Web platform for learning distributed databases’ queries processing

Abstract

A distributed database is a collection of data stored in different locations of a distributed system. The processing of queries in distributed databases is quite complex but of great importance for information management. Students who have to learn that process have serious difficulties for understanding them. On this work we present a web platform for helping the students learning the processing and optimization of queries in distributed databases. The novelty of this platform is that as far as we know, there is no similar graphical tool. It allows to visualize step by step the different phases of distributed query processing, showing how are they forming, making it easier for the students to understand these concepts. Moreover, having this web platform available, always and everywhere, indirectly have an impact on other competences like encouraging students’ autonomous work and self-learning, adapting the teaching to its one-time necessities and reinforcing the advantages to apply information techniques in the teaching field. The results of the developed tests to validate the platform's functionalities and student's satisfaction were very positive.