Lectures

Lecture 00: Course Mechanics

DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering

This lecture covers the course mechanics for DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering.

Jan 12, 2026

Lucas P. Cordova, Ph.D.

Lecture 01: Introduction to Data Engineering

DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering

This lecture covers the introduction to data engineering.

Jan 12, 2026

Lucas P. Cordova, Ph.D.

Lecture 03: Data Types, Importing Data, and SQL Math

DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering

This lecture covers the data types, importing data, and SQL math.

Jan 19, 2026

Lucas P. Cordova, Ph.D.

Lecture 03-1: SQL Joins

DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering

This lecture covers SQL joins using the Blockbuster Bend database. We explore inner joins, outer joins, cross joins, and self joins with real examples from film rental data.

Jan 26, 2026

Lucas P. Cordova, Ph.D.

Lecture 03-2: Storytelling with Data

DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering

This lecture covers storytelling with data and introduces the project matchmaking workshop. We explore how data engineering pipelines enable compelling narratives by combining disparate data sources, then participate in a structured activity to form project teams.

Jan 26, 2026

Lucas P. Cordova, Ph.D.

Lecture 04-1: Normalization and Data Modeling

DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering

This lecture covers database normalization and data modeling fundamentals. We explore the normalization process from messy flat files to well-structured relational schemas, practice with the Dunder Mifflin employee dataset, explore database design for the Oregon Turtle Conservation project, and learn to create Entity-Relationship diagrams using draw.io.

Feb 2, 2026

Lucas P. Cordova, Ph.D.

Lecture 04-2: Data Science at the Command Line

DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering

This lecture introduces data science at the command line, covering the OSEMN model for data science, setting up your environment with Docker, and essential Unix concepts including the shell, command-line tools, pipes, redirection, and file management.

Feb 2, 2026

Lucas P. Cordova, Ph.D.

Lecture 05-1: Table Design and Constraints

DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering

This lecture covers the practical implementation of database table design in PostgreSQL. After learning to normalize data and design relational schemas, we now focus on building those tables with proper constraints. Topics include naming conventions, primary keys (natural vs surrogate), foreign keys and referential integrity, CHECK constraints, UNIQUE constraints, NOT NULL constraints, modifying tables with ALTER TABLE, and speeding up queries with indexes.

Feb 9, 2026

Lucas P. Cordova, Ph.D.

Lecture 05-2: Inspecting and Modifying Data

DATA 503: Fundamentals of Data Engineering

This lecture covers the practical skills of inspecting, cleaning, and modifying data in PostgreSQL. After building normalized tables with constraints, we now learn to migrate data from a staging table into the final schema. Topics include auditing data quality, ALTER TABLE for schema changes, UPDATE for fixing data, DELETE for removing rows, backup strategies, and transactions for safe modifications.

Feb 9, 2026

Lucas P. Cordova, Ph.D.