CSE 391
Spring 2004
Stony Brook
Web Queries: Methods and Tools
Annie Liu
Assignment 6
Handout A6
Apr. 1, 2004
Due Apr 22


Project Implementation and Preliminary Experiments

In this homework, you are asked to describe the implementation and preliminary experiments with your project. You are expected to have a complete or nearly complete implementation and some preliminary experimental results; if you are not able to complete the implementation, you need to describe the problems and document your effort in searching for solutions.

Implementation. As said in the last assignment: whatever your project is, you will be processing XML data or HTML data or both, and depending on your project, you may or may not have a GUI component. For the kinds of data and kinds of operations in your project (that you should have from your project description in Assignment 4), this assignment asks you to describe how the data is represented (i.e., the schema/types for your data), how the queries (and other operations, if any) are implemented (i.e., the procedure/steps for each operation), and how all are put together (e.g., through input/output files and/or GUI). Please note the use of "is" and "are"s in contrast to the use of "will be"s in the last assignment.

For any place where your implementation is exactly as in your design in the last assignment (such that your description would be like a copy of that part from the last assignment), you should simply say so (say exactly which part) and avoid copying. For any place where your implementation differs from your design in the last assignment, you need to describe the difference explicitly and explain the reason for change.

Your description should be in English (not German or French you know :-), but avoid Java and XML languages also); you may quote code fragments when they are better (easier and clearer) for explanations. Do not include big chunks of code unless they really illustrate interesting ideas somehow; instead, for each part that implements certain kinds of data description or certain operations, simply say what language(s) you used and how many lines of code are there.

Preliminary experiments. Describe how you prepared and performed some preliminary tests of your implementation. Include what data you used, how you did the testing, and what the results are. For the final project report due at the end of the class, you will be asked to describe complete test design, experiments, and results.

Handins

Hand in a printout, in class, that contains the complete description of your implementation and preliminary experiments. You do not need to hand in anything electronically. I expect this homework to be at least 4-8 pages, depending on the density of your printout; it could be shorter if you refer to parts in your last assignment, in which case your handin should include your last assignment. I prefer your printout to be double-sided and two-up (2 pages on 1 side) if possible (to save some trees...).

Grading

This homework is worth about 6% of the course grade. Exceptionally well thought-out and well written homeworks (e.g., by including interesting things you have tried and failed, and your analysis and fixes of the problems---please make such parts obvious in your printout) will receive appropriate extra credit.