Final Learning Journal Entry – CST 363

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This course helped me understand how databases really work and how much thought goes into building them correctly. The three most important things I learned are database design, SQL querying, and how databases connect to real applications.

1. Database Design and Normalization
Early in the course, I learned how to take messy real-world information and organize it into clear, structured tables. Normalization, especially the first three normal forms, showed me how to prevent duplicate data and keep everything consistent. Working on the prescription database lab made this feel practical. I saw how choosing the right primary and foreign keys can make inserts, updates, and lookups smoother and more reliable.

2. SQL Querying and Joins
Writing SQL queries became one of the most useful skills I picked up. Learning how to use SELECT, JOIN, and GROUP BY taught me to think logically about how data connects across tables. It wasn’t just about remembering commands; it was about asking the right questions and structuring queries to get clear answers. The product and normalization labs gave me a lot of practice with this and helped me see how a well-written query can reveal patterns that aren’t obvious in raw data.

3. Application Integration and Transactions
Later in the course, I learned how SQL fits into real applications through JDBC and Spring MVC. Seeing how transactions work with commits and rollbacks helped me understand why data integrity matters so much when multiple users are interacting with the same system. Building a small web app that handled form inputs and database updates tied everything together and made the theory feel real.

Overall, This course gave me both the theoretical foundation and hands-on experience to design, query, and manage relational databases confidently.

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