Full Stack Web Development Databases & Data Persistence Syllabus

Databases & Data Persistence syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Databases & Data Persistence in Full Stack Web Development, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Database Fundamentals

   3 topics

   • Types of Databases
     • Relational vs non-relational
     • When to use SQL vs NoSQL
   • Data Modeling
     • Entities, attributes and relationships
     • Schema design principles
   • CRUD and Querying Concepts
     • Create, read, update, delete operations
     • Indexing and basic optimization
2. 2

   Relational Databases with SQL

   4 topics

   • SQL Basics
     • Creating tables and data types
     • SELECT, WHERE and ORDER BY
     • INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE
   • Relationships and Joins
     • Primary and foreign keys
     • INNER, LEFT and RIGHT joins
     • Normalization basics
   • Advanced Queries
     • Aggregations and GROUP BY
     • Subqueries
     • Transactions and ACID
   • PostgreSQL/MySQL with Node
     • Connecting via drivers
     • Parameterized queries
3. 3

   NoSQL with MongoDB

   3 topics

   • MongoDB Fundamentals
     • Documents and collections
     • BSON and data types
     • MongoDB Atlas setup
   • CRUD with MongoDB
     • insertOne, find and projection
     • updateOne and deleteOne
     • Query operators
   • Aggregation and Indexing
     • Aggregation pipeline
     • Indexes and performance
4. 4

   ODM/ORM and Integration

   3 topics

   • Mongoose ODM
     • Schemas and models
     • Validation and middleware (hooks)
     • Population and references
   • SQL ORMs
     • Sequelize/Prisma overview
     • Models and migrations
   • Connecting Databases to APIs
     • Repository pattern
     • Handling connection pooling
     • Seeding and migrations

Databases & Data Persistence flashcards for Full Stack Web Development

24 of 50 cards from the Databases & Data Persistence deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is a database?

   An organized collection of structured or unstructured data stored electronically so it can be efficiently accessed, managed, queried, and updated, typically through a Database Management System (DBMS).

2. What is the difference between a relational (SQL) and a non-relational (NoSQL) database?

   Relational databases store data in tables with fixed schemas and use SQL with relationships/joins (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL). NoSQL databases store data flexibly (documents, key-value, column, graph) with dynamic schemas and scale horizontally (e.g., MongoDB).

3. Name the four main types of NoSQL databases.

   Document (MongoDB), key-value (Redis), column-family (Cassandra), and graph (Neo4j).

4. What does ACID stand for in relational databases?

   Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability — the four properties guaranteeing reliable database transactions.

5. What is the BASE model associated with many NoSQL databases?

   Basically Available, Soft state, Eventual consistency — a relaxed consistency model favoring availability and scalability over strict ACID guarantees.

6. What is data modeling?

   The process of designing the structure of data — defining entities, attributes, relationships, and constraints — to represent how data is stored and related in a database.

7. What are the three levels of data modeling?

   Conceptual (high-level entities and relationships), logical (detailed attributes, keys, normalization, DB-agnostic), and physical (actual tables, types, indexes for a specific DBMS).

8. What is a primary key?

   A column (or set of columns) that uniquely identifies each row in a table; it must be unique and cannot contain NULL values.

9. What is a foreign key?

   A column that references the primary key of another table, enforcing referential integrity by linking related rows across tables.

10. What is normalization in database design?

    The process of organizing data to reduce redundancy and improve integrity by dividing tables and defining relationships, typically through normal forms (1NF, 2NF, 3NF).

11. What do the first three normal forms (1NF, 2NF, 3NF) require?

    1NF: atomic values, no repeating groups. 2NF: 1NF plus no partial dependency on part of a composite key. 3NF: 2NF plus no transitive dependency (non-key attributes depend only on the key).

12. What does CRUD stand for?

    Create, Read, Update, Delete — the four basic operations for persistent data storage.

13. Which SQL statements map to each CRUD operation?

    Create = INSERT, Read = SELECT, Update = UPDATE, Delete = DELETE.

14. What is a query in the context of databases?

    A request to retrieve or manipulate data, typically written in a query language like SQL, that the DBMS executes against stored data.

15. What is a schema in a relational database?

    The blueprint defining the structure of the database — tables, columns, data types, keys, and constraints.

16. What is the basic syntax to retrieve all columns from a table named users in SQL?

    SELECT * FROM users;

17. What does the WHERE clause do in SQL?

    It filters rows in a query, returning only those that satisfy a specified condition (e.g., SELECT * FROM users WHERE age > 18;).

18. What is the difference between the WHERE and HAVING clauses in SQL?

    WHERE filters individual rows before grouping; HAVING filters groups after GROUP BY and can use aggregate functions.

19. What does ORDER BY do, and what is its default sort direction?

    ORDER BY sorts query results by one or more columns; the default direction is ascending (ASC), with DESC for descending.

20. Name the five most common SQL aggregate functions.

    COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, and MAX.

21. What does the GROUP BY clause do?

    It groups rows that share the same values in specified columns so aggregate functions can be applied to each group.

22. What are the three types of relationships in relational data modeling?

    One-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many.

23. How is a many-to-many relationship implemented in a relational database?

    Using a junction (join/bridge) table that holds foreign keys referencing the primary keys of both related tables.

24. What is a SQL JOIN?

    An operation that combines rows from two or more tables based on a related column between them, usually matching foreign keys to primary keys.

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