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CST 363 - Final Week

This week concludes CST 363.

Overall, the class was an interesting insight into database design, programming, and how to integrate databases into different programs and web applications.

Being my first class ever on databases (not counting the very brief encounter I had with SQLite in an Android development class a few years ago), I was initially overwhelmed with learning MySQL, a completely new dev environment (Workbench), and how to integrate my existing, yet still somewhat elementary, Python knowledge with SQL and HTML in order to create a working application.

My favorite part of course was designing the databases and writing the associated Python statements for the group project. The subject we decided to tackle was something I've wanted to do as a personal project as a long time, and it was great to see it come into fruition, at least on a smaller scale.

I believe the most important thing I've learned in this class is how to think about and analyze moving large amounts of data efficiently while preserving integrity and supporting multiple users. Before this class, I only thought about programming at a "low-level", involving small amounts of fixed data used by a single user on one machine. With my newfound knowledge of MySQL and database design, I can integrate these concepts into future projects or assignments and ensure my work can scale down or up with variable amounts of data. 

In terms of technical skill, I still have a lot to learn about MySQL and how to integrate a database into a program. I'm interested in seeing how I can use databases in something like embedded systems, or revisiting an older project and implementing an SQL database into it.

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