BUS611: Data Management

Welcome to BUS611: Data Management

Specific information about this course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.

Course Description

This graduate-level course will teach you how data management, database systems, and database applications function in the world of business by exploring technical information and implementation issues relevant to organizational data management.

Course Introduction

The world of business is changing, and database management systems are at the heart of modern business information systems. Like any other resource, corporate data must be effectively managed to ensure the organization's ongoing success. Data management, which focuses on data collection, storage, and retrieval, thus constitutes a core activity for any business or organization.

Organizations and enterprises use big data more than ever to make informed business decisions. They rely heavily on big data to gain insights into customer trends, purchasing behavior, and improving product and service experiences. Organizations turn to data management solutions and platforms to make sense of vast amounts of data. Therefore, data management has become one of the most vital administrative functions. Most organizations are excellent at collecting data. However, there is a need for skilled professionals who can manage, analyze, and reveal insights from big data. Organizational leaders seek personnel who can provide reliable and trustworthy data insights through data management. Because of technological advancements, organizations can collect and store more data faster than ever.

For example, you may work for an organization that requires a data management department. You need to decide which technologies will best fit the organization's needs. Some technologies include MySQL, Microsoft Access, SQL, Oracle, RDBMS, and dBASE. To select the best technology for your organization, you will first need to analyze and compare data to choose the correct type of data management. You will develop a data management plan to improve the organization's decision-making capabilities.

Leaders are ready to move past collecting raw data. It is time to leverage this data to improve best practices, profits, and efficiency. This course will cover the concepts of data management, database systems, and database applications in business. This course will provide adequate technical information for organizational and implementation issues relevant to the management of data in an organizational environment.

This course includes the following units:

• Unit 1: Introduction to Data Management
• Unit 2: Understanding Databases and DBMSes
• Unit 3: Data Models
• Unit 4: Big Data Processing and Cloud Computing
• Unit 5: Introduction to SQL
• Unit 6: Data on the Internet
• Unit 7: Data Sharing
• Unit 8: Data Warehousing and Data-Driven Systems

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• analyze how organizations use data management to plan, measure, and guide business decisions;
• analyze how organizations utilize database management processes and Database Management Systems (DBMS) to provide reliable and trustworthy data results;
• distinguish between types of data models and compare data models as they are applied in organizations;
• examine big data processing, cloud computing, and the potential challenges associated with data management;
• use Structured Query Language (SQL) to create, edit, and retrieve information stored in organizational databases;
• compare the advantages and disadvantages of managing data in an open data culture for both industry and research institutions; and
• explain how organizations use emerging data warehousing and data-driven systems technologies to make decisions and improve business outcomes.

Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.

Course Materials

The primary learning materials for this course are readings, lectures, and videos.

All course materials are free to access and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource and will help you to understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.

Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score

Only the final exam is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. To pass this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the final exam. Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you may take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt. Once you have successfully passed the final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.

There are also end-of-unit assessments in this course. These are designed to help you study and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want until you understand the concepts and material covered. You can see all of these assessments by clicking on Quizzes in the course's navigation bar.

Tips for Success

BUS611: Data Management is a self-paced course, which means that you can decide when you will start and when you will complete the course. There is no instructor or set schedule to follow. We estimate that the "average" student will take 44 hours to complete this course. We recommend that you work through the course at a pace that is comfortable for you and allows you to make regular progress. It's a good idea to also schedule your study time in advance and try as best as you can to stick to that schedule.

Learning new material can be challenging, so we've compiled a few study strategies to help you succeed:

• Take notes on the various terms, practices, and theories that you come across. This can help you put each concept into context and will create a refresher that you can use as you study later on.
• As you work through the materials, take some time to test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you've learned is important for your long-term memory and will make you more likely to retain information over time.

Technical Requirements

This course is delivered entirely online. You will be required to have access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and have consistent access to the internet to either view or download the necessary course resources and to attempt any auto-graded course assessments and the final exam.

• To access the full course, including assessments and the final exam, you will need to be logged into your Saylor Academy account and enrolled in the course. If you do not already have an account, you may create one for free here. Although you can access some of the course without logging in to your account, you should log in to maximize your course experience. For example, you cannot take assessments or track your progress unless you are logged in.

For additional guidance, check out Saylor Academy's FAQ.

Fees

This course is entirely free to enroll in and to access. Everything linked in the course, including textbooks, videos, webpages, and activities, are all available for no charge. This course also contains a free final exam and course completion certificate.