Using Design Axioms and Topology to Model Database Semantics.

Arno Siebes, Martin L. Kersten: Using Design Axioms and Topology to Model Database Semantics. VLDB 1987: 51-59

@inproceedings{DBLP:conf/vldb/SiebesK87,
  author    = {Arno Siebes and
               Martin L. Kersten},
  editor    = {Peter M. Stocker and
               William Kent and
               Peter Hammersley},
  title     = {Using Design Axioms and Topology to Model Database Semantics},
  booktitle = {VLDB'87, Proceedings of 13th International Conference on Very
               Large Data Bases, September 1-4, 1987, Brighton, England},
  publisher = {Morgan Kaufmann},
  year      = {1987},
  isbn      = {0-934613-46-X},
  pages     = {51-59},
  ee        = {db/conf/vldb/SiebesK87.html},
  crossref  = {DBLP:conf/vldb/87},
  bibsource = {DBLP, http://dblp.uni-trier.de}
}

Abstract

The freedom to combine information stored in a database using the operators provided by its datamodel introduces many caveats, such as with view-updates and integrity preservation, for the database designer. To alleviate these problems we define a formal model that explicates the database semantics through entity definitions and limits their use along well-defined paths. Our approach is based on six design axioms and concepts borrowed topology. This way we achieve an unified description of both the database intension and its extension. In particular, we show that generalisation / specialisation hierarchies are naturally cast into proper subset hierarchies in the entity type topology. Moreover, the limitations posed on the construction of entity types preserve the Armstrong axioms for functional dependencies. This way our model captures much of the real- world semantic constraints and remains sound and complete.

Copyright © 1987 by the VLDB Endowment. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the VLDB copyright notice and the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by the permission of the Very Large Data Base Endowment. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee and/or special permission from the Endowment.

Online Paper

Download PDF file (www.vldb.org, Darmstadt, Germany)
Download PDF file (www.acm.org, New York, USA)

ACM SIGMOD Anthology

CDROM Version: Load the CDROM "Volume 1 Issue 4, VLDB '75-'88" and ...

Windows: Click the letter of your CD drive
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Mac: Click here
UNIX/LINUX: mount the CD and click on the path of your mount point:
/Anthology/vldb7588 or /cdrom

DVD Version: Load ACM SIGMOD Anthology DVD 1" and ...

Windows: Click the letter of your CD drive
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Mac: Click here
UNIX/LINUX: mount the DVD and click on the path of your mount point:
/Anthology/aDVD1 or /dvd

Printed Edition

Peter M. Stocker, William Kent, Peter Hammersley (Eds.): VLDB'87, Proceedings of 13th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, September 1-4, 1987, Brighton, England. Morgan Kaufmann 1987, ISBN 0-934613-46-X
Contents

References

[1]: William Ward Armstrong: Dependency Structures of Data Base Relationships. IFIP Congress 1974: 580-583
[2]: Peter P. Chen: The Entity-Relationship Model - Toward a Unified View of Data. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 1(1): 9-36(1976)
[3]: ...
[4]: E. F. Codd: A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks. Commun. ACM 13(6): 377-387(1970)
[5]: Ramez Elmasri, James A. Weeldreyer, Alan R. Hevner: The Category Concept: An Extension to the Entity-Relationship Model. Data Knowl. Eng. 1(1): 75-116(1985)
[6]: ...
[7]: Hervé Gallaire, Jack Minker, Jean-Marie Nicolas: Logic and Databases: A Deductive Approach. ACM Comput. Surv. 16(2): 153-185(1984)
[8]: ...
[9]: ...
[10]: ...
[11]: ...
[12]: ...
[13]: ...