LAURA: A Formal Data Model and her Logical Design Methodology.

@inproceedings{DBLP:conf/vldb/BrownP83,
  author    = {Robert Brown and
               Douglas Stott Parker Jr.},
  editor    = {Mario Schkolnick and
               Costantino Thanos},
  title     = {LAURA: A Formal Data Model and her Logical Design Methodology},
  booktitle = {9th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, October
               31 - November 2, 1983, Florence, Italy, Proceedings},
  publisher = {Morgan Kaufmann},
  year      = {1983},
  isbn      = {0-934613-15-X},
  pages     = {206-218},
  ee        = {db/conf/vldb/BrownP83.html},
  crossref  = {DBLP:conf/vldb/83},
  bibsource = {DBLP, http://dblp.uni-trier.de}
}

Abstract

This paper describes the LAURA data model and its use in the logical design methodology of the Database Design Group. LAURA provides simple formal constructs for the design of large databases, including generalization, abstraction, and categorization primitives, while avoiding limitations of existing formal models.

LAURA is based on functional connections between data, and has features of functional and binary data models, and semantic networks. A consequence of choosing a relatively abstract level for modeling is that important semantic information is available for use in 'normalization' which can be lost, for example, when schemas are translated to relational representations. In particular, use of the relational model inhibits proper modeling of different types of functions and abstractional concepts, and clouds the fact that eliminating inherited propertis from a schema is a main concern of normalization (which is not at all evident when expressed in the language of functional dependencies).

This paper concentrates first on introducing LAURA, and second on describing the normalizing transforms used with the model. The approach developed here has been automated, and is being used successfully in the interactive design of large database systems.

Copyright © 1983 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

• 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

• 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

References

[A]

...

[AGU]

Alfred V. Aho, M. R. Garey, Jeffrey D. Ullman: The Transitive Reduction of a Directed Graph. SIAM J. Comput. 1(2): 131-137(1972)

[AP]

Paolo Atzeni, Douglas Stott Parker Jr.: Assumptions in Relational Database Theory. PODS 1982: 1-9

[BK]

Catriel Beeri, Henry F. Korth: Compatible Attributes in a Universal Relation. PODS 1982: 55-62

[BG]

Philip A. Bernstein, Nathan Goodman: What does Boyce-Codd Normal Form Do? VLDB 1980: 245-259

[BP]

Paul De Bra, Jan Paredaens: Horizontal Decompositions for Handling Exceptions to Functional Dependencies. Advances in Data Base Theory 1982: 123-141

[B]

...

[BF]

Peter Buneman, Robert E. Frankel: FQL - A Functional Query Language. SIGMOD Conference 1979: 52-58

[CFP]

Marco A. Casanova, Ronald Fagin, Christos H. Papadimitriou: Inclusion Dependencies and Their Interaction with Functional Dependencies. PODS 1982: 171-176

[C]

E. F. Codd: Extending the Database Relational Model to Capture More Meaning. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 4(4): 397-434(1979)

[D]

C. J. Date: Referential Integrity. VLDB 1981: 2-12

[F]

Ronald Fagin: A Normal Form for Relational Databases That Is Based on Domians and Keys. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 6(3): 387-415(1981)

[FMU]

Ronald Fagin, Alberto O. Mendelzon, Jeffrey D. Ullman: A Simplified Universal Relation Assumption and Its Properties. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 7(3): 343-360(1982)

[Fa]

...

[FK]

Antonio L. Furtado, Larry Kerschberg: An Algebra of Quotient Relations. SIGMOD Conference 1977: 1-8

[HM]

Michael Hammer, Dennis McLeod: Database Description with SDM: A Semantic Database Model. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 6(3): 351-386(1981)

[HK]

...

[HWY]

Barron C. Housel, Vance E. Waddle, S. Bing Yao: The Functional Dependency Model for Logical Database Design. VLDB 1979: 194-208

[HY]

Richard Hull, Chee-Keng Yap: The Format Model: A Theory of Database Organization. PODS 1982: 205-211

[JK]

David S. Johnson, Anthony C. Klug: Testing Containment of Conjunctive Queries Under Functional and Inclusion Dependencies. PODS 1982: 164-169

[K1]

William Kent: The Entity Join. VLDB 1979: 232-238

[K2]

William Kent: Limitations of Record-Based Information Models. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 4(1): 107-131(1979)

[KP]

...

[KS1]

Sharon McCure Kuck, Yehoshua Sagiv: A Universal Relation Database System Implemented via the Network Model. PODS 1982: 147-157

[KS2]

Sharon McCure Kuck, Yehoshua Sagiv: Designing Globally Consistent Network Schemas. SIGMOD Conference 1983: 185-195

[LP]

Carol Helfgott LeDoux, Douglas Stott Parker Jr.: Reflections on Boyce-Codd Normal Form. VLDB 1982: 131-141

[L1]

Y. Edmund Lien: On the Semantics of the Entity-Relationship Data Model. ER 1979: 155-168

[L2]

Y. Edmund Lien: Hierarchical Schemata for Relational Databases. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 6(1): 48-69(1981)

[L3]

Y. Edmund Lien: On the Equivalence of Database Models. J. ACM 29(2): 333-362(1982)

[LTK]

Tok Wang Ling, Frank Wm. Tompa, Tiko Kameda: An Improved Third Normal Form for Relational Databases. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 6(2): 329-346(1981)

[MS]

...

[M]

John C. Mitchell: Inference Rules for Functional and Inclusion Dependencies. PODS 1983: 58-69

[Sa]

Yehoshua Sagiv: A Characterization of Globally Consistent Databases and Their Correct Access Paths. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 8(2): 266-286(1983)

[Sc1]

Edward Sciore: Improving Semantic Specification in a Relational Database. SIGMOD Conference 1979: 170-178

[Sc2]

Edward Sciore: Inclusion Dependencies and the Universal Instance. PODS 1983: 48-57

[Sh]

David W. Shipman: The Functional Data Model and the Data Language DAPLEX. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 6(1): 140-173(1981)

[SK]

...

[SS1]

John Miles Smith, Diane C. P. Smith: Database Abstractions: Aggregation. Commun. ACM 20(6): 405-413(1977)

[SS2]

John Miles Smith, Diane C. P. Smith: Database Abstractions: Aggregation and Generalization. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 2(2): 105-133(1977)

[TL]

...

[U1]

Jeffrey D. Ullman: Principles of Database Systems, 1st Edition. Computer Science Press 1980

[U2]

Jeffrey D. Ullman: The U. R. Strikes Back. PODS 1982: 10-22

[WM]

...