A publicly available large data set that I can use for a lecture

DublinWriter

I'm currently lecturing part-time in database design.

Does anyone have any good pointers to a downloadable publicly available large data set that I can use for class demo purposes?

It has to be interesting enough to hold the students imagination, especially when demonstrating the delights of SQL.

...and no, don't suggest the Ashley-Madison data.

L.Jenkins

http://data.fingal.ie/ViewDataSets/ might be of some use. You could also google open source data in Ireland.

DublinWriter

Nice one Itzy.

L.Jenkins

Not a bother. What technology do you use to teach the students? Maybe you could give them a crash course in loading the data into a db, then letting them run a few queries against the data.

daymobrew

I created a small database with the stats from 2014/5 Match Attax cards. I didn't complete the data entry.

then letting them run a few queries against the data.

Although a small database it would be fun to run some queries against it e.g. return all 'midfielders' in 'X' team sorted by 'speed'.

DublinWriter

Thanks all - answering my own question here - many US police departments put up their call data online and available to download in CSV format.

beauf

It would useful to know good techniques to create large data sets of varied data. For testing in a development environment. Something that never seems to happen any place I've worked. We just use the often imperfect data from somewhere else.

Evil Phil

Itzy wrote: »

http://data.fingal.ie/ViewDataSets/ might be of some use. You could also google open source data in Ireland.

You could also try:

• http://data.gov.ie
• http://www.data.gov.co.uk
• http://data.gov
• https://data.ny.gov/

<edit>
Oh yeah, and http://www.dublinked.ie (how could I forget!)

kyote00

Also linked data .... (SQL and rDB are so 1980s ;-))

http://lod-cloud.net/

L.Jenkins

Maybe you could have your students do something similar as an exercise. https://support.discountasp.net/kb/a1179/importing-a-csv-file-into-your-database-with-sql-server-management-studio.aspx

devildriver

You could also grab your own data set using:

https://import.io

jmcc

beauf wrote: »

It would useful to know good techniques to create large data sets of varied data. For testing in a development environment. Something that never seems to happen any place I've worked. We just use the often imperfect data from somewhere else.

There are climate sets available but they tend to be on the large side.
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datasets

Alternatively use some MD5 or SHA1 hashing with random input data.

Regards...jmcc