRACKS:*

Developer Track Electives:

90.304 Oracle/Java/Web Development - Available Spring 2012!
90.448 Oracle 11g Portal Development
90.449 Oracle 11g Forms and Reports - Available Spring 2012!
90.467 PL/SQL II: Advanced Oracle 11g PL/SQL
90.474 Relational Database Concepts - Available Spring 2012!

Administrator Track Electives:

90.443 Introduction to Client/Server Computing
90.455 Database Administration III: Oracle 11g Projects
90.466 Oracle 11g Data Warehousing
90.469 Oracle 11gR2 High Performance and Internals - Available Spring 2012!
90.479 Oracle 12i Applications DBA

*Note: If you would like to, you may choose one elective course from one of the tracks and two elective courses from the other track, as long as you take a total of three elective courses in addition to the required courses above.

Certificate Requirements

Students enrolled in UMass Lowell certificate programs must complete all courses, generally consisting of both required courses and electives. Students may complete the certificate program at their own pace, enrolling in one or two courses each semester. Courses on-campus typically meet one night per week, three hours each night, during the Fall and Spring semesters. Online students generally log on to their course site one or more times per week to retrieve lectures and assignments or to participate in a chat session. For more information on online courses, visit our online program home page.

In addition to the Fall and Spring semesters, students may also have the opportunity to accelerate their programs of study during two concentrated six-week Summer sessions. Online courses are also offered during the Summer semester, but typically run from May through August unless otherwise noted. All students should anticipate at least two hours of preparation for every hour of classroom instruction. Students are required to maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or better to receive the certificate.

Application into the Program

Those who wish to enroll in the certificate program should submit a completed application form and arrange to have their official high school transcript or GED sent to Continuing Studies. Applications, transcripts, and other correspondence should be sent to: University of Massachusetts Lowell, Admissions/Online and Continuing Education, Dugan Hall, Room 110, 883 Broadway Street, Lowell, MA 01854-5104. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and there is no fee to apply. Upon acceptance, notification will be sent to students.

Registering for Courses

Continuing Studies offers courses during the Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. Information about current course offerings, schedules, and registration procedures is published regularly on our website. If you would like to receive a printed Course Bulletin, please contact our Faculty and Student Support Center at (978) 934-2474.

You may take courses without being officially enrolled in a certificate or degree program, but you must meet the particular course prerequisites. Registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Class size is limited. We recommend that you register early to reserve your place in class.

Transfer Policy

With the program coordinator's approval, one course may be transferred from another accredited institution to satisfy undergraduate certificate program requirements. The course should be equivalent to UMass Lowell instruction, applicable to the intended program, and the student must have received a grade equivalent to a C- (1.70 on a 4.00 scale) or better.

Academic Advising

Program Coordinators and Faculty and Student Support Specialists are available by appointment to help students determine appropriate course loads, discuss admission requirements, and review the transferability of courses. For online advising, email us at Continuing_Education@uml.edu. To schedule an appointment with a Program Coordinator or Faculty and Student Support Specialist, please call Online and Continuing Education at (978) 934-2474. General academic advising is also available at the Faculty and Student Support Center on a drop-in basis, located in Southwick Hall, Room 202 on UMass Lowell North. Call (978) 934-2474 or stop by the office Monday through Thursday between 8:30am-8:00pm and on Friday between 8:30am-5:00pm.

Awarding of Certificates

Upon successful completion of the certificate program, students must submit a completed Certificate Petition Form to Online and Continuing Education. Upon verification, students will be mailed their certificates. Receipt of the certificate will be noted formally on the student's transcript with an award date of October, February, or June.

Tuition

Please refer to our current course listings published online each semester for up-to-date pricing information or refer to the Online and Continuing Education Course Bulletin each semester.

For More Information

For additional information on any of our programs, call Online and Continuing Education at (978) 934-2474 or email Continuing_Education@uml.edu.

For information on Financial Aid, call the Financial Aid Office at (978) 934-4220.

Gainful Employment Disclosure Information

Completion rates, median loan debts and program costs are outlined for each certificate program.

Undergraduate Certificate Gainful Employment Disclosure Information

Course Descriptions

90.304 Oracle/Java/Web Development

This course introduces Java/Java Script, Java Server Face (JSF), Java Serverlet Page (JSP) Web development using Oracle's JBoss application server, and Eclipse as the integrated development environment (JDE) on an Oracle 10g database platform. Students will learn the fundamentals of Java and object-oriented programming using the Model View Controller (MVC) web application and application server architectures, Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) and AJAX programming technologies within the Oracle environment. The course covers the core skills of developing Java Script and embeds it into HTML in building interactive web pages. Targeted towards students with basic SQL and PLSQL knowledge, the course is designed to develop Oracle Java programming skills and modern Web development skills. The course also focuses on developing the complicated interaction between Web application and Oracle database through JDBC based transactions. 3 credits.

90.443 Introduction to Client/Server Computing

An overview of what Client/Server is all about. The course will introduce the six leading technologies for developing Client/Server applications: database servers, TP (Transaction Processing) Monitors, middleware, groupware, distributed objects, and the Internet. 3 credits. Special Notes:
This course qualifies for free MSDNA software!

90.448 Oracle 11g Portal Development

Oracle Portal creates the environment that provides the infrastructure to create Enterprise Portals rapidly being deployed in today’s highly strategic business environment. Using the Oracle 11g Application Server Portal, this introductory course introduces students to the development and deployment capabilities of the Oracle 11g Portal framework. An introduction to the fundamentals of N-Tiered architecture, LDAP and SSO, Oracle-based HTTP server configuration, and the Oracle 11g Application Server implementation on UNIX-based server architectures will be explored. Students will receive an in-depth view of key Oracle Portal features such as Portal Pages and Portlets development including building, populating and managing portal pages. They will also learn to add, organize, classify and deploy dynamic web content within the Oracle portal. 3 credits.

90.449 Oracle 11g Forms and Reports

Oracle 11g forms/reports skills are essential for Oracle developers and are in high demand in today’s competitive market. Using Oracle 11g development technology, students are provided a visual development environment to enable creation of sophisticated and user-friendly forms utilizing our state-of-the-art Oracle laboratory facility. The course is designed to instruct students to learn development of professional forms, reports, and graphs to address today’s complex user requirements. The course further prepares students through the building of forms/reports templates, reusable components, form triggers, procedures and integration, application debugging techniques and an introduction to the use of libraries. Students will also create tabular, master-detail, matrix and summary reports using the lab’s Oracle 11g database. Exposure to the use of Oracle 11g Forms/Reports server data block and layout wizards in addition to traditional use of PL/SQL for report and forms generation will also be introduced. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.459 or related experience

90.450 Database Administration I: Introduction to Oracle 11g

This course is designed to give the student an in-depth review of the Oracle DBMS architecture and physical components. The student is also introduced to common DBA skills to set up, maintain, and troubleshoot an Oracle 11g database. Students learn to leverage the 11g architecture to build and configure databases, manage database objects and logical/physical storage, configuration of Oracle processes and memory, manage user accounts, privileges and roles, and backup-recovery strategy. Students also learn database organization including a comprehensive examination of Oracle�s data dictionary, space management, table and index segments, undo and rollback segments, logical and physical block sizing, and key dynamic and static parameter files. Progressive hands-on labs utilizing the latest release of Oracle 11g Enterprise Server reinforces key concepts learned. Successful completion of this course prepares students for the Oracle Database Administration I certification exam and also qualifies as an Oracle 11g DBA OCP Hands-On Approved Course. 3 credits.

90.453 Database Administration II: Advanced Oracle 11g

Building upon the skills students learned in Database Administration I, this course focuses on advanced concepts of managing enterprise-scale Oracle 11g databases. Students are introduced to advanced concepts used to analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve performance, backup and recovery, and configuration-related problems. Students closely examine Oracle 11g diagnostic, resource and data protection methodologies including interrogating dynamic and static system views, alert log, thresholds and traces, 11g flashback of critical/non-critical data, 11g automatic storage management, 11g automatic shared memory tuning, and 11g data pump import and export utilities. Students will also utilize the 11g Enterprise Manager Database and Grid Control web-based interface to perform advanced database maintenance and configuration. Successful completion of this course prepares students for the Oracle Database Administration II certification exam and also qualifies as an Oracle 11g DBA OCP Hands-On Approved Course. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.450 or related experience

90.454 Oracle 11g SQL Development

This course provides students a practical, hands-on approach to working with the SQL language. Students will learn how to create and maintain database objects such as tables and indexes as well as to store, retrieve, and manipulate data on a host server. Students are introduced to simple and complex queries using standard SQL. Instructor-led hands-on labs utilizing Oracle’s 11g Enterprise Database server will reinforce concepts learned throughout the course. This course will aid students in preparation for the Oracle Database Administration I certification exam and also qualifies as an Oracle’s 11g DBA OCP Hands-On Approved Course. 3 credits.

90.455 Database Administration III: Oracle 11g Projects

Designed as a capstone course, students will build upon concepts learned in Oracle Database Administration I and II. This course focuses on extensive hands-on skills building to enable students to gain practical Oracle Database Administration experience. Utilizing the latest release of Oracle 11g Enterprise Server, students hone their Oracle skills through problem analysis, troubleshooting, and performance and configuration resolutions in a variety of common 'real world' scenarios. Delivered completely via lab-based projects, primary focus is on identification and resolution of common problems involving server and database configuration, database performance, backup/recovery, and networking. This course documents student skills in preparation for employment as an Oracle Database Administrator as well as prepares students to sit for Oracle’s Certified Master (OCM) hands-on lab. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.450 and 90.453, or instructor permission.

90.459 PL/SQL I: Introduction to Oracle 11g PL/SQL

This course will introduce students to the basics of PL/SQL subprograms. Students will learn how to write and invoke PL/SQL procedures, functions and packages. Using Oracle’s 11g Enterprise Database server, students will engage in hands-on lab work in both Oracle’s Procedure Builder and SQL*Plus environments. Students will learn how to create and manage PL/SQL program units, database triggers, and common Oracle-supplied packages. This course will aid students in preparation for certification as an Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate and also qualifies as an Oracle’s 11g DBA OCP Hands-On Approved Course. 3 credits.

90.466 Oracle 11g Data Warehousing

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of Data Warehousing. Upon completion, students should be able to guide a Data Warehousing project and avoid common pitfalls of implementation. The course provides an overview of the topic, comparing and contrasting it to other data management techniques to define how it is implemented and used. The course then drills into the topics that make up a data warehouse: Dimensions, Hierarchies, Facts/Cubes, Data Marts and Summary (OLAP) techniques, and ETL. Throughout the course, attention will be given to life-cycle concerns. Case studies of several functional areas will be covered to illustrate particular patterns or techniques. Students will build models utilizing Oracle 11g database platform. 3 credits.

90.467 PL/SQL II: Advanced Oracle 11g PL/SQL

This course introduces students to advanced features of PL/SQL used to design and interface with the Oracle 11g database. Students learn the benefits of Oracle 11g powerful extended PL/SQL functionality by exploring and utilizing advanced Oracle-supplied packages, procedures, REF cursors, extended interface methods, PL/SQL block debugging, case statement flows, bulk binds, code tuning considerations and advanced object types. Students will engage in hands-on lab work using advanced techniques learned throughout the course to design PL/SQL applications that solve today’s most complex business problems. This course will aid students in preparation for certification as an Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.459

90.469 Oracle 11gR2 High Performance and Internals

Students will learn how to use Oracle Database 11g automatic tuning features such as SQL Tuning Advisor, SQL Access Advisor, SQL Monitor, Automatic Workload Repository, Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor, Health Monitor, and practice these tuning methods utilizing an Oracle 11gR2 Enterprise database. The course focuses on the tuning tasks expected of a DBA: reactive tuning of SQL statements, maintaining SQL statement performance, and tuning the Oracle Database Instance components. Various Oracle memory internals will be examined including the discovery and usage of key high performance DBMS packages and views, use of the Automatic Diagnostics Repository (ADR) Interface, Cost-based optimizer statistics, and memory management, Throughout the course, students practice the art of tuning and internals using an Oracle 11gR2 Enterprise RDBMS through a series of weekly lectures, group discussions and hands-on lab workshops. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.450, 90.453

90.474 Relational Database Concepts

Introduces database directives, design elements of databases, architectures, and commercial databases. Students will participate in design of a large-scale database application and administration of this database. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.267 Special Notes:
This course qualifies for free MSDNA software!

90.479 Oracle 12i Applications DBA

Building on the fundamentals of database technology learned in 90.450 and 90.453, this course focuses on Oracle DBA roles and responsibilities in an Oracle 12i applications environment. The course closely examines the Oracle 12i database architecture focusing on Oracle 12i database software installation, capacity planning, database configuration, database tuning, and upgrade and patching maintenance. Students are exposed to 12i-specific tools such as the Concurrent Manager and Enterprise Manager Console. The course also reviews Oracle 12i application modules used in typical implementations to meet today’s business requirements. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.450, 90.453.