Camila's learning journal

This class helped me understand databases and how to use them. I learned how to design a database, how to make tables, use primary and foreign keys, and organize data. I learned how to write SQL commands, how to use commands like SELECT, INSERT, and JOIN to get data and make changes in the database. I learned the difference between MySQL and MongoDB. MySQL is good for structured data, and MongoDB is better for flexible data. This helped me see that each database has its own use depending on the project. This class has gone by really fast, and I have learned many things. Before this class, I did not know anything in deep about databases, but now I feel more confident. I am proud of how much I learned. These skills will help me in my future IT and cybersecurity career. SQL was not as hard as I thought it was going to be.  

 This week I worked on Lab 20 and Lab 21 using MySQL . I practiced creating tables, adding data, and writing SQL queries. I also learned how to use joins to connect tables. At first, it was confusing, but after more practice, it got easier. Similarities: Both store and manage data. Both handle large data sets. Both work with many applications. Differences: MySQL: Uses tables. MongoDB: Uses documents. MySQL: Fixed structure. MongoDB: Flexible structure. MySQL: Uses SQL. MongoDB: Uses JSON-style queries. I would choose MySQL for structured data like school or business records. I would choose MongoDB for flexible or changing data like social media. This class is almost over, and I only have a few more homework assignments left. I feel proud of how much I learned. At first, SQL was hard, but now I feel more confident. I can apply what I learned to future IT and cybersecurity projects.

This week I learned how to connect a Spring Boot web application to a MySQL database and make them work together. At first, it was a little hard to understand how the data moves between the webpage, the controller, and the database, but after practicing, it started to make more sense. I learned how to use forms to collect information from the user and then send it to the backend, where it is processed and shown back using templates. In our group project, I worked on Step 8, which was about filling a prescription. This part was a little confusing at first because there were many things to check, like making sure the pharmacy, patient, and prescription all exist in the database. I also had to calculate the cost of the prescription and check the number of refills. It took me a while to understand how SQL joins and validation work, but after testing the program and fixing errors, I finally got it to run correctly. I also learned about handling transactions and error messages so that the ...

 This week I read the “Slow Indexes” section from Use the Index, Luke! by Markus Winand. I learned that even when a query uses an index, it can still be slow if the database has to check too many matching entries or jump around to get table data. I always thought indexes automatically made everything faster, but now I understand that performance also depends on how the data is stored and accessed. In Lab 15 , I worked with transactions and learned how commits and rollbacks help keep the database consistent. It was interesting, but I still find it a little confusing when to commit or roll back changes, so I’ll probably review that again. Lab 18 was about database design, and even though setting up the relationships between tables took time, it helped me see how structure really matters. Homework 3 connected everything we’ve been learning about SQL queries and constraints, and it gave me more practice writing statements that actually work. Quiz 5 went okay overall, but I want t...