FAQ


Will this class be taught in person or online?

The Spring 2024 offering of this course will be taught at Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh campus. The lectures will be taught in person and all students are expected to attend unless there is extenuating circumstances.

How can I get off the wait list?

Our capacity in the course is limited to the number of TAs that we have and the room size. We will move students off of the wait list as new seats become available. Preferential consideration is given to SCS students. Switching between sections will not improve your chances of getting into the class. Please do not contact the instructors or the TAs about whether you have a chance of enrolling into the course. You will be contacted if you are enrolled in the class.

Will the lectures be recorded?

Yes, we will record the lectures and make them available to CMU students, soon after the actual class.

Does this course have recitations?

No, there are no scheduled recitations. There are only lectures. We will add additional help sessions for the projects during semester.

Do I need to know C++ for this course?

Yes, you should be familiar with programming and debugging in C++. All the course projects are on the BusTub system written in C++17. There will be a mandatory project to evaluate your C++ proficiency at the beginning of the semester. We will not teach you C++ during the semester. If you are unsure about your C++ programming skills, then please prepare accordingly. You can also to refer to the many on-line tutorials.

Will this course be taught in the Fall semester?

Yes! Intro to Database Systems (15-445/645) will be taught every semester. The Advanced Database Systems (15-721) course will also be taught in the Spring. See the CMU-DB Course page for additional information.

Where can I go to discuss the course material or projects?

Do not post questions about the project as GitHub issues. Post your questions to the Piazza message board.